Chapter 94: A Future Threat

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"Floor 80… Yes, we do know a bit about that," said Caesar. "They belong to the Second Order of Gods, the second strongest amongst all of them. They have a Pantheon; I don't know how many gods are there, but Floor 80 is a vast world that has conquered and assimilated some of the floors below. It makes sense if they were to attack Father; they are also conquerors, but much stronger."

"So in only a year they plan to strike?" wondered Elphiette. "There isn't good news at all, and if you say we all died... It means they are much more powerful than we were back then. But it makes sense that beings on such high floors have an average level of eight thousand. Divine Beasts, which are a type of monster imbued with Lesser Divinities, are usually born within Floor 78 and above. These worlds are so vast and imbued with so much Divine Power that they are thousands of times greater in both power and essence than any other world below them."

"My original world also belonged to the Second Order; after all, it's from Floor 71 and above," muttered Caesar. "Father is too ambitious; he might have instigated the wrath of those gods."

"Do you know who they are?" I asked. "How do they look, or at least their titles?"

"I only know three of their titles so far," said Caesar. "{The Guardian of Knowledge}, {The Radiant Sun}, and {The Divine Father of Thunder}—they're the three strongest gods, with the Divine Father of Thunder leading their entire Pantheon."

"Huh, those titles remind me of some famous gods," said Yanisse. "But those are alien worlds, so I suppose what they have in common is just that."

"Yes, I also thought about Athena, Apollo, and Zeus with such names. But at the end of the day, those are the gods from our mythologies. Alien gods are never going to be the same as ours," I said. "Well, unless it's a parallel world? But those worlds are independent."

"Yeah, I suppose so," nodded Yanisse.

"They never had names, just Titles," said Seth. "Their Divine Beasts, however, are the real deal. Thousands of them, each so powerful, laid waste to anything. It was in this event that other hunters died too; most of the North American hunters died, actually. Nicholas, Yanisse, Aiyana... all of them died."

"I died too?!" Yanisse gasped. "I… Hah, I suppose I should have seen that coming. Was Bing Xue not there?"

"She was not. This is the point of divergence with this timeline," said Seth. "Bing Xue never existed in the future I came from. She's unique to this timeline and also the cause of my memories awakening to begin with; when she kicked me back then and then healed me, all those memories came back to my head."

"That's... strange. How is it possible for her to not exist in the future you come from but to exist in this one? And even before you could have ever changed anything?" Caesar wondered.

"I have no idea; Bing Xue is probably some sort of paradox, a variable, or something else... Perhaps the Murim world she lived in was outside of even timelines. It would explain why it was so ridiculously powerful as to give her so much power after spending all those years there." Seth stated his theory.

"So you're implying that... There's a future where my daughter never comes back to me," my mother sighed.

"Yes, most likely," Seth said, without trying to sugarcoat it. "Perhaps… And this is only my theory: Murim is a world that exists outside of timelines. It has its own time, and it flows forward without being interrupted. Other worlds kept moving on their own, timelines being born and dying, while Bing Xue spent that time in Murim."

"That would mean... My original world died long ago, wasn't it?" I said it with a melancholic smile.

"That can't be... But where did the other Katherines go to then?" My mother insisted.

"And that's the problem; we don't know," I said. "So that's why it is only a theory and just as improbable as others."

"Maybe…" Elphiette suddenly commented. "Perhaps Bing Xue here might be an amalgamation of all her parallels within all timelines."

"What? How so?" wondered Caesar.

"I studied Time Magic and the Time Element when I was young back home. My mother was one of the few gods trying to learn this elusive element the most," Elphiette said. "We learned about paradoxes and "beings outside of time." She explained that there are certain beings in the Tower that exist within all timelines at the same time but have only one body "anchored" in a chosen timeline. And this timeline then becomes their true timeline."

"So you're saying… My own self is the combination of countless parallel selves? But I don't really feel like that, nor have I ever met myself before," I said.

"Yes, that's why it might just be a theory," said Elphiette. "I don't know much else, sorry."

"Well, it's fine…" I held my mother's hands, caressing them. "And don't worry, mom. You're my mother, and I am your daughter; I know it, and nothing will change that."

"Kat…" My mother felt slightly moved as she nodded.

"Anyways, now that I am here, the future can be changed, even more with Bing Xue, a friend I never thought we could ever have to help us," said Seth. "Although I believe she's incredibly powerful, at the level of the strongest gods... It's never good to be too confident. Bing Xue, I would like to accompany you to the second floor. There's a way for me—and well, for you too—to become even stronger."

"I was going to go there and kill that warmongering, barbarian god anyway, so sure," I nodded. "I'll mostly target all gods that deserve their punishment. If I ever come across those that do good or are neutral, I won't kill them, but the rest? They will become my power."

"To think someone would someday appear, capable of killing gods and absorbing their powers seamlessly, Not even other gods can easily do that, you know?" the King said. "If the Divinities of the other God are not compatible, it could cause more harm than anything else to the other God. This is the reason why they often enslave the God that was defeated or sometimes seal their bodies and divinities into a special Divine Armament."

"So the gods themselves are hunting each other already…" I laughed a bit. "Well, isn't that quite ironic? Despite this alliance they have, they're all just eager to kill each other anyway."

"Yeah… The Tower is a chaotic place, but for the first twenty or so floors, it doesn't feel that way," said the King. "This is why I've been mostly trying to hold back humans from climbing higher, as you'll only awaken the sleeping beasts there."

"Wait, what happens once humanity reaches floor 21?" Yanisse asked.

"Once a race that represents a planet reaches Floor 21, the Tutorial Phase ends," said Seth. "And the real game begins. The gods of the tower are allowed to do even more destruction, and gates appear even more frequently. Even Dungeons begin to appear—special gates that merge with the earth entirely, creating physical places, not just a portal that pours out monsters. In a way, they begin the terraforming of the planet."

"But that's not all the scariest part," said the king. "Players from other worlds of the tower, much higher, will be able to come to Earth too. Players at such high levels could destroy entire countries. They will come here to investigate first, but then they will freely pillage and destroy anything they want. It becomes a free-for-all, and the only way for the planet to survive is by reinforcing its inhabitants and creating a large group of specialized guardians. What Bing Xue is doing has facilitated that process, but we need more help than that. I'll help."

"That's right if we can create a unified alliance with your many troops and my sect," I said. "We could potentially create a large enough organization to defend the planet. But I think we need more than that. I was planning on unifying the entire planet's hunter associations. The elite hunters of every country. I will go visit them one after another and do everything I can, so they join the alliance."

"If it's you... Then I believe it," the king smirked. "But I suppose you won't start right away?"

"Not exactly; I will be sending some Doppelgangers to a few countries starting now. I already did it, like a few days ago. I sent them to where the Gray Portals had opened, as I've been monitoring them and what comes from them. I'll use that as an opportunity to recruit worthy disciples."

"I see, so what's your plan now?" wondered Elphiette.

"I'll go to the tower and catch up, mostly climb and level up, get skills, and become stronger than I am right now," I said. "Because I am sure I need strength if the worst-case scenarios happen... In the world I came from, there was a being, one I couldn't win against."

"Wait, what?" my mother asked. "Is that true? What sort of being was it?"

"The Heavenly Will," I said. "I've already introduced them to some of my disciples, an insane entity that was the representation of Murim's heavens themselves, and perhaps the whole world. It used to be nine, but they ate each other, and at the end, the White Heaven survived, becoming the absolute being."

"So like a God of Murim?" wondered Seth.

"Yes, most likely," I nodded. "I could only escape their tenacious claws, but I can still remember how they said they would eventually find me, no matter what."

They were left speechless, a being that instilled fear even in me; they were surprised.

They probably thought I was invincible, didn't they?

Well, partially invincible.

But against the Heavenly Will or beings of his caliber, I am weak.

I need to get stronger, even if I am stomping my way through the tower.

I know I'll eventually find someone capable of stopping me.

For that reason, I cannot slack off or get cocky.

"Anyways, as I climb, you will stay here, of course," I said, giving the King and the Queen their rings and a third one for Cecil. "Use these things to teleport inside the pagoda every day to receive your training. You will be growing exponentially stronger in the coming days, weeks, and months. Eventually, you will become so strong you won't even be able to recognize yourselves anymore."

The King and the Queen seemed surprised, admiring the rings I gave them and placing them on their fingers.

"Thank you; we will come every day then," the king nodded. "To save this world, I've made my new home, to protect my family, to stop the future from becoming a reality, and to defeat my father... I must become stronger."

"And I'll do my best to help you too, honey," said Elphiette. "Thank you, Bing Xue, for trusting us."

"It's fine." I smiled. "Give the third ring to your daughter Cecil as well. I might leave, but my Doppelgangers will remain here to teach you all the basics. I will come back in a couple of days anyway, so don't worry. I won't be there forever. If something very urgent happens, I will step in."

"I see… Thanks," the King said, extending his hand for a handshake. "Bing Xue, we owe you more than you imagine. My family and this kingdom, we swear our loyalty."

"Oh? So soon?" I giggled. "Oh well, sure thing."

I gave him his treasured handshake and then decided to move on.

"Another thing… The magicians I killed, let me revive them," I said.

"T-That's… you would?" The King wondered.

"Of course, I wouldn't want you to resent me still secretly for that. Come on, let me show you how I do this." I smiled.

We stepped out of the pagoda with the remains of the magicians.

"Although most people may believe my ability to revive others is incredible and omnipotent, that's not exactly the case. There are many rules to it, and it can't be done infinitely either," I explained, waving my hands. "There's usually two ways to revive them. Time Regression or Pure Healing. Both have their repercussions. For now, {Time Regression} will do."

FLUOSH!