"The quality of this rule is incredibly high. If it weren't for Teyvat's powerful Truth, we wouldn't be able to step into this universe's affairs so easily."
Noah let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the Heart of Teyvat, which had just taken over part of this universe's order.
He glanced over at the Star Grail, partially blocked by the system, which was also a core of this universe.
This effectively meant that this universe now had two cores. Without the system's suppression of the Star Grail, these two cores would inevitably clash. At best, they would harmonize, but at worst, they could tear the universe apart, creating two new ones.
The most serious case would be the destruction of both cores.
Would the Heart of Teyvat create problems now that it was detached from Teyvat and placed here?
As long as the Heavenly Principle was present, there would be no problems.
As long as Noah remained unaffected, Teyvat itself would remain safe.
At the same time, the Heart of Teyvat could continue to function uninterrupted for the gods of Teyvat. At least, the chat group and similar functions would continue. As for the Gift Game, that would have to pause for now.
The Heart of Teyvat was working tirelessly to facilitate this universe's Gift Game.
"As long as over ninety percent of the life in this universe bears Teyvat's mark, then more than half of this universe's authority will belong to Teyvat."
"At that point, I can also claim to be the strongest god in this universe."
"You may be strong, but your judgment mechanism is too simple and vague. It's too easy to exploit loopholes."
Noah calmly observed the Star Grail and spoke.
"By the way, system, what's the name of the great universe force within the Star Grail? Besides Kabbalah and the Ouroboros Truth, there's another one, right?"
As the One True God who mastered three Truths, Noah was highly sensitive to Truth. He knew that the 'Kabbalah' and 'Ouroboros' in the Star Grail were close to Teyvat's own, but the third Truth was slightly more advanced.
In the superdimension, there were countless types of Truths.
Aside from the 'Ouroboros' and 'Kabbalah', the two most important Truths of the world, there were other special Truths. Some of them were even rules upgraded from the great universe.
For example, the 'Imaginary Principle' and 'Quantum Principle' in the Tree and Sea.
These Truths would lose their significance outside of the Tree and Sea, making them just 'Principles' and not Truths.
[Ding. The third Truth in the Star Grail is 'Truth of Origin,' 'Alpha,' 'α'. It represents the beginning, the first, the origin of everything.]
[When the three Truths combine, it forms the 'Power of Origin'. This power brings everything into existence from nothing, representing the origin and the beginning of all things.]
[The Power of Origin controls the beginning of all things, guiding the continuation of everything—that is the 'Power of Origin'. According to your understanding, it's like 'I think, therefore I am. I think, therefore all things manifest. I think, therefore all things exist.']
Noah understood immediately and took a deep breath. Alpha—this is just like the 'Creation' part of 'Creation and End'!
The Alpha goddess, one of the four original Truths of the Little Garden, wields the power of the origin and the beginning of all things.
"The Power of Origin, 'I think, therefore all things exist.' This is pure idealist power! As long as I will it, everything will come into existence. As long as I will it, everything will exist."
"No wonder, with only the Star Grail as a core, a great universe was inadvertently created—it's because of this 'Alpha.'"
Without the third Truth, it would be impossible for the two major Truths alone to create a universe.
The Heart of Teyvat could also create a universe if thrown into the superdimension.
The third Truth, 'Dream Truth,' is the Truth of 'reality vs. illusion'—where the universe is born within dreams.
"Then I will wait here for my beloved Teyvat gods to bring the Star Grail to me," Noah said with a smile as scenes appeared before him, watching the participants in the Gift Game who were following the 'rules'.
...
[Gift Game Name: Breaking the False Strongest Name]
'Strongest' is the target of all things.
However, the naturally strongest, the strongest without challengers, is nothing but an empty name.
Breaking the 'emptiness,' stepping beyond it, and taking control of concepts and rules by oneself.
Participants: God of War Artosh, Raiden Ei
Victory Conditions: Raiden Ei must break the 'Strongest' name, God of War must break free from instinct to find himself.
Failure Conditions: Raiden Ei is defeated by the 'Strongest', God of War cannot find his self.
Note: This Gift Game is supervised by the rulers of both universes, ensuring no fatalities.
Organizers: Teyvat Heavenly Principle, Disboard One True God
Artosh chuckled.
"So that's it. The Star Grail has already been claimed by the world's ruler in your universe. This is all in their hands."
Raiden Ei responded, "You were supposed to obtain the Star Grail and become the ruler of the universe. It's a pity your self was driven by instinct."
...
"The Star Grail... it makes us Old Deus fight and turn against each other. Though I don't understand why the universe's dominion attracts the divine races, even the rulers of other universes come to take it. If it weren't for the Star Grail, you wouldn't be standing here before me."
"Do you have more to say? Though this battle is supervised by the order and there will be no fatalities, there won't be time for much talking in the fight itself."
Raiden Ei raised her weapon, Musou Isshin. The purple lightning combined with the cosmic power of the Pseudo Star Map Creation, gathering at the edge of the blade.
The surrounding deep space trembled with the immense force.
A single strike from a Second-tier Supreme God was enough to shatter stars, and a full-force blow could obliterate the massive expanse of deep space around a star system.
This range was colossal—stretching a full light-year.
Seeing Raiden Ei's actions, Artosh laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha..."
Boom... Boom...
In an instant, a cosmic storm materialized. A massive, rotating nebula formed in deep space around Artosh, as if a cradle for stars was giving birth to a primal sun.
As the challenger, Artosh unleashed the full power of his divine essence.
He directly created a cosmic marvel—a stellar birth—within a light-year's span of deep space.
In a flash, at the center of the vortex, a burst of gamma radiation—resembling a supernova explosion—shot directly toward Raiden Ei.
In front of the light beam, space itself was instantly dissolved.
Breaking the cosmic space might be simple for some powerful gods, but melting it down is far more difficult. This requires a force so immense that the space itself cannot withstand it.
It's like smashing a piece of glass—easy to do, but the force that breaks the glass won't harm other things. However, the power to melt glass is far more dangerous—it can harm everything around it.
The beam of light, resembling a 'gamma-ray burst,' was merely Artosh's golden spear piercing the fabric of space.
What once could only alter a planet's terrain was now able to shatter stars with ease when facing a Supreme God.
Artosh's power was now on par with Raiden Ei's, perhaps even surpassing it in some respects.
The spear burned with flames so hot they melted space itself. This was the manifestation of the concept of War from his divine essence, a power that violently burned and fused matter, space, rules, and energy.
Strongest allowed Artosh to exceed his opponent's strength by seconds, while War let him destroy anything in his path with brute force.
Such a powerful being didn't rely on complex techniques, preferring simple, overwhelming attacks.
Even his ultimate strike, Heavenly Smite, was nothing more than compressing all the power from his divine essence and releasing it at a single point.
Raiden Ei calmly observed Artosh's direct strike with his spear, her purple eyes glowing with divine light. Holding the Musou Isshin, she swung it forward, releasing a beam of purple light infused with the cosmic energy from the Pseudo Star Map Creation.
The blade of light created a purple gamma-ray burst.
Boom!
The two forces collided in the deep void of space.
From the perspective of the cosmos, a blinding light appeared near the center of a massive galaxy. The glow was so brilliant that it overshadowed the surrounding stars, lighting up nearly half of the galaxy.
In their first clash, they had already caused a supernova explosion that illuminated the galaxy—a cosmic marvel.
The two Supreme Gods moved at superluminal speeds in the chaotic nebula, swinging their weapons. Each collision created a visual spectacle akin to a gamma-ray burst or supernova explosion.
Every impact generated vast amounts of interstellar matter.
It could be said that they were creating the nebula before the birth of stars. At this level, the battle was more like the creation of a galaxy. In tens of millions of years, this place would give birth to many new stars.
The massive nebula would become a breeding ground for countless stars.
But right now, it was a burning inferno of chaotic energy.
Amid the destructive sparks, Artosh relentlessly swung his golden spear, fully unleashing the essence of the God of War.
But each strike was easily deflected by a purple blade.
The slender arms holding the sword were like an impenetrable wall. No attack could break through the range of the blade.
Raiden Ei felt completely at ease, even surprised at her current strength.
She was too strong. Her current self was overwhelmingly powerful.
Though Artosh's strength was formidable, now, in her eyes, even his immense power—capable of easily shattering stars and spanning light-years—felt as fragile as a child's toy when clashing with hers.
This was the power of the Pseudo Star Map Creation—using an entire 'universe' as a weapon.
Artosh, even with the concept of Strongest, was still only a force within the universe.
No matter what, he could never shake Raiden Ei, who wielded a universe itself as her weapon.
And this wasn't even the full power of the Pseudo Star Map Creation.
The true power lay in its ability to influence the external universe with its cosmology, temporarily making the outside universe become her universe.
In one's own universe, one must adhere to their own order.
The All-Beings Doctrine states that all things, from rules, concepts, matter, life, to non-life, have spirits. Anything defined as 'having a spirit' can be commanded by her.
In the universe influenced by her All-Beings Doctrine, she is the absolute force, the absolute order, the absolute invincibility.
Boom!
After 456,839 clashes, a sharp, cracking sound rang out in the deep space of the universe, as Raiden Ei's Musou Isshin pierced Artosh's right shoulder.
Artosh's divine body shattered, and drops of golden liquid scattered into the depths of space.
Artosh paused his attack, raising his hand. The golden liquid floated in his palm, and his platinum-burning eyes showed shock, joy, calm, and pleasure.
"Is this my blood? Do divine beings have blood?"
This was the first time he had been injured... and such a severe injury at that. His divine essence had been cracked, and a little further would pierce it completely...
Once his divine essence was pierced, he would fall into slumber.
Old Deus don't die. They are the personification of rules, and as long as the rules exist, so do they.
What shocked him was that he had blood—something he never imagined. When he had killed his kin, they had no blood.
But this wasn't exactly blood. It was a manifestation of rules mixed with divine essence energy.
For Old Deus, this was divine blood.
However, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he raised his spear once more, aiming at Raiden Ei, who had caused him to bleed.
"My kin, I can feel your strength. This is strength I do not understand. I have tasted the flavor of defeat, and at last, my heart is no longer empty. It has been satisfied."
"You possess even more power, a power that makes me fearful. Let that power grant me defeat. I shall use my strongest attack to greet it."
With that, he raised his golden spear high. The divine light it emitted was brighter than a supernova explosion, illuminating the entire galaxy.
"This is my final strike. To you, my respected opponent, I offer the full power of the God of War..."
Artosh fully released his divine essence and gathered it in the golden spear.
Not only that, but concepts continued to gather in deep space.
A massive rotating energy column extended upward, spanning a thousand light-years.
The orbits of several nearby stars were directly affected, pulled by the overwhelming force. The closest star was torn apart, its stellar energy fully absorbed into the vortex.
This was Artosh's strongest strike, Heavenly Smite.
The Seven Supreme Gods watching from afar couldn't help but be astonished.
Istaroth took a deep breath. "Even without the involvement of Truth's power, this attack, in Teyvat, would be enough to affect the entire universe."
Aether twitched his lips. "As expected of the concept of Strongest. This kind of attack, one that surpasses all bounds, I couldn't even make if I used all my strength."
...
Raiden Ei withdrew Musou Isshin and extended her hand. An illusory Celestial Orb appeared in her palm.
"Then, as you wish, let me show you the ultimate power—one that can destroy an entire universe just by being activated."
"Pseudo Star Map Creation: All-Beings Doctrine, activate!"
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