Toga, Nurarihyon, and the others bowed their heads, drenched in cold sweat, saying nothing.
They had no right to speak in his presence—all they could do was listen in silence.
Noah passed by them without a word.
Everything that had happened was nothing more than one of his idle amusements—events that existed only because he permitted them to.
It seemed that, subconsciously, he had expected this to occur.
His every thought was reflected throughout the multiverse.
It was similar to Haruhi Suzumiya's phenomenon—except his power was infinitely beyond hers. The world of Haruhi Suzumiya was merely at the strong single-universe level, not even reaching the super single-universe tier.
After Noah disappeared, Toga and the others finally dared to straighten up. Their entire bodies felt as though they'd been submerged in water.
"You two brats!!! What did you do!?"
Dog General yanked off his belt, fury blazing in his eyes as he stormed toward his sons.
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha hadn't even recovered from the shock.
"Aaahhh—!"
"Father, stop! I was wrong!"
"Help!"
Within seconds, screams and the snap, crack, pop of the belt echoed throughout the area.
"Good!"
Nurarihyon and the others immediately began cheering enthusiastically.
"Nice hit!"
"Left side! Hit the left side! They're not balanced yet!"
"Harder this time!"
But after a few moments, everyone suddenly froze, looking puzzled.
"Eh? Why was I cheering just now? What happened again?"
"Weren't Toga's sons causing trouble?"
"Causing trouble? What trouble?"
"Ah, whatever. Watching those two brats get smacked just feels satisfying."
"Yeah, they're always making a mess. Even if it's not a big one, Toga should've done this long ago."
And just like that, everyone forgot Noah had ever been there.
Existences of the multiversal level could not be remembered by beings who had not been acknowledged by them.
Even if they had once met him, their memories would fade shortly after. At best, they might recall the meeting if they saw him again—but even that would vanish soon after.
Not just multiversal beings—even super single-universe beings were considered taboo. Unless one's existence and name were recognized, it was impossible to truly retain knowledge of them.
For everything related to such beings possessed unimaginable power.
Only those who transcended universes themselves could retain that knowledge.
And transcending universes began at the single-universe level and above.
"You… who are you, really?"
Mitama, still held by the scruff of her neck, asked cautiously, her face full of feigned innocence.
Though it was all an act, Noah couldn't help but be amused by it.
"Hehehe, I like little ones like you—whether fried or steamed, they're both delicious. Slurp."
Noah's face twisted into a devilish grin, a long tongue circling around his lips.
Mitama froze instantly. "Y-you… you're not… the Abyssal Lord, are you!?"
"Everyone knows the Abyssal Lord loves eating high-ranking gods! At least ten Primordial Gods every day!"
"Waaaah! Help! Sister Guizhong! Uncle Marchosius!" Mitama screamed, struggling desperately in terror.
Noah burst out laughing.
Aether's reputation had gotten that bad? Even now, it still terrified Almighty Gods—so much that wild rumors claimed he devoured ten of them daily.
If Aether were here, he'd probably stomp his foot in outrage.
"My reputation's this bad, and for what!? Why does every blame get dumped on me!?"
In modern Teyvat, the rule of thumb was simple—whenever something went wrong, blame the Abyss first. Only after ruling it out would anyone consider other causes.
In short, if anything bad happened, tossing the blame onto the Abyss was the safest move.
Meanwhile, in the Abyss, things were no different. Whenever misfortune struck, they'd blame the divine collectives instead—didn't matter which one, they were all "the bad guys."
Thus, whenever disaster struck, both sides would simply hurl accusations at each other.
At present, it took at least five divine collectives working together to stand against the Abyss—and the Abyss itself was frighteningly united.
At present, Aether stood as the strongest Super-God. With the continued expansion of the Abyss, it could potentially reach the super single-universe level at the fastest possible pace.
The Abyss itself represented all negativity across the universes. Thus, the Abyssal Lord's highest potential was to reach the weak multiversal level.
However, there was a problem—the multiverse was endlessly expanding, and the great universes within it were infinitely multiplying.
To fully control all cosmic negativity was essentially impossible.
Even as the Abyssal Lord's power grew infinitely stronger, it could never produce a qualitative change—it would forever remain infinitely close to the true multiversal realm, but never quite reach it.
The Lords of Divine Collectives could at best reach quasi-multiversal level, while the Abyssal Lord infinitely approached the true multiversal tier—creating a sort of equilibrium between the two.
Unless Aether could, through his own genius, create a power that allowed him to control the negativity of each new great universe at the very moment of its birth.
"Alright, go play on your own now," Noah said with a faint smile, dropping the struggling Mitama to the ground. He had lost interest in teasing her further.
"Run!" Mitama cried. The moment she hit the ground, she found her divine power restored and immediately bolted at full speed—vanishing in a blink.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Aether stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the ongoing Solar Sovereignty War.
He already possessed one Solar Sovereignty.
The moment he acquired it, he sensed the infinite, ever-expanding power contained within.
It startled him.
But he soon regained composure. The power of the Solar Sovereignty grew in direct proportion to Teyvat's strength.
From the Solar Sovereignty's fluctuations alone, he could sense just how far Teyvat had advanced.
At his current level, he couldn't even wield one hundred-millionth of its power.
The Solar Sovereignty naturally balanced the power among the divine collectives—its strength manifesting in accordance with Teyvat's stage of civilization.
"What exactly has Teyvat become now? Could it have already evolved into a true multiverse? Could this power be… actual multiversal power?"
Aether gazed at the card in his hand, lost in thought.
At present, he commanded the power of nearly twenty universes. Though still only a lower-tier Super-God, thanks to his sister Lumine—the Lawbearer—he had already glimpsed fragments of higher truths.
"If Teyvat truly reached the multiversal level… and if a complete Solar Sovereignty could rival the Eternal Throne…"
"Then each fragment of Solar Sovereignty must contain a portion of multiversal-level power…"
"If that's the case…" Aether swallowed hard, his eyes burning with excitement.
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed beside his ear.
"Didn't expect the first to notice it would be you, Aether."
Aether's entire body trembled as he quickly turned around.
"Lord Heavenly Principle."
He hadn't sensed a thing—no fluctuation, no trace of presence whatsoever.
Even though he could confirm that Lord Heavenly Principle was right before him, it was as though He did not exist.
Only when the other allowed Himself to be seen could Aether perceive Him—only when permitted could he hear His voice.
Could it be… that Lord Heavenly Principle had already ascended to the true multiversal level?
He didn't know exactly what that entailed, but it didn't stop him from guessing.
Even before now, the Heavenly Principle had already existed as a multiversal structure.
Moreover, the power within the Solar Sovereignty in his hand was strengthening at a speed far beyond his comprehension. Even now, he felt that simply releasing its aura could suppress infinite universes.
This was definitely not the power of a super single-universe being—he had felt that kind of energy before.
He had sensed super single-universe power many times from the Sustainers of Heavenly Principle.
That level of power he could at least partially understand. But now, with the Solar Sovereignty's current form, he couldn't comprehend even a fraction of it.
Noah smiled faintly as he stepped forward, turning his gaze toward the battlefield where the final clashes of the war were drawing to an end.
"You guessed correctly, Aether. I have indeed reached the multiversal level."
"The Great World of the Tree and Sea has already been completely assimilated by Teyvat. Now, Teyvat itself is a true multiverse."
Aether's pupils contracted slightly.
So it was true… Teyvat had become a multiverse. Yet he couldn't sense even a hint of it!
Noah continued, "With your current strength, you've reached only around twenty great-universe levels as a Super-God. In front of a multiverse, such power isn't even a ripple in the ocean. Naturally, you cannot perceive it."
"A fish in the sea can never behold the stars of the cosmos."
"To perceive them, you would at least need to reach the super single-universe level. Apart from the Sustainers, the only one capable of truly perceiving it is Lumine—the sole Lord of Law."
"The ultimate point of a Lord of Law is quasi-multiversal. Given her temperament, though, it's better to let her ascend slowly."
Aether exhaled softly, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Though it may sound presumptuous… your current power—just what level has it reached?"
He was long accustomed to Lord Heavenly Principle reading his thoughts. After all, what could possibly be hidden from Him in this world?
Though his question might have been bold, as one of the very first to follow Him since the beginning, Aether knew that Lord Heavenly Principle would not take offense. In truth, they could almost be called friends—though that relationship was far from equal.
Noah smiled. "When it comes to that… words can hardly describe it precisely."
"But I can say this—upon reaching the narrative level, the world appears to me no differently than a book. Everything within it is like text upon a page, freely rewritten at will."
Aether nodded slightly. "The narrative level, then…" As a sharp-minded individual, he could grasp the concept—at least on a surface level.
"So, the Solar Sovereignty truly has reached the multiversal tier now?" Aether raised his hand, gazing at the glowing fragment in his palm.
Noah nodded. "The Solar Sovereignty is the second authority of Pan-Human History. At present, it indeed stands at the weak multiversal level."
"Even when divided into twenty-four fragments, each still retains quasi-multiversal strength."
"To touch upon the truth of the multiverse—to comprehend its boundless power—is to reach the quasi-multiversal realm, becoming a Primeval God."
"Each Will within a multiverse is a Primeval God."
The more individual Wills a multiverse possessed, the stronger its collective grand Will would become.
And the Grand Will itself was part of Lord Heavenly Principle's power.
Though it meant little to him personally, it held great significance for beings like Phanes and the other Super-Primeval Gods.
The ruler of a single multiverse was known as a Super-Primeval God.
Asmoday and the others, however, were Primeval Gods—embodiments of the Four Supreme Wills: Life, Death, Time, and Space.
Among these, the greatest Wills were Life and Death, followed by Time and Space.
Unable to restrain himself, Aether asked, "Then… where does the Abyss's path ultimately lead?"
It was a question he had long wanted to ask. As the Abyssal Lord, his power continued to grow stronger and stronger.
Yet as the world continued to grow, Aether found that his control over the Abyss progressed slower and slower. After countless years, his advancement remained minimal.
Noah smiled. "The Abyss's ultimate destination is, of course, the state of a Primeval God—specifically, the Fifth Will of the multiverse, the Abyssal Will, second only to the Four Supreme Wills of Life, Death, Time, and Space."
"In truth, you need not endlessly expand the Abyss across the multiverse. Once you reach the super single-universe level, all you must do is comprehend the true meaning of the multiverse and allow yourself to become one of its Wills."
As he spoke, Noah patted Aether's shoulder and gently implanted a trace of multiversal truth into his body.
As one of the earliest followers, Aether had always been steadfast and dutiful—bearing endless blame and handling all of Teyvat's negative interference without complaint.
Naturally, Noah would not allow such loyalty to go unrewarded.
Aether's soul trembled violently as he sensed the spark of multiversal essence bloom deep within his being, filling him with ecstatic joy.
"Thank you for your blessing, Lord Heavenly Principle."
The Abyss would one day rise to become a Primeval God—one of the multiversal Wills themselves. That was now an undeniable future.
So this was the power of the multiverse? It was beyond imagination—utterly incomprehensible!
At that moment, upon noticing Lord Heavenly Principle's arrival, the various Lords who had been watching the Solar Sovereignty War hurried over to pay their respects.
Venti appeared as a playful breeze, grinning ingratiatingly. "Hehe~ Lord Heavenly Principle! For You to personally attend the Gift Game is truly an honor!"
"Oh, and! I've brought with me a batch of dandelion wine I've been aging for over five thousand years—would You care for a bottle?" he said, producing two bottles of shimmering wine from the void.
Noah accepted one with a teasing smile. "Oh~ you're actually willing to share your own stash? That's not very like you, drunkard."
Venti laughed sheepishly. "Ahaha, not at all! For You to drink my wine—why, that's the greatest blessing of my life!"
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