Chapter 175: Ch 175 : A Gift

A hushed, terrified silence had fallen over the Arena of Epiphany.

The appearance of The Unchained had already shattered the audience’s understanding of their world, but the entity that followed them was a different order of being entirely.

The very fabric of the arena screamed, the sky cracking like black glass, the ground bleeding pure chaos.

Lifeform125312: “What… what are those things? The eyes… they look like the eyes of the Dragonborn, but… much scarier and magestical.” The message was a trembling whisper in the live chat, echoing the primal fear that had gripped trillions of souls.

Lifeform1447 : “That same feeling… that pressure… it is the same as Demigod Nova’s.”

The mystery was unveiled as the first of the ten beings stepped through the rift.

It was Volthrax, the first natural-born dragon of Veridia. He was not as colossal as the titans, but he radiated a presence that made him seem infinitely larger.

It was the sheer, suffocating weight of his draconic pressure, an ancient and absolute authority that declared him the apex predator in every universe.

He was followed by eight others, each a symphony of elemental fury—one wreathed in lightning, another whose scales were forged from living diamond, a third whose every breath left a trail of frost in the air.

But it was the tenth dragon that drew a collective gasp from the leaders of the Cosmic Empire. It was a magnificent dragon of shimmering green like Shenlong’s, its scales like polished jade, and from its eyes shone a familiar, noble light. It was Thorn.

He had chosen not to participate as a representative of the human race he had once ruled.

In the centuries since his rebirth, he had come to understand the deep, unbreakable laws of karma.

He owed his second life to his master, and he would repay that debt with every fiber of his being.

He would not fight for the glory of humans; he would fight for the glory of his master, Demigod Shenlong, as a dragon.

From the human stands, Anaske’s eyes widened, a wave of pure joy washing over his kingly composure. “Father!” he waved, his voice a shout across the vast arena.

With a single, powerful beat of his wings, Thorn covered the impossible distance, landing before the human champion’s stand with a ground-shaking thud that was both terrifying and gentle.

“It is good to see you are doing well, my child,” Thorn’s voice rumbled, the sound a mix of a dragon’s deep growl and a father’s warm affection.

For a few precious moments, the tournament, the gods, and the fate of the universe faded away, and it was just a father and a son, reunited after a century of separation.

As the champions reacquainted themselves, and the trillions of lifeforms waited with bated breath, Sunny’s voice finally boomed, signaling the end of the parade and the beginning of the contest.

“I, God Cosmos, Emperor of this Pantheon, hereby declare that the Tournament of Gods has officially begun!”

Just as the words left his lips, the very space at the center of the arena tore open. It was not the controlled, shimmering gateway of a teleportation array, but a raw, authoritative rip in reality itself, as if the person arriving owned the very rules of this realm.

From the tear, a figure emerged, his presence an ancient, overwhelming pressure that made even the gods on their thrones sit up straighter. Billions of years of history and power radiated from him.

The six billion Gods stared, their minds utterly broken for the second time that day. For them, he was a myth, a legend from a bygone era, a god who should be dead by now. And yet, there he stood. Adam, the God of Growth.

Sunny rose from his throne, a genuine smile on his face. “Greetings, Adam,” he said, his voice carrying across the silent arena. “I am happy you were willing to be the referee for this small tournament of ours.”

Adam returned the polite nod, then turned his gaze to the trillions watching. “Greetings to all the Gods, demigods, and lifeforms of this new era. My name is Adam. Though I wished to participate in this tournament myself, but sadly I have no creations of my own to field. Therefore, I can only serve as your referee.” His voice was a calm river.

“As the referee,” he declared, “I commence the start of this tournament!” he said with a raise of his hand.

With a single, sweeping gesture of his hand, the arena transformed. Millions of towering pillars, each hundreds of feet tall, erupted from the ground.

They were of two types: one of grey, unyielding stone, and the other of a deep, pulsating blue crystal that hummed with magical energy.

“The first trial will test your fundamental capabilities,” Adam announced. “It is a test of strength. You will choose one of these two pillars. The grey is the Pillar of Might. The blue is the Pillar of Mana. You will be teleported before the pillar of your choosing. Your task is simple: leave your mark upon it.”

Two options flashed on the system panels of every chosen champion. The choices were made in an instant, and the arena floor became a chaotic, beautiful storm of teleportation light as millions of lifeforms from across the arena appeared before their chosen trials.

Sunny watched, a flicker of pride in his heart. He wasn’t worried. As every single champion from Veridia was an S-Grade powerhouse on the verge of ascension.

This was a mere formality for them. His thoughts turned to a different being, one whose battlefield was not this arena, but the entire Realm of Advancement itself.

“Nexus,” he whispered.

From the ground at the foot of his throne, a pool of black, viscous liquid seeped upwards. In under a second, it coalesced into a small, round, perfectly black slime that quivered with a joyful energy.

“Greetings, Master!” Nexus’s voice was a happy, bubbling sound in Sunny’s mind.

“I was in a hurry when I created you,” Sunny said, his voice gentle. “I only gave you a single talent. While it is more than enough for you to win this tournament with ease, it is still unfair for you to only have one.”

He looked at the little slime, the all-powerful and utterly loyal master of this entire realm, and his mind raced.

He thought of the billions of demon demigods now flooding into this reality, a tide of pure malice. He placed a hand on Nexus’s slimy form.

He bestowed upon him a second talent: Corpse Absorption. An ominous name, but a brutally effective ability.

With this, Nexus would grow stronger with every death that occurred within the Realm of Advancement, friend or foe.

It was a power that would turn this entire, coming war into a personal feast for his new demigod, a way to solve the problem of its weakness outside its home turf.

Then, he bestowed a third: Slime Army. A talent that would allow Nexus to create millions of smaller, semi-sentient slimes.

They would be his hands, his eyes, and his army. And, Sunny theorized, if they developed true sentience, they might even become a new, unexpected source of faith, a path for Nexus’s own eventual ascension to godhood.

“This is it for now,” Sunny said with a grin. “If you need anything, you can contact me through our link.” He then added, a mischievous glint in his cosmic eyes, “And I will have a special gift for you in a few hours.”

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