Chapter 248

The sacrifice of two trillion souls—

...had not shaken that structure in the slightest.

As expected of a genuine Level 10 creation.

And the fact that his God-Tier talent could even extract information about something at that level—

Allowed Kanzaki Rei to finally gauge the upper limits of his talent.

He had never known exactly what tier of existence God-Tier talents could affect.

Nor at what level they would begin to fail.

But now it seemed—

Even against Level 10...

They could still exert at least some influence.

"Immortality..."

"Again with immortality?"

Where were all these opportunities for immortality coming from?

Countless beings sought it and failed—

Yet he kept running into it?

He looked around.

All he could see was an endless sea of clouds stretching into infinity.

This entire day of future simulation—

There was no way he would waste it.

Right now, he had two choices:

Climb the Stairway to Immortality—

Or descend deeper into the cloud layers and find the Heaven Realm.

As for exploring aimlessly in all directions—

That would lead nowhere.

He had already climbed several hundred steps of the Stairway.

Felt nothing.

And reaching the top was likely impossible.

"...Better to go down."

At least there was a chance he might actually reach the Heaven Realm.

What kind of place was it?

A higher world, like ascension in cultivation novels?

Or just another region?

Hopefully not the kind of place where you grind endlessly—

Only to find yourself a mere foot soldier in a higher realm.

If that were the case—

He’d rather remain invincible in the lower world—

Than become cannon fodder above.

As for Light...

He was probably killed by the aftershock of that attack earlier.

He had climbed far higher than Kanzaki Rei.

While Kanzaki Rei ascended steadily—

Light had been sprinting upward.

With a Sixth-Tier puppet and a God-Tier talent, climbing tens of thousands of steps in a short time wasn’t difficult.

The staircase was shrouded in faint mist.

One couldn’t see far ahead.

Maybe—

It wasn’t just Light climbing.

Perhaps even the architect—Diphus—was climbing the very staircase he had built.

"...Enough."

Kanzaki Rei turned—

And descended.

「Heavenly Flow — Eighth Form: Motion」

BOOM!

A shockwave burst outward—

And he plunged toward the cloud sea at extreme speed!

At the same time—

Layer upon layer of shields formed around him:

Ice Shield. Fire Shield. Wind Shield. Lightning Shield. Dark Shield...

After about two minutes of descent—

He reached the lowest layer of the cloud sea—

The very point where his earlier sacrifice of two trillion souls had torn it apart.

Whoosh—

The moment his shields touched the clouds—

They instantly dissolved them.

"I can pass through the cloud sea... and reach the Heaven Realm."

Originally—

He could have wished:

"I can reach the top of the Stairway and achieve immortality."

But after thinking it through—

Even if that wish could be fulfilled—

Expecting it to happen within a single day was unrealistic.

So he adjusted it—

Into something achievable within the simulation.

This—

Was his second wish.

The first had been:

"I can leave the ancient ruins alive."

He had initially considered making a long-term wish to ensure his survival indefinitely—

But realized—

If one wish was tied up long-term, and another was short-term—

He would have no free wish slots left within the simulation.

So—

The long-term wish was postponed.

The cloud sea was dense—

But at first, there was little resistance.

His shields alone could dissolve it.

But as he descended further—

The clouds grew thicker—

Denser—

No longer vapor—

But like viscous white liquid.

His speed slowed.

Resistance increased.

Suddenly—

A warning surged in his mind!

Whoosh—

Kanzaki Rei blinked instantly!

He didn’t even know where to dodge—

Just moved instinctively—

And activated every defensive measure he had!

BOOM!!!

An attack descended—

Utterly unreasonable—

Instantaneous!

One hundred thousand layers of shields—

Pierced in a single moment!

His entire body—

Shattered—

Burned away in a terrifying beam of light—

Reduced to nothing!

And yet—

He did not die.

A pendant on his body shattered.

Sei’s "Soul-Persistence Protection"

No matter how overwhelming the attack—

It would preserve a fragment of the soul.

And with "Absolute Battle Body"—

Body and soul were one.

As long as a fragment remained—

Kanzaki Rei could regenerate.

Snap!

From absolute annihilation—

His flesh reformed instantly—

Restored completely in a single moment!

And as he reassembled—

He finally saw his attacker.

A figure stood before him.

The surrounding cloud sea had been completely erased by that single strike—

Leaving a vast, open void.

A being with two pristine wings of light—

...An angel?

Just by looking at her—

Kanzaki Rei felt his body begin to burn.

What... had he encountered?

"...You didn’t die?"

"So weak... yet your nature is unreadable."

"...Interesting."

Kanzaki Rei calmed his mind.

From that single strike—

He had already identified the attack.

「Karmic Sinflame Style — Fifteenth Form」「Light Combat Art: World-Sundering Sin Incineration」「Creator: Zhuya」

The one before him—

User: LexiTime of Death: Year 2452

They stood facing each other.

Kanzaki Rei did not speak rashly.

Purely in terms of combat strength—

He couldn’t win.

Should he end the simulation?

The angel spoke.

"Why have you come here, unknown lifeform?"

"You have entered the territory of the Heaven Realm."

Kanzaki Rei thought for a moment—

Then made a decision.

He relaxed part of the concealment of Unsolvable Enigma—

Allowing her to perceive some of his true state.

Lexi observed him.

His physical strength.

His mana.

Her gaze burned like divine fire—

As if seeing straight through him.

And yet—

What she saw was—

A Level 4 Mage.

A Level 4 Warrior.

...Absurdly weak.

Kanzaki Rei spoke honestly:

"I was exploring ancient ruins when I encountered a sudden portal."

"I didn’t know what lay below."

"I only intended to explore."

It was true—

The Month of Chaos had brought him here unpredictably.

She didn’t seem inclined to attack again.

So—

He would attempt negotiation.

Why negotiation?

Because he couldn’t win.

If he could—

He would have already beaten down this lunatic who attacked without warning.

Kanzaki Rei despised those who tried to kill him for no reason.

But since he couldn’t win—

He might as well gather information.

Lexi responded flatly:

"...I see."

"So it was caused by chaos."

"No wonder something as weak as you appeared above the forbidden zone."

"Understandable."

"But this is the Heavenly Forbidden Zone."

"You may go no further."

"Return the way you came."

...So you strike first—

Then tell people to leave?

Not to mention—

That single attack had destroyed everything he carried.

Storage bags. Artifacts.

All gone.

Kanzaki Rei spoke in a softer, almost childlike tone:

"Big sister... I don’t know how to go back."

"There’s no path above."

Lexi replied coldly:

"That is not my concern."

"I have only told you—this is a forbidden zone."

...Heartless.

Even ignoring a child’s plea?

So sympathy wouldn’t work.

Kanzaki Rei thought—

Then sat down midair.

"Then... can I sit here and talk with you, big sister?"

Lexi paused slightly.

"...Talk?"

Before she answered, Kanzaki Rei continued:

"Do you always guard this place?"

Lexi replied:

"No. I only came because I sensed an intruder."

"...I see."

Fast.

Very fast.

"Is everyone in the Heaven Realm as strong as you?"

"No."

"I am the second angel under Lord Zhuya."

"A guardian of the Heaven Realm."

"There is only one being above me."

...So the Heaven Realm wasn’t entirely unreachable.

And—

She didn’t seem opposed to answering questions.

In fact—

She answered every question directly.

Almost too smoothly.

"You’re willing to chat with me?"

"As long as you do not proceed further into the forbidden zone," she replied calmly,

"I have no reason to oppose you."

"I have no urgent matters."

"Speaking with you is acceptable."

Her tone remained completely flat.

Emotionless.

"What level are you?"

Kanzaki Rei asked the question he cared about most.

From that attack—

He knew her name.

But not her level.

And touching her directly to check—

Was suicidal.

"Level 8."

Level 8...

So—

A Level 8 class-holder could truly kill him instantly.

He had believed he could withstand attacks from Level 7s—

Even counter-kill them.

But Level 8—

Had erased him before he could react.

And yet—

She wasn’t Level 9?

Just how difficult was Level 9?

"And you?" she asked.

"Where do you come from?"

"I was exploring ancient ruins in the Moon Sea when I encountered a portal and was brought here."

"...The Moon Sea."

"That is far."

"You’ve been there?"

"Yes. Once, two thousand years ago."

...Two thousand years?

Her death year was 2452—

And that wasn’t necessarily old age.

And she casually mentioned visiting two thousand years ago?

What kind of lifespan was this?

"Well... different races have different lifespans," Kanzaki Rei thought.

Even on Earth, some sharks lived for centuries.

Elves here lived for thousands of years.

Human lifespan really was... short.

Though—

Beastfolk were even shorter-lived.

"What did you go there for?"

"I intended to kill a Skin-Stealer."

"But she had already ascended to godhood."

"Lord Zhuya ordered me to return."

...That wasn’t hard to guess who she meant.

"By the way... do you know about the staircase above?"

"What is it for?"

"I don’t know."

"You’ve never been there?"

"Above lies a region we are forbidden to enter."

"Though only separated by a thin boundary—it cannot be perceived or crossed."

"So if you return upward, I will not harm you."

...Strict.

Very strict.

Why had Diphus built the Stairway there?

"Can I ask you about the Heaven Realm?"

"If it is permissible, I do not mind."

"In return... I am curious about you."

Curious—

Yet her tone remained flat.

Like a machine.

"...Anything I know, I’ll answer honestly."

"Mm."

Heh...

If you can extract anything meaningful from me under Unsolvable Enigma and future simulation—go ahead.

His wish to reach the Heaven Realm hadn’t truly been fulfilled.

But through Lexi—

He learned a great deal.

Zhuya had six angels.

The first was Level 9.

The other five were Level 8.

Lexi was the second—

And the strongest among the Level 8s.

An 8th-Level peak... half-step into Level 9.

That explained why she could kill him instantly.

But—

Level 9 angels were still subordinates?

Weren’t Level 9 class-holders supposed to rival gods?

...Clearly, Level 9 wasn’t that simple.

Aside from that initial attack—

Lexi was surprisingly easy to talk to.

She asked about the present world as well.

To beings of the Heaven Realm—

The Moon Sea, Secret Sea, Boundless Mountains...

Were collectively called—

The Mortal Realm.

Speaking with a top-tier entity of another world—

The information gained was immense.

Understanding of Nests.

Of monsters.

Of world structure.

The Nests weren’t just invading the Mortal Realm—

They were invading the Heaven Realm as well.

Beyond that—

There were other realms:

The Astral Realm, the Underworld, the Abyss...

The Astral Realm—

Was the world of the stars visible from the Mortal Realm.

According to Lexi—

It resembled a universe.

In the Astral Realm—

Elements were scarce.

Mana barely existed.

Casting magic there was extremely difficult.

Unless one had an independent mana source—

Recovery was impossible.

Even the laws of reality differed.

And varied by region.

"...The Astral Realm..."

One day—

Kanzaki Rei wanted to see it.

Maybe—

It really was a universe.

Maybe—

He could return home.

As for monsters—

He finally learned their classification in the Heaven Realm.

Monster strength depended on evolution.

They evolved continuously.

Each evolution was a transformation.

Even within the same tier—

Each evolution was a leap.

The Pure White Tree he had slain—

Had likely undergone two evolutions at Tier 7.

Tier 7 allowed up to seven evolutions—

Though most reached Tier 8 after four.

A Continental-Class monster—

Was roughly equivalent to a sixth evolution at Tier 6.

And indeed—

He had never encountered a sixth-evolution Tier 6 monster.

They spoke for a long time.

Lexi truly seemed to have nothing better to do—

Chatting with him for an entire day.

He even learned eight forms of the Karmic Sinflame Style.

An extremely powerful combat art.

Pure light-based techniques—

Each strike carried nearly inextinguishable holy burn.

Even the body-tempering methods had purification effects—

Resisting curses.

Its movement technique—

Was astonishingly fast.

Even without perfect compatibility—

It rivaled his Eighth Form: Motion.

Unfortunately—

Time in the simulation was limited.

There was still so much he wanted to ask.

But—

Before he could continue—

The simulation ended.

Kanzaki Rei’s consciousness returned to reality.

A trace of regret lingered.

Opportunities like this—

Were rare.

But he quickly composed himself—

Turned to the two beside him—

And said:

"...That door is a dead end."

"We shouldn’t follow him inside."