Volume 2 - Azure Blade Twins
Cover
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The Boundless Astral Realm can be likened to a boundless sea. Within its expanse, an incalculable number of dimensions, worlds, stars, galaxies, and other celestial entities exist freely, much like vessels afloat on these astral waters. Each world, regardless of its shape or type, is enveloped within its own spherical World Boundary. These individual ‘bubbles’ possess distinct attributes, including varying ‘density’, ‘volume’, and other measurable metrics.
While there are all sorts of celestial entities, the worlds within the Boundless Astral Realm are categorized into four distinct tiers: Small, Medium, Large, and Great.
These tiers are self-explanatory. Small Worlds may consist of massive dimensions or a planet, with the capacity to barely sustain the existence of ten to twenty billion sophonts within their bounds. In contrast, Medium and Large worlds can accommodate even larger populations. However, the most significant distinction lies not within the size or resource potential of these worlds, but rather in the depth of their dimensional laws.
For instance, Mordred’s homeworld, Holy Terra, falls under the classification of a small world. Within its dimensional laws, temperatures below -273.15 degrees Celcius are unsustainable. At this point, molecular activity grinds to a halt, rendering time essentially frozen. The conventional ‘law of physics’ as understood within Holy Terra no longer applies under conditions of absolute zero.
Though Magi may argue that Holy Terra isn’t primarily an ice-path world, the true concern lies elsewhere. The dimensional laws governing Holy Terra, particularly those associated with ice-path cultivation, are relatively shallow. This imposes a significant constraint on what an ice-path cultivator can achieve.
Of course, there exist celestial bodies of extreme nature, such as supermassive black holes or neutron stars, which surpass the ‘physics’ of Holy Terra and the galaxy containing it. However, these instances are considered outliers within the broader cosmic framework.
That being said, any dimensional traveler worth their salt would unequivocally categorize Morgen World as a Great World.
Beyond its expansive diameter comparable to that of the Sol System, it is not merely size that earns this distinction. What truly elevates Morgen World to the status of a Great World is the profound depth of its dimensional laws, enabling it to accommodate other dimensions within its vicinity.
Nine 'Great Elemental Planes', dimensions of special significance easily classified as 'Large Worlds' due to their unique specifications, encircle Morgen World's heavens much like planets orbiting their stars. Their presence not only nurtures the laws of the main world but also facilitates the absorption of heaven and earth energy generated by the primary world. While their relationship is intricate, it can be broadly characterized by the term 'symbiotic mutualism'.
There’s no concrete record pinpointing the exact duration of Morgen World’s existence or when the Great Elemental Planes began their orbit, but historical writings alluded to the notion that Morgen World has undergone three significant eras: The Primordial Era, the Dawn of Gods, and the Age of Heroes.
Each era is rather self-explanatory. The Primordial Era marked the world in its nascent, primordial state. During this time, the environment was extraordinarily harsh, and the energy levels of Morgen World reached such heights that only Primordial Beasts, each a literal embodiment of nature, could endure such extreme conditions. Unfortunately, no comprehensive records provide detailed descriptions of what these primordial beasts truly were. Nevertheless, historical accounts featuring vague descriptions often depict them as enigmatic and seemingly impossible lifeforms.
For example, the smallest primordial beast could grow so massive that their physical body could be as big as a star.
The conclusion of the Primordial Era marked the departure of Primordial Beasts approximately a million Morgen years ago. The reasons for their departure remain shrouded in mystery; it is uncertain whether the environment became unsustainable for them, or if they ascended to a higher realm of existence. Nevertheless, there are telltale signs suggesting that these formidable creatures may have fractured Morgen World, resulting in a landscape significantly smaller than its original expanse, thereby shaping the world as it is known today.
During this era, sophonts such as humans, elves, dwarves, giants, dragons, and others either did not yet exist in their current form or had not yet come into being. Consequently, any hearsay whose origins trace back over a million Morgen years ago cannot be independently verified. The existence of primordial beasts, therefore, remains enshrined in the realms of legend and myth.
The second grand epoch, known as the Dawn of Gods, commenced a million Morgen years in the past, lasting until ten thousand years ago. The departure of primal beasts, whether by claiming their own dimensions, ascending to higher realms, or meeting their ends at the hands of the gods, remains a subject of speculation. At this point, the specifics are ultimately inconsequential.
During this era, Divine Ascensions were common.
The divines can descend into the material world and occasionally engage in a brutal struggle for dominion, vying for land (territory), believers (slaves), and accumulation of resources (wealth) amongst themselves.
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With the immense power wielded by every existing god, civilizations experience their peaks and declines, gods ascend to prominence and fade into obscurity, and the ceaseless ebb and flow of war and the cycle of life and death become the rhythmic pulse of time. It's a brutal and unforgiving cadence, yet Morgen World persists, steadfast in its eternal dance of existence since its inception.
As the Dawn of Gods neared its end, the current nascent civilization began to take shape. The oldest known writings trace back a hundred thousand Morgen years to an ancient elven civilization but curiously, existing records do not shed light on the era preceding them. Nevertheless, some of the most ancient creatures in Morgen World are decrepit living fossils, weathered remnants from the waning days of the Dawn of Gods.
Following the Dawn of Gods came the Age of Heroes.
There was one notable difference between the two epochs: Divine Ascension, the crucial step for rank 6 Sovereign to become a rank 7 being, has become extraordinarily challenging due to the waning dimensional laws.
In the prior era, each continental region had gods ascended at intervals of roughly a thousand years, with a peak recorded at three divine ascensions within a mere century. However, as the Dawn of Gods drew to a close, the prospect of Divine Ascension had dwindled to near impossibility.
The chief catalyst for this transformation was the evolving dimensional laws of Morgen World, which had started to actively repel the true forms of the gods. As these divine beings descended through the nine-tiered heavens of Morgen World, the sensation of rejection from the world intensified. Gradually, this suppression grew so potent that it reduced them to a state resembling that of a rank 6 Sovereign in the 7th-tiered heaven, a condition that worsened with further descent. This compelled them to withdraw, safeguarding their true forms within their Divine Kingdoms, predominantly situated in the 8th or 9th tiers of heaven.
However, the true era-changing event wasn’t the rejection of the gods. The pivotal moment occurred around ten thousand Morgen years ago, when an extradimensional lifeform, later known as the Astral Beast, forcefully breached Morgen World’s crystalline World Boundary.
The Sacred alliance kept a tight seal about any information regarding the first Astral Beast, but as the Magus of Death who had imprisoned demon kings from various worlds and explored the Boundless Astral Realm with his truesoul alone, Mordred was fully aware of what the Astral Beasts are.
If the Boundless Astral Realm is likened to the sea, then the Astral Beast can be compared to a creature freely swimming within it. This particular Astral Beast, having forcibly breached the world, possessed colossal size and overwhelming power. Its very presence led to a transformation of the world, causing even its dimensional laws to wane. Even the divine suppression that rejected gods proved ineffective against its might.
Since the divines could no longer walk the earth with their true bodies, they could not interfere with the material world. As a result, the inhabitants of Morgen World were massacred. The beast runs rampant without restraint, indiscriminately consuming both life and the fabric of the world itself.
Yet, on the precipice of despair, the heavens often leave a way out. After the population of Morgen World had been halved, a miracle unfurled. The world's karmic luck underwent a great change; it was as if Morgen World's very Will had reshaped the dimensional laws to safeguard its existence. Bolstered by these newfound dimensional laws, the most intellectually adept species in the world surged in power, eventually giving rise to an unparalleled expert beyond mortal comparison.
Thus, the birth of the First Hero.
The First Hero bore the title of the Eternal Time Dragon and served as the leader of the dragon tribes during her era. The Hero garnered reverence not merely due to her might, but because the world's karmic luck revolved around her. Not only did she bask in extraordinary luck to an almost absurd degree, but she also found shelter within the protective embrace of the world's dimensional laws. Every endeavor she embarked upon yielded personal gain, always bestowing her with the upper hand in any environment where she engaged in conflict.
One example of her absurd dogshit luck was how the First Hero dug a random pit in the ground and suddenly found a tomb of an immemorial dragon with its wealth intact, or while she was casually resting on top of a dormant volcano, she suddenly find out that there was a primordial healing spring underneath…
Referring to the Hero as the darlings of the world would hardly be an exaggeration.
Engaging in combat against the Hero equates to battling the very essence of the world. Your karmic luck would be relentlessly drained to fortify the Hero. Innocuous instances of misfortune, like stumbling over a small pebble, would escalate into encountering hailstorms on a sunny day or witnessing one's weapon shattering mid-battle.
Yet, even with that kind of dogshit luck, the First Hero was still unable to win against the astral beast, simply because the beast is too strong.
This prompts the world to give birth to the Braves, a group of individuals beneath the hero who received the world’s blessings, albeit not to the extreme extent of being dogshit.
If the hero could freely choose between landing a head or tails as they wish, then a Brave would be correct 70-80% of the time through sheer dumb luck. Perhaps tossing a coin into the air couldn’t be used as the perfect analogy, but it could at least represent the idea.
With their combined strength, the Astral Beast was successfully slain. Afterward, it became common sense that every Hero would form a party of Braves to cover up the Hero’s deficiencies, although it was unknown how many Braves existed in that period.
Until now, there was no mention of where the Astral Beast’s corpse is located, considering it is the size of a star, but Mordred deducted it should be locked behind the vault of the Sacred Alliance.
Riding the momentum of glory that came after slaying the world’s enemy, the First Hero uses this chance to perform a Divine Ascension, which officially signifies the end of the Dawn of Gods and the beginning of the next era: the Age of Heroes.
The First Hero was the only one who managed to ascend in the last ten thousand Morgen years, proof that divine ascension requires far more than skills, knowledge, resources, bloodline, accumulation, and dogshit karmic luck stacked together.
Worshiping the Eternal Time Dragon which was the First Hero, the Eternal Dragon Church was born under the light of glory. One of its most famous blessings was the blessing of lifespan which grants the blessed an extended lifespan without any consequences whatsoever, a longer youth period, and other time-related miracles.
As the progenitor of time-path, the First Hero also made the prophecy about other otherworldly invaders that would threaten Morgen World, the Astral Beast that she slayed being the first. This prophecy indirectly laid the systematic foundation for the future Sacred Alliance in the central continent, including the establishment of the Hall of Heroes. It is within this hall that the inheritances of Heroes and their Braves would be safeguarded and handed down for future generations.