Edward checked his account on the Akashic Record and learned he had received a message from Merlin. He was slightly surprised but guessed why, so he played. A projection of Merlin appeared before him, and he said: "Hey, boy, looking good."
"I'm doing okay," replied Merlin.
"No need to be polite."
"If I boast, you'll just beat my ego down, so what else can I say?" Edward shrugged.
"True," chuckled Merlin. "By the way, this is a voice recording; I'm not actually there." Edward's face turned ugly.
"Haha, I bet your face is twisted in anger now. Oh, I wish I was there to see it." Edward snorted coldly, deciding to ignore that drunk bastard.
"I'll ignore what rude comment you made about just now," continued the recording, making Edward's lips twitch. "My message is to congratulate you on reaching Tier 10 while also warning you not to skip Tier 11 to go directly to Tier 12."
Edward frowned.
"Yes, it's possible to do that. You will usually see it in worlds like the MCU without linear power systems. Some people can destroy an entire multiverse and survive in the Void, but their variants or counterparts in the multiverse are separate individuals. Sometimes, they have no variants and are the only entity in the entire multiverse."
Edward had thought about this, as in the comics, some entities who are obviously Tier 12 and above fight against their multiversal counterparts, which should never happen if all their variants are a part of themselves at Tier 11.
"Tier 11 is important and must not be skipped if you want to reach higher levers," Merlin continued. "Once you reach that level, I will contact you again to tell you about higher Tiers and the war. Good luck to you, and remember that time is running out for all of us."
The projection disappeared, leaving Edward with a somber atmosphere. "Morgana, can you send the Soul Limit and Soul Divination methods to Hermione and the others?"
"Without Netheril, the best I can do is send it home to my server and from there, send it to them," she replied.
"Then, do so."
Before leaving, he left enough divine energy for everyone to break their limit and reach Tier 9, but now he felt a sense of urgency, so he wanted them to become as powerful as possible as soon as possible.
Edward's first order of business was not to return to Earth but to cast the Doubling Charm on the Soul Stone to absorb more energy for his Soul Divinity. However, the experiment was only partially successful, as the copies lasted less than a second.
He absorbed a tremendous amount of energy in that brief moment, but it also cost him too much mana to keep copying, so he could only give up this plan. He'll try again once he has the Time Stone.
Edward opened a portal to Earth but found himself floating outside its atmosphere, with a powerful shield blocking him.
"What's going on?"
"Please seal most of your energy," said a voice in the void, and Edward recognized the Ancient One. Edward frowned before sealing most of his mana. Finally, he bypassed the protection and appeared at Kamar Taj, where the Ancient One awaited.
"What just happened?"
"The Earth Dimension Protection Shield considers you a Dimensional Creature, so it stopped you," explained the Ancient One.
"But I'm obviously not."
"Your magic system is quite similar to theirs, considering the amount of energy and the two dimensions you have in your body."
"That's not fair since all life has a soul dimension."
"True, but they do not contain energy or can be materialized," rebutted the Ancient One.
"Fair," sighed Edward. "I'm guessing you saw my fight with Malakai."
"I did, and it was splendid," she replied calmly.
"Why did that bastard attack me?"
"You were unlucky; the planet you chose had weakened dimensional barriers. Adding the energy in your body, you were the perfect meal."
"So, my luck backlash hasn't ended?"
"Luck backlash?"
"I've abused a potion that increased luck, and now, I'm paying for it."
"That is concerning," the Ancient One frowned, and Edward agreed. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do since the Empire's study on luck or probability manipulation had not been up to standard compared to most other fields.
"Who exactly is this Malakai?" Edward had never heard of him in the MCU or even the comics.
"He's one of the 72 Demon Gods."
"Demon Gods?"
"Our job as sorcerers is to protect the earth from all sorts of dimensional creatures or entities, and amongst them, the 72 Demon Gods and 36 Hell Lords are our worst enemies. Malakai is one of the Lower 72 Demon Gods."
"Lower Demon Gods?" asked Edward, knowing the insinuation of these words.
"Yes, they are divided into lower, middle, and upper, and kings, and Malakai is one of the best Lower Demon Gods, but still a lower rank."
Edward's mouth twitched. He could not accept the fact that the weakest of these Demon Gods was Tier 10.
"Sorry if I sound rude, but there is no way you can survive against these guys if Malakai is only a lower Demon God."
The Ancient One chuckled, "That sounds fair, but the situation is more complex than you think. Agomoto and a few former Sorcerer Supremes sealed most of 7 Kings while the rest are still healing.
"Many of the Demon Gods are in deep slumbers that last millions of years, and some have no desire to invade and increase their strength. Meanwhile, the Hell Lords have been forced to sign a treaty that their main body cannot enter the material plan, so they are usually sneaky and send in avatars to use schemes and machinations to interfere in Earth's affairs.
"So, that leaves a few upper Demon Gods like Dormamu as true adversaries."
Edward's brought was still furrowed, "That explains a lot, but many things still don't make sense. For example, I know how someone like you, with mastery of the mystic art and the Time Stone, can deal with a Demon God, but what about those other Sorcerers? I doubt they could survive the very air in some of these dimensions."
"You're underestimating my Sorcerers' capabilities," explained the Ancient One. "However, the answer to your question is the Dimensional Nullifier. When those creatures try to invade Earth, before they can evade reach the protection, they must pass through the Dimensional Nullifier, a special dimension that drastically decreases their powers."
"Is that why Dormamu most destroyed the protection first before invading?"
"Correct; they know that the best and only way to invade Earth is from the inside," nodded the Ancient One.
Edward sighed, "This world is way more complicated than I thought."
"You have no idea," replied the Ancient One. She thought she knew most of the universe's secrets and nothing could shock her, but she knew how wrong she was after seeing the future past her death.
"We have lost more than three years; it might be a good idea to change the original plan," suggested Edward.
"You're right," she nodded. "I still think you need to display your talent and convince the other sorcerers. However, you can use the Time Stone in a few days to see the future I saw and prepared."
"What about the Soul Stone? Any suggestions?"
"Once you see what I saw, you can decide what to do with it or the others," the Ancient One responded calmly.
"Alright. We can start tomorrow since I want to check on Aisha's family." Since he promised to keep an eye on them, he would keep his word.
"I did it in your stead, and they're fine."
"Oh, then you have my gratitude." Edward did not leave since she said they were okay. He would still check, but not in person. He followed the Ancient One to his room and received the wi-fi password. A little tired after his breakthrough in strength, he chose to sleep; it's been a while, and he felt he needed the rest.