William Pov
It's been a month since the Demon Lord of Pride slain the most strongest demon in his region, the pressure is growing more oppressive. Sometimes I question why I am doing any of this. Why am I trying to stop an unstoppable force? Why am I subjecting myself to such a heavy burden? AHHHH!!! Why? Why? Why? Eight lifetimes I've spent, attempting to kill him without success. Why can't I learn my lesson? With all of my power, I pounded the ground, smashing everything beneath me, and for some reason, the image of the ground being broken apart made me feel a sensation I haven't felt for a long time. It gave me the impression that I am strong, but I know I am not.
Throughout my eight lifetimes, I was never a very strong individual. I've ascended to the position of emperor, but I've never been able to feel secure or arrogant about my position. The future is teeming with strong individuals. Each one of them has the ability to easily destroy me. Many people believe that because I have lived a long life, I would be able to make a difference and become invincible. This is not the case. Every story in which a character rises to become the best they can be in their second life is possible because the author wanted them to. However hard you strive, you must recognize that there will always be someone more powerful and successful than you, whose ability and commitment are far more impressive.
At first, I feel I am the greatest, and that I can utilize my second life to become invincible, just like the main characters in the story I've read. However, as the thousands of years of my second life advance, I understand how naïve I was about the magnitude of this world's power and influence. I was under the impression that my four-star card was untouchable, but boy was I mistaken. There are thousands of people who are exactly like me, all having a four-stars card. Unlike mine, whose four stars card isn't intended to be used for anything other than resurrecting me from death. The powers of the other four-star cards are godly.
Take one of the top 100 Human Emperors, Time Lord. As the name suggests, his four stars card involves him being in control of time itself. He's able to stop, slow, reverse, and many other time related abilities. Some of his strongest abilities are Ancient Dust, Absolute Stop, Beyond Speed, World Stop, and Time Resurrection. This repertoire of skills would make any person a god, but the Time Lord isn't anywhere compared to the peak power of humans or demons.
You might wonder, why don't I simply utilize my eight lives to get such godlike abilities. The explanation is that it's impossible to maintain the ability over time. A four-star card differs from the cards that come before it. Any ability granted by a four-star card has the potential to allow the user to defy the laws of the universe itself. A four-star card has the ability to break the laws of time and space, as well as the laws of life and death, destruction, and so on. When you have that much power, there will always be a catch, and that catch is called the Four Stars Conditions.
However, to understand the condition, you must first understand how someone would obtain a four stars card first. There are two ways to obtain one. The first is to be the best in your field of expertise, and depending on your field of expertise, you will obtain a four stars card that is related to your expertise. The second is to evolve a three stars card into a pseudo four stars card, and when that happens you can go through a trial to ascend the three stars card to four stars card.
With that understanding we get to the Four Stars Conditions, there are two types of conditions. Universal Conditions, and Card Conditions. Universal Conditions are conditions that apply to every four star card user, and Card Conditions are the conditions specific for the card users depending on the power of the cards.
There is only one Universal Condition, and the condition is that you must always be the best in the expertise you're in or you will lose the card until you're back to the peak. For Card Condition there's too much to count, because every four stars card has a different condition. One thing is certain, however: the condition is much harsher toward four-star cards that instantly grant someone godly power. Like the four stars card named "False Truth," which is known to give the most powerful boost among four star cards. Any lie spoken by the user of False Truth becomes a reality. However, the consequence is that the user, after telling those lies, believes them to be true. Another Card Condition is that the word or sentence spoken must be specific and precise. If the False Truth user speaks vaguely, the reality bending will be vague too. For example, if he were to say "all my enemies are dead", he wouldn't get the result he'd wanted. Enemy by definition, is someone that is actively opposing or hostile toward you. So, if the reality bending happens, anyone that fits the definition of "enemy" would die. This could include friends, innocents, and anyone that talks smack behind your back. These are all included because nowhere in the definition of enemy did they say that the opposition or hostile action should be seen or heard.
So with that explanation, you can start to realize how hard it is for me to actually obtain and maintain a four stars card. You might also ask, why don't I just accumulate knowledge of the expertise of the four stars card I want to obtain. So that in my next life I could steal the four stars card from the original user. I thought of that too, until I realized that my reincarnation wasn't what I thought it was. Instead of sending me back in time, they created a new universe where everything started over. That means the original user of the four stars card is still alive. So for me to obtain a four stars card from the existing four star cards I need to compete with two people in being the best in the expertise for the four stars card.
In summary, my power isn't as powerful as you think. The only big advantage I have is how to obtain three stars cards. However, a three stars card, although having the ability to evolve into a four stars card, isn't an optional path. All existing powerhouses that obtain four stars cards through three stars cards only use one three stars card. That means that every last one of them must have fought through life and death using only one ability. At the early stages it's possible, but in the mid stages or late stages it practically suicide. Also, don't believe it's a hundred percent guarantee, out of a millions warriors, only one will gain a four stars card from a three stars.