Alex III looked around the world and was disturbed to find that many places had disappeared. After so long, he knew exactly how big the world was. He could conclusively say that the total space is now 40% smaller than before.
He retained the ability he suddenly gained to move through sub-words and sub-timelines. With it, he checked different timelines but couldn't find the missing pieces.
It was as if parts of the world had simply vanished. He could also feel some of his vampires in those missing lands disappear along with them. He had a vague feeling about where they were but couldn't access them.
"Where did this new ability come from?" he thought.
He had suddenly gained the ability to travel through timelines and sub-worlds completely out of nowhere. It was ridiculous.
"Something is going on!" he thought, upset. Whether it was happening, it was far beyond his ability even to sense it.
Thinking about it, he contacted Rob.
But as he thought of just contacting Rob, he felt the energy inside his body.
"Maybe I could move through dreamworlds?" he felt astonished.
Until now, the two dream worlds were completely separate. But now, he might be able to travel directly to Star Dreamworld.
Closing his eyes, he disappeared.
...
Below the sea, Rob slept, as always. He is a ghost who can burn the world with one thought.
He is strong beyond imagination; each soul is as powerful as a nuclear bomb, and his soul power is over 7 million.
He could use them and generate energy comparable to a tiny star.
Of course, compared to legitimate stars, he is really nothing.
Speaking of stars, modern civilizations are advanced enough to try to explore space. They had been trying to do it, but to their surprise, nothing was beyond the sun and the moon.
All those stars in the night sky were just lights and not true stars.
Even the sun was just a small, shining circular object that rotated around the planet. That's right; here, the sun truly orbited the human planet. Humans were the center of the universe.
This discovery wasn't new; it had been discovered millions of years ago, but after each extinction event, humans somehow forgot all about it and rediscovered it later.
Rob still remembered reading about the sun's orbiting the planet news even when he was a human millions of years ago.
"Hey! I finally saw you in person!" someone said while laughing.
"Who!" Rob, asleep, suddenly woke up and spread his soul power around, trying to detect the source.
It was many kilometers underwater, so anyone who could talk here was nothing scientific.
There was no light, but Rob could detect Alex with his other precise sensory organs.
"How did you?" In ghost form, Rob became so surprised and frightened that he almost completely lost his human form.
Weak ghosts might lose their human form at any time, but strong ones like Rob were far too sturdy to lose themselves.
"I am Alex III! Who else did you expect?" he said.
Usually, Rob would see everything Alex did, but for the last million years, Rob had been in too deep of a sleep to analyze anything he saw.
Alex III didn't explain anything to Rob; after all, Rob couldn't help him find the answer, so why bother?
After a second, Rob came to himself; his ghost was powerful and could think of many things when active.
"Alex can travel across the world, so he doesn't need me anymore; he wants to take over this dream world too?" he thought.
Until now, the two had never had a conflict because the two dream worlds were completely separate and could not contact each other in any shape or form.
But now, with Alex able to move across them, it was natural for them to start having conflicts.
After all, one mountain cannot have two tigers; before, it was two mountains, but now, it has transformed into only one.
"But he hasn't cared about even his own side for millions of years, so why should he want to rule here?" Rob thought.
Alex didn't care about ruling the world; Rob had seen it himself.
Just as he thought of this, a kick hit him between both legs.
The force was so immense that it propelled Rob from the deep sea to the surface in less than a second!
He was ejected in a blink despite being submerged 20 kilometers deep and obstructed with water resistance.
The assault continued as he was flung all the way to the moon, where he landed in its core.
Even with his vast soul power, it took Rob a moment to grasp the situation.
"He could touch me in my soul form?" he thought, fear creeping in.
One of his greatest advantages, untouchability, had been nullified by Alex.
"Hey, Rob! I don't need you anymore!" Alex III materialized beside him at an unknown time.
Unleashing his immense soul power, Rob instantly heated the surrounding area to an unimaginable degree.
The initial kick barely affected him, causing only a 10% loss in soul power.
The moon's core, typically frigid, now surpassed the temperature of any planet, causing the surface to melt.
Rob held Alex III close, intending to melt him alongside everything else. However, Alex III simply vanished, leaving Rob searching in vain.
Finding himself back at the bottom of the sea, Rob felt a cold sweat form on his brow. "What's happening? Did time rewind?" he thought, utterly confused.
Struggling to ascend, he realized he was trapped in an ocean subworld created by Alex.
Resigned to his fate, Rob returned to the depths, waiting for Alex's return, confident he wouldn't be abandoned.
...
Alex III smiled upon seeing Rob trapped in the ocean world. He then waved his hand, closing the portal to the subworld.
He had no desire to speak with Rob further. Now, Alex held complete control over Rob, but only on the surface.
Both Alex and Rob were manifestations of collective belief. To truly destroy Rob, Alex must convince 80% of the population that Rob is no more.
While achievable, Alex wasn't invested enough in eliminating Rob to take such drastic measures.
With a snap of his fingers, he eliminated all remaining fragments of Rob's soul.
"Both dreamworlds are now under my control!" Alex declared, brimming with plans.
His primary goal was to re-establish the Alex Kingdom, encompassing both dreamworlds.
He believed he could manifest anything into reality with dominion over both sides.
However, a single obstacle remained. The dreamworld on Alex's side was incomplete, missing 40%.
He wasn't sure if fulfilling his desires was possible, with only 60% remaining. Calculations revealed a 50% chance of success but also a concerning 43% chance of failure.
The potential loss of wish-granting abilities due to those missing candles was a significant setback.
Determined, Alex III sprang into action.
...
The entire world was governed by a single, powerful alliance: the Union.
The Union arose from the ashes of two colossal nations that once dominated the world - the Republic of Prosperity and the Kingdom of Golden Crown.
Following the devastating war between these behemoths, the Union was established to prevent future conflicts.
The war had significantly weakened both the Republic and the Kingdom, rendering their ruling classes powerless to resist the formation of the Union, which enjoyed widespread public support.
Upon the Union's formation, the previous leaders of both nations were prosecuted for war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Union had demonstrably prevented any further wars since its inception.
...
Union City, the capital of the Union, stood as the third-largest city globally, surpassed only by the former capitals of the Republic and the Kingdom.
These older capitals held an advantage due to their established infrastructure, allowing them to retain their positions as the largest cities despite a century has passed since the two nations' dissolution.
Union City boasted a population of 250 million, characterized by towering buildings and sprawling suburbs.
It served as the center of power, housing all physical government agencies.
While advanced civilizations heavily relied on AI, rendering physical locations less crucial, modern civilizations, still reliant on physical infrastructure, placed significant importance on the location of headquarters.
The Union stood at the pinnacle of modern civilization regarding technological advancement.
However, this advancement often came at the cost of freedom. Highly advanced societies frequently exhibited a greater degree of authoritarianism compared to even medieval civilizations.
All information flow and internet traffic were mandated to pass through government-controlled data filters within the Union.
To minimize speed reduction, the system employed a network of regional data filters distributed globally, with a central server housed in a heavily guarded building at the heart of Union City.
All regional filters received their instructions from this central server. The government could interrupt any data transfer and decrypt any encrypted communication. Essentially, nothing could remain hidden from their watchful eyes.
...
The server building lacked both windows and doors. Access required entering through an underground passage and ascending via an elevator. Only highly trusted scientists were ever granted the privilege of witnessing the servers firsthand.
Cameras blanketed the entire facility, ensuring strict security that no ant could breach all the layers and remain undetected. However, Alex III bypassed these measures entirely with his incredible speed exceeding 7% of the speed of light.
While a more advanced civilization might have been able to detect him, the Union's security protocols proved utterly inadequate against his presence.
...
Gazing upon the seemingly endless rows of servers, Alex III, despite his immense power, found himself facing a new challenge. Fortunately, he spotted a potential solution nearby.
Looking across the room, he noticed a man in a white coat meticulously inspecting the servers. With a confident smile, Alex approached him.