Zane knew that in the coming days, he would likely encounter a series of battles, each opponent more dangerous than the last.
Instead of letting his family stay outside and risk being hunted down because of him, he thought it would be safer to keep them inside his "Divine Kingdom," where they could grow in peace.
As for Little Bone, Skynet, and Bastis, he wasn't too worried, but he did have some concerns about Rocket and Groot adjusting to the environment here.
"Hey, brother, don't worry about us," Rocket responded, sensing Zane's concern for him and Groot. With a casual wave, he added, "I've gone a year or two in space without food or drink."
"And besides," Rocket continued, "I'm waiting for you to give each of us a godly essence from the Celestials!"
"Mrow!" Bastis protested with a sharp cry, annoyed at having yet another competitor for Zane's favor, but not wanting to upset Zane any further.
Zane wasn't too worried about food or survival; in the Divine Kingdom, his friends were essentially immortal. They also had the power of faith as an energy source.
"Can you revive him now?"
The seldom-noticed Gamora finally stepped forward, asking Zane about reviving Star-Lord.
Zane replied coldly, "Ask me that again, and I'll revive Star-Lord just to kill him once more."
"Don't forget," Zane continued, "he's just an ordinary human now. Even if I revive him, he won't last long here."
After being shut down, Gamora silently moved back to Star-Lord's body with a sullen expression, saying nothing more. She had already learned from Little Bone that Zane could now revive the dead without any time restrictions.
Seeing this, Zane ignored her and his eyes glowed with a blood-red triangular pattern—the S-level skill, Mangekyo Sharingan.
"There you are…"
With his vision, Zane tracked the streak of light flowing over his body, following it until he saw its end.
"I need to leave quickly. If they manage to enter the Divine Kingdom through this mark, it'll be troublesome."
Zane wasn't sure if the Celestials could use this mark to enter his Divine Kingdom, so he decided to leave immediately.
"Skynet, take care of Lorna for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zane blinked out of sight.
The mission requirements hadn't changed. However, the reward for completing it had turned into a "random A-SS level skill."
Although the quantity of rewards was still two, the addition of "random A-level skill" made Zane recall his experience with the awkward Eyebrow Dance skill, a C-level skill that still cast a shadow over him to this day.
Just thinking about it made him cringe.
"Oh well, let's think positive. Maybe I'll get lucky and pull two SS-level skills!"
Setting aside these mixed feelings, Zane began strategizing how to complete the mission.
"Previously, Destruction Celestial mentioned that a Celestial Judge named Arishem left a mark on me."
"Since Arishem used the Cosmic Judgment Order to pinpoint my space-time coordinates…"
"Now that we're both 7-dimensional beings, I should be able to break the mark he left on me."
"Maybe I can even trace the mark back to his location."
"Alright, let's complete the first task."
With that, Zane drew his consciousness back from within and returned to reality.
Everyone around him assumed he was lost in thought over Lorna and didn't worry much about his long silence.
"Everyone, it looks like you may have to stay here a bit longer."
In the vast expanse of the universe…
In a world like a distorted funhouse mirror, the enormous giant from before still held the massive golden-inscribed book in his hands, his towering form occupying the entirety of this isolated realm. He flipped through the pages as he strode forward. With each step, the distorted world advanced along with him.
From the twisted edges of this funhouse world, one could glimpse the outside scenery. At times, it was as ethereal as dust, fleeting in an instant; at others, it was grand and magnificent, every detail visible.
When the giant took a large step, this world instantly traversed an entire interdimensional galaxy, as vast as the Milky Way. From within the world, galaxies beneath his feet appeared to shrink rapidly, like two points on a flat map, bypassed in a single stride.
Sometimes, his steps were smaller, only enough to cross a single planet. On planets with life, inhabitants remained blissfully unaware of his presence, continuing their daily routines: eating, playing games, fiercely battling, or losing themselves in love. They neither noticed the giant nor did he pay them any attention.
Suddenly, two faint blue lines appeared across the giant's chest. In an instant, they snapped with a "pop" and vanished into thin air, spreading rapidly along their torn ends before melting away completely.
This strange, abrupt phenomenon finally drew the attention of the only being in this space-time.
The giant noticed the blue lines that had appeared and disappeared so suddenly. He lifted his gaze from the book, one hand supporting the golden tome while his other hand reached out to where the lines had been, a hint of curiosity in his voice:
"A time axis?"
"And one that's been corroded by the power of death…"
"Just like when that brat Ego died."
"So, it seems that Eson and Destruction Celestial have both fallen to that Earthling, Zane Sy."
"A Celestial killed by the power of death… even the time axis is shattered, making it impossible to revive them, even if one went back in time."
The giant closed the book with one hand and held it tightly, letting out a soft sigh, his gaze troubled as he spoke in a heavy, resigned voice:
"O Supreme One, why have you made us lesser than even ordinary humans?"
"You granted us the godly authority of the Celestials, but without even a soul?"
"Could it be… that you truly intend…?"
He paused, as if afraid to continue, falling silent for a moment. Then, his straight, thick eyebrows furrowed briefly before relaxing again. He murmured to himself:
"If all this was part of your design, then I should just fulfill my duty…"
"Still, I hadn't expected that the Lady Goddess not only took that Titan into her fold but has now sown yet another seed."
"And one with such a strong inclination toward violence."
"Has she forgotten the history of being cast out of the main universe by the Life Tribunal all those years ago?"
"Forget it. Since his name has now appeared in the Book of Judgment, I should take care of this problem."
With that, he extended his arm forward, and in an instant, countless faint blue lines appeared in front of him, identical to the ones that had snapped and disappeared moments ago.
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