The Overgods watched in silence as Ace lovingly kissed his unconscious wife on the forehead, their mind still whirring as they struggled to wrap their minds over the shock of what they had just witnessed.
It had to be remembered that although it was possible to affect the Laws of Space with overwhelming raw power, manipulating it was virtually impossible unless you had a top-tier bloodline like those of the Four Divine Beast Clan.
No matter how much they racked their brains, none of the Overgods were able to figure out how Ace had managed to accomplish his feat of teleportation. It got to the point where Orloff was unable to suppress his curiosity any longer and blurted out his question, asking how it was possible that Ace could teleport.
In response, Ace, taking his wife's palm in his, explained that whilst inside the confines of his True Yang Realm, he was able to manipulate the Laws of Space and Time freely.
He spoke as though it wasn't a worthwhile achievement, but his words sent shivers down the spine of all those present as a single question simultaneously popped up in each of their heads, "how was that possible?"
Able to guess what they were thinking, Ace explained that this realm was now his domain, but his connection and, by extension, control over the Realm went further than that which was achievable as an Overgod. To put it in layman's terms, in this realm, he could be considered the heavens.
Ace could see the shock and virtual disbelief on the faces of all those he considered his closest friends and family. Still, he couldn't blame them; his words were beyond shocking; they were almost blasphemous.
A teasing smile appeared on his lips as he noted aloud that, since he could see that they didn't believe him, he would simply show them. As he said, Ace's non-existent aura returned in full force, but this time, it was like nothing none of them had ever felt before. As hard as it was to believe, it was as if the Heavens themselves were bearing down on them.
It was majestic, inviolable, and all-encompassing. It was to the point where even the Overgods themselves were having a hard time breathing and remaining on their feet.
Thankfully, Ace was just showing them his power and had no malicious intentions; as such, the moment he had achieved his goals, he retracted his aura as though it was never there, making it seem like, once again, he was nothing but an ordinary person.
Still, even with that fearful presence gone, the turbulence the others felt as they looked at Ace was still just as strong, but Ace acted as though he hadn't noticed their shock as he explained that the power he had just demonstrated was limited to the confines of his domain.
Understanding what he was saying, a frown appeared on Bluefire's face as he asked how strong he had become after his breakthrough when outside of his domain.
Ace looked up for a moment before explaining that although his realm technically hadn't changed, because of his breakthrough, his Divine Power had evolved into what he called Primordial Essence, or Prime Essence for Short. As many of them had probably already figured out, his Prime Essence was still in an embryonic stage and had a lot of room for growth. Even so, it was 50 times stronger than his former True Yang Divine power and only ten times weaker than Overgod Divine Power.
It should also be mentioned that the biggest difference between Prime Essence and True Yang Divine Power, or any form of Divine Power for that matter, be it Deity level Divine Power, Sovereign, or even Overgod Divine Power, was that whilst the energy of others could only be used for their specific element, Prime Essence could morph into any singular form of Divine Power. The only thing it was currently incapable of doing was taking the form of fused Divine Power.
As he said that, Ace casually willed his Prime Essence to transform into True Yang, then to flames, then light, then lightning, etc…
Seeing Ace utilise all of the elements, be they ordinary laws or even the four edicts, left everyone in a state of shock. Still, Ace wasn't done.
He then went on to explain that, in terms of his physical ability, his ordinary physical body had reached a level that faintly surpassed that of a Chief Sovereign with the bloodline of an Apex Divine Beast, and then when using his [Armament Haki] on top of that, his body was able to match that of an Overgod, provided they hadn't condensed their Overgod Body yet, and his soul had also reached a similar level.
As for his Willpower, thanks to his breakthrough, his Willpower had increased by a full twenty units, giving him a new total of 70 units.
All things considered, the former Ace and his current self could hardly be mentioned in the same breath. The current him would be able to slaughter a dozen of the former him and still have energy to spare. Even so, his grandfather, who was only worried about his safety, was far from put at ease.
As powerful as Ace had become, Bluefire understood better than anyone that it wouldn't be enough. Right now, Ace had reached a level where, even on his own, he could defeat ordinary Overgods.
Still, because he had given Phueus 10,000 years, it was inevitable that he would've been able to condense his Overgod body by then.
The only positive was that because of his actions previously when divulging the truth to the wider universe, which had served to drastically weaken the faith Phueus and the others would have access to when condensing their Overgod bodies, the power of Phueus after he finished condensing his Overgod body would be a fraction of what it should've been.
Even so, with a quick calculation based on Ace's current power, Bluefire explained that Ace would need access to at least 200 units of Willpower to defeat Phueus.
Ace wasn't stupid; he, too, had already come to a similar conclusion. Still, he had promised his wife that he would ensure their child would be born into a world much more safe than it currently was, and that's what he would do!
Ace told his grandfather not to worry; he still had 16,000 years remaining. That should be more than enough time for him to close the gap between him and Phueus.
His words caused everyone to frown as they looked at him. It was common knowledge by now that the battle between Ace and Phueus was less than 8000 years away. Still, they also knew Ace wasn't stupid; he would never make a foolish mistake.
A smirk appeared on Ace's face when he said that, as he reminded them that he had already said that he could manipulate the space and time inside his domain now.
A look of shock and understanding appeared on the faces of Bluefire and the others when he said that, but he still continued and explained that although he could only change the flow of time by a factor of two for now, that would only increase as his power and his comprehension of the Laws of Time increased.
When he said that, it elicited another burst of shock as everyone understood the hidden meanings behind Ace's words.
To make sure they had gotten the meaning behind his words correct, Orloff asked to confirm if it meant that he had founded two new Laws.
His shock and scepticism was understandable. It wasn't that he was simply doubting Ace this time, but last time, when Ace founded the Mandate of Yang, a euphoric and heavenly chime sounded throughout the entire universe to signify Ace's achievement, but this time, there was no such thing!
Understanding their confusion, Ace explained that, as it stood, he still hadn't officially founded the Laws of Space or Time. It was why he could only manipulate said laws in his domain, but thanks to the enlightenment after refining his domain, he realised the way in which to comprehend those two laws.
It's only after he truly begins to comprehend them that he could earn Heaven's recognition and, by extension, turn them into official Laws that others could learn to comprehend as well.
Hearing that, understanding dawned on the faces of Orloff and the others. At the same time, any worries they had were washed away.
With his talent, boosted by his faith, Ace's current level of comprehension was impossible to put into words. As he said, 16,000 years should be more than enough time to catch up to and surpass Phueus.
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