Returning to the Throne of Heroes, Kaiser faced the system directly.
[Ding!]
[Host, the task has been completed.]
"Now fusing the reward transaction contents…"
Kaiser closed his eyes as the bloodline and the divinity began merging into his body.
A searing pain surged through him.
Veins bulged across Kaiser's body.
The two divine bloodlines clashed, turning his body into a battlefield.
"Argh!!"
The agony forced a cry from Kaiser's lips.
This pain was ten times worse than any torture imaginable.
It was a torment that pierced every inch of his soul and cells.
Kaiser felt as though his entire being was being crushed.
Time blurred, but eventually, the excruciating pain began to fade.
"Is bloodline fusion supposed to be this painful?" Kaiser asked, his voice hoarse.
"It's not the fusion itself that's painful." The Throne of Heroes responded.
"It's the evolution."
"Transforming from mortal to god comes at a cost."
"After the baptism of the Throne of Heroes, the reintegration of your soul and body won't be as agonizing."
"There will only be some discomfort."
"You'll need time to adjust."
"I understand." Kaiser replied.
As the pain subsided, a broader world unfolded before him.
Kaiser didn't linger in the Throne of Heroes, returning directly to his physical body.
His body still sat at the entrance to the Underworld tunnel.
With the return of his Thoughtform…
…Kaiser's body underwent a sudden transformation.
Athena stirred, her projection appearing beside him.
"This guy… he's hiding some deep secrets." She murmured.
"This is the second time, isn't it?"
"He just entered meditation…"
"…and immediately underwent a change."
Athena observed Kaiser closely.
His body was undergoing a transformation she couldn't comprehend.
"What is that?"
She sensed the impact of another divine bloodline.
And the two bloodlines were merging.
Kaiser's physical form was evolving rapidly.
"Divine blood merging with divine blood… so seamlessly?" Athena said, astonished.
Divine bloodlines typically clashed.
A mortal body couldn't withstand the collision of two divine bloods.
It would be torn apart.
Yet Kaiser's situation defied her expectations.
His body seemed perfectly adapted to the clash of the two bloodlines.
And it was evolving at an astonishing rate.
His flesh grew stronger by the second.
Divinity and divine blood began to baptize every cell.
"It looks like he's about to evolve into a divine body." Athena noted.
"Where did Kaiser get this divine blood?"
To mask Kaiser's fluctuations, Athena subtly drew on the power of the Zodiac Array.
The disturbance was too great for her Cosmo alone to suppress.
Only the Zodiac Array could handle it.
After an indeterminate time, the changes in Kaiser's body ceased.
His eyes slowly opened.
His irises had shifted from gold to a vivid crimson, though his pupils still burned like golden flames.
They were more otherworldly than his previous pure gold eyes, now tinged with a wild edge.
"Your body has evolved into a divine body." Athena said.
"I didn't expect your physical form to meet the conditions first."
"That's quite surprising."
"Your Cosmo no longer affects your lifespan."
"You've broken free from the constraints of time."
Athena sighed in awe.
"It feels… good." Kaiser said.
"The world looks clearer now."
Sensing his new state, Kaiser felt the immense enhancement from Jiangchen's Pangu bloodline.
Not only had his body transformed into a divine form…
…his Cosmo had also grown stronger.
He was now just a step away from the late Eighth Sense.
Such progress would be utterly astonishing among humans on Earth.
"Supernatural abilities, huh?" Kaiser murmured, sensing his newly awakened power.
As expected, it was time-based.
But its current applications were limited.
Kaiser could pause time.
The duration varied depending on the world's strength and his opponent's power.
In the Saint Seiya world, his ability only extended five meters around his body.
And it lasted just one second.
In actual combat, it wouldn't even reach a full second.
That single second would drain his entire Cosmo.
But this made him nearly invincible against peers of the same level.
Simply put, someone like Kairos, the god of time, would no longer be his match.
As for gods, Kaiser wasn't sure.
But even a momentary lapse in their defenses would be enough.
If he deployed his domain, his ability would be amplified.
His Weapon Sanctuary now housed several divine artifacts…
…all scavenged from the world of I Have a Date with a Vampire.
Weapons imbued with divinity.
Capable of inflicting damage on gods.
This was already a significant boost for Kaiser.
But now, his priority was analyzing the Three Books of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Once fully analyzed and integrated into his domain…
…his strength would surge dramatically.
"I still have some training to complete." Kaiser said to Athena's projection beside him.
"If anything comes up, wake me."
"With the Pangu Clan's bloodline fused, analyzing the Three Books shouldn't be too difficult."
With that, Kaiser closed his eyes.
Athena's eyes widened.
Since when did he start giving her orders?
Was this right?
But she didn't dwell on it.
Kaiser immersed himself in his domain, analyzing the Three Books of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
With his enhanced Divine Sight and the Pangu Clan's bloodline…
…his analysis progressed swiftly.
The rules of the Three Books gradually seeped into his domain.
His sealed domain began to take on the qualities of a small world.
It even started actively absorbing external laws.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
The Three Books of Heaven, Earth, and Man were finally fully analyzed.
"Domain Expansion! Weapon Sanctuary!"
As the rules of the Three Books fully integrated into Kaiser's domain…
…he eagerly unleashed it.
"What is this?" Athena gasped.
"A small world?"
"A fully realized small world with intact rules?"
"What have you been doing these past three years?"
Athena was stunned.
Creating a world was something only first-class gods could achieve!
Like Hades, who ruled the Underworld.
Though Kaiser's domain lacked the divine power of the Underworld…
…he was, in essence, still a mortal.
His body had become divine…
…but he lacked any divine authority.
Yet now, Athena saw the makings of a god in him.
"With this domain, you might even have the means to challenge second-class gods." She said.
"And you might not lose."
She thought of the artifacts Kaiser had acquired from Asgard.
With those artifacts, piercing a god's divine body wasn't an impossible feat.
In other words, with the element of surprise…
…Kaiser now possessed the power to truly slay a second-class god.
"Kaiser! This trump card is crucial." Athena urged.
"Don't reveal it unless absolutely necessary."
"It's an opportunity for our plan."
Athena quickly recognized the domain's advantage.
If Kaiser could harness the Power to Slay Gods…
…combined with his domain, artifacts, and divine body…
…he'd have a real shot at killing a god.
Slaying a god with the Power to Slay Gods would amplify its strength.
His growth timeline could be drastically shortened.
The next Holy War would undoubtedly be bloody and brutal.
"I know." Kaiser assured her. "I won't reveal my small world unless I have no choice."
"At most, I'll use a standard domain in combat."
Kaiser understood his small world was his ace.
With it and his time-based ability, he finally had the qualifications to face gods head-on.
"I'm 23 already, huh…" Kaiser sighed.
In the blink of an eye, he was 23.
***
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