Chapter 409: Getting a new familiar Ethan was eagerly waiting for Yumiko’s answer. He sat inside the Space Cube, his breath hitched. If what he was thinking was right, then he would become one of the strongest existences in the creation instantly. He had stood before the Absolute Continuum power of "The Presence" and survived. According to the system’s new rules, that should mean a massive leap. But Yumiko was ready to pour cold water on his excitement. [Master, the rule of the system is that you must fight an existence and survive to copy their peak power. But in the case of "The Presence," you did not fight. You simply ran away before a single blow was truly exchanged. Therefore, that interaction does not count for the power copy.] "Oh!" Ethan’s excitement died down instantly. He felt a bit deflated, like a balloon losing air. [However,] Yumiko continued, [You did fight Erebus. You exchanged blows, felt his conceptual power, and managed to escape his capture. Therefore, the system will implement the power of Erebus. You will gain the strength of a Top-Tier Source Authority being.] Ethan cheered up again. "Even gaining power similar to that monster is enough. He was terrifying. With his strength, I won’t have to fear most things in this world." "But I won’t be able to go out anytime soon without being hunted, and I also won’t be able to complete my ultimate evolution for a while. What a bummer." Ethan felt like he had just lost a massive fortune, even though he was about to become a god-like being. He knew he couldn’t stay idle. He contacted his soul connection and asked his clone to prepare to leave for the Dragon Origin World where Rose was. Rose was in a serious situation right now, and he couldn’t afford to waste a single second. While his main consciousness stayed hidden within the protection of the Space Cube, Ethan started to cultivate. He wanted to break through his actual realm too. He looked over at Ragnarok. Over 438,000 years had passed in the accelerated time field, but the process of refining the bloodline was slow. He would likely need millions of years to completely finish it. Ethan’s main consciousness descended back onto his avatar outside. This clone was currently traveling through the void, but it was at a disadvantage. It didn’t have the Sword of Infinity anymore. When Ethan had fled the negative plane, he was in such a rush to save his own life that he didn’t have the time to pass the sword back to the clone. "I’ll have to manage without it for now," the clone muttered. He called upon his shadow army, and they began their journey toward the world where Rose was. The clone was flying at a speed that transcended epochs, moving faster than light could even dream. But Ethan had a specific plan. He wanted to reach the territory of a legendary Source Authority Space Behemoth. He knew he would need the combat power boost from the system before he entered that dangerous zone. He calculated his route carefully. Since the territory was still far away, he didn’t need to slow down yet. He also sent the bird he had captured into the time field. It was a high-level creature, and it too needed to refine its bloodline to reach its full potential. Soon, the day reached its end. In the quiet of the void, a chime echoed in Ethan’s mind. [Ding! The day has ended. Initiating the power implementation.] [Target: Erebus.] [Power level: Peak Source Authority Level.] [Status: Power is merging...] Instantly, a terrifying aura started gushing out from the clone’s body. The leap in power was staggering. It wasn’t just a physical change. It was a conceptual one. Even the clone, which only carried 10% of Ethan’s total power, suddenly became far more powerful than any standard Source Authority being in either the positive or negative planes. The sudden rush of power was like a flare in the dark. For a moment, every powerful being in existence felt a ripple in the fabric of space. This much power fluctuation was impossible to hide completely. But Ethan acted fast. He used his new understanding of laws to suck the overwhelming aura back inside himself. He compressed it, hiding the depth of his soul. All the beings who were about to look for the source of the ripple suddenly lost the trail. Ethan heaved a sigh of relief. He felt invincible. "With this strength, I could probably kill Erebus easily now. If I had the Sword of Infinity, my power would reach the Absolute Continuum level." But Ethan was not a gambler. He didn’t want to risk his life again so soon. He decided to let his clone handle the outside world while he focused on a new goal. He started researching a way to create a permanent clone skill. He wanted a clone that could hold even more power than his actual body. That way, he could stay safe in the time field and cultivate for millions of years while his clone conquered the world. Now that he had the strength, the clone didn’t need to hide. He teleported directly into the heart of the territory belonging to the Source Authority Space Behemoth. He walked through the space like he was taking a casual tour of a park. There was no pressure on him anymore. The gravity and the chaotic energy of the region, which would have crushed a lesser being, didn’t even ruffle his clothes. There was no way the beast of this realm could stand against him now. "Leave my territory, intruder!" A deep, ancient voice boomed from the deeper regions of the space. The voice vibrated through the void. "I do not want to fight, but if you dare to try my patience, I will destroy you!" Ethan smiled mildly. With his new power, he could sense the truth behind the voice. He could feel how terrified the creature actually was. It was bluffing, trying to scare away a predator it knew it couldn’t beat. Ethan didn’t really want to bother it at first, but now that it had dared to threaten him, his personality shifted. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. He started walking directly toward the source of the voice. "I said, leave! Do you want to die?" The voice shouted again, sounding more desperate this time. Ethan didn’t say a word. He raised his hand and made a simple grabbing motion in the air. Instantly, the space in front of him was torn open like a piece of paper. He reached into the tear, caught something, and pulled it out into the open. "What the..." Ethan blinked. He had expected a massive, scaly dragon or a multi-headed serpent. Instead, floating in his grasp was a round, white, fluffy ball. It looked like a giant piece of lint with two big, glowing eyes. This was the terrifying Source Authority Space Behemoth. The ruler of this entire sector was a round, furry ball. The creature was squirming, trying to get out of Ethan’s hand. It bared its tiny, sharp teeth, trying to look scary. "What a cutie you are," Ethan laughed. "You are going to be my familiar. That is final." "I would rather die than accept slavery!" The fur ball squeaked coldly. It tried to puff itself up to look bigger. "Is that so?" Ethan smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He raised the index finger of his free hand. A small ball of dark energy appeared at the tip. It was a terrifying mixture of Chaos and Entropy, a new creation attack skill Ethan was testing out. The moment that energy ball appeared, the fur ball froze. It was a creature of the void, and it understood power better than anyone. It could tell that the being in front of it could erase its entire existence with a flick of that finger. "I was just joking," the fur ball said instantly. Its voice changed from cold to high-pitched and sweet. It started rubbing its soft fur against Ethan’s cheek, trying to act as cute as possible. "Master, you look so handsome today! I was just testing your resolve!" "Good," Ethan said, patting its head. "A cute thing should only do cute jobs." He used his system to analyze the creature. [Name: Astaroth] [Realm: Source Authority] [Species: Unknown Superior Being] Ethan didn’t get much more information than that. It was an unknown species from a higher plane of existence. "Interesting," Ethan thought. "We will find out what you really are when the right time comes. Now let’s go. Your mistress, Rose, is waiting for us." Ethan tucked the fluffy beast under his arm and stepped forward. His silhouette vanished as he moved toward the Dragon Origin World.