Chapter 2015: From here on out, you are not allowed to leave. ’5,000 years...?’ Nux’s eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, Are you telling me that I spent five thousand years inside the Temple?" "Exactly! What were you doing!? You told us people usually return in a few decades, how did it take you so long!?" "I..." Nux frowned. According to the reports, a thousand years inside was a decade outside. Yes, while it did differ with each Trial, the average was about the same. This was also the reason Nux thought he only spent about a few centuries inside the Temple... But... Five thousand years...? This is the longest he had been away from all his wives, they... They must be losing their minds... As Nux realized that, he once again looked at his wives and finally saw it—those desperate, trembling bodies, those messy emotions, those beating hearts—he sensed it all. "W-We couldn’t sense your existence, even Shadow couldn’t. The Universe was acting independently. Shadow’s control over it became absolute, almost as if she had inherited it. We... we were so scared." Felberta explained in a weak voice. Shadow, who was hearing those words, trembled even further. The thought of inheriting all that power, the thought of inheriting an entire Universe and an army of Transcendents together with it to do whatever she pleased, She hated it. She hated every second of it because of how horrified she was. After all, her inheriting that power meant that the one who once had this power no longer existed. Just the mere thought of that possibility was enough for her to fall on her knees and tremble. And Nux could sense all these emotions, therefore, he hugged all of them as tightly as he could and, "I am sorry." He apologized. "I do not know what happened, but I should have hurried back. I made you all worry." He spoke in a voice as calming as possible. Just imagining the possibility of his wives dying in a place he couldn’t reach was enough for him to shudder in despair. To live through that feeling for 5,000 years... He was pretty sure he would have lost his mind. "If you dare do something like this again, I will break you into pieces." Vyriana threatened. Even when she was overwhelmed by her emotions, she didn’t wish to appear weak. What’s worse? Her words weren’t an empty threat. The current her was very much capable of harming Nux. Yes, the Dragon had broken through. She was now a Transcendent Level Being, and she wasn’t like those weak Transcendents like the subordinates Nux, Eisheth, and Skyla had gathered. She was different. She alone could take all of them on, and it wouldn’t even be a fair battle. Yes, the difference was that high. At the Transcendent Stage, the battle between cultivators shifts from a simple, barbaric clash to a higher form of battle. It becomes a battle between domains. Usually, once a Domain is activated, the Law of the being who has formed the Domain becomes an Absolute. The being can then use his powers to fight and overpower his opponent. But... What if the opponent is a Transcendent as well? What if both cultivators activate their domains at the same time? Would both of them now have Absolute Laws? No. Two Domains cannot coexist in the same space, and because of this rule, the battle of Transcendents is also called the Battle of Domains. When the two Domains clash, one overpowers the other, and the winning cultivator gets to deal the final blow. The cultivator whose domain was crushed would be weakened and would be forced to face a being with an Absolute Law, making it pretty much impossible for him to win. Now, how is the winner between the Battle of Domains decided? A Domain has two properties: its Stability and its Length. It depends on the stability of the Domains, which in turn depends on the Law the Domain is created from. The stronger the Law, the more stable the Domain formed, making it difficult to ’crush’ it. As for beings with Absolute Laws? Since their Law is the strongest there is, the same is true for their Domains. Their Domains are so strong in their battle against normal cultivators, all they have to do is form their Domain, crush the opponents’ Domain through the sheer weight of their own, weaken them, and then overpower them. Yes, it was that easy. This was also the reason that despite Nux having tens of Transcendent Level subordinates, against Vyriana, they were all... Useless. Of course, that had always been the case against beings with Absolute Laws and normal Laws. Beings with Absolute Laws were always capable of fighting and overpowering multiple cultivators with simpler, normal Laws. The true battle between Domains is played between beings with equal strength—a battle where two beings cannot simply crush the opponent’s Laws. What happens then? As both Laws try to dominate the same space, what results is a Domain Collision—a metaphysical battlefield where Laws are locked in a contest of will and structure. The battlefield itself becomes unstable and constantly shifts between the two Laws. The very reality flickers—fire becomes ice, gravity flips, time distorts, mountains collapse and reform as thoughts change. In such battles, the tactics used are far more complicated than the tactics used in normal battles. It was an entirely different battle. One that relies on Domain Stability—some Laws form a more stable Domain compared to others of similar strength. One’s comprehension of their Law can also strengthen one’s Domain. The Size of a Domain also plays a vital role—larger Domains obviously have more influence, but at the same time, are harder to control. Smaller Domains, on the other hand, have a smaller reach, but are easier to control. A cultivator’s willpower influences a Domain. When Domains clash, it becomes a battle between belief, obsessions, and dreams. If a being is prepared to give it his all, there is a chance to overpower the enemy’s Domain. This is also the reason broken beings usually have weaker Domains. There are even cases where Peak Transcendents have lost against new Transcendents simply because their willpower was too weak. Another, much more difficult way to win a Battle of Domains is to Adapt. A cultivator has absolute control over their Domain. They can be changed mid-battles. Of course, since their own understandings cannot be strengthened during the battle, this usually depends on the opponent’s Law. A being can try and understand the enemy’s Law and while understanding the complete Law is impossible, if they understand even a little of it, they can adjust their Domain to weaken their enemy and eventually win the battle. Of course, this is usually impossible, especially mid-battle. Usually, this only happens when one of the cultivators has encountered an enemy with a similar Law as their current enemy. The prior knowledge can be used to gain an advantage. To weaponize this, there are many beings who explore the large universe, meeting other beings with different Laws, familiarizing themselves with those Laws, and expanding their scope of knowledge so they can use it to win future battles. Most of the Transcendent Level Mercenaries are beings who have already exhausted their potential and are relying on this method to stay relevant and keep getting stronger. Of course, there are countless other tactics that can be used in a Battle of Domains as well. Nux, who had absorbed knowledge of literal worlds, was familiar with most, but right now, he didn’t care. He just stared at his wife and smiled, "This will never happen again, I promise." "Yes, it won’t. I know." Amaya nodded as well, her eyes shining possessively as she stared at Nux. Nux, who looked into those eyes, gulped audibly. He... He was scared...? Nux frowned at the emotion that now seemed foreign to him. Step Step Step Amaya, however, started walking towards him, her black eyes darkening to a degree that Nux didn’t even know was possible. "It will never happen again because from now on, you are not allowed to leave." The Devourer announced. Nux narrowed his eyes. Amaya, however, wrapped her arms around his neck, chains formed out of dark mist bound Nux’s limbs, signaling him to not move, as the Devourer then continued, "We already have our Universe. No one can threaten us here. No one can even find us here. Was that not our goal to begin with?" The woman spoke as more and more chains started binding Nux, "A life where no one bothers us. A life where we can stay with each other without any interference from outside. A life where only you and I exist. We have reached it, We have achieved our goal, There is no need to continue any longer." Finally, when Nux’s entire body was covered by Amaya’s chains, binding him to the ground with no escape, Amaya’s black eyes shined, "Nux Leander, from here on out, you will keep your promise. From here on out, you are not allowed to leave. You will stay with me for Eternity. And that is final." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂 The woman spoke as suddenly, BOOOOOOM Her Domain expanded. Yes, Amaya had become a Transcendent as well. And not just her, BOOOOM BOOOM BOOOM Felberta, Aeliana, Astaria, they had all become Transcedents and had unleashed their Auras. It seemed that... Nux wasn’t leaving his Universe anytime soon.