The Monarch

"I believe that answers the questions," Kayden rose calmly and left the council without looking back. Outside, there were several thousand gods staring at him without averting their eyes.Kayden didn't even flinch as he walked away at an unhurried pace. He was untouchable—neither the council nor the elder of that family could lay a hand on him. This fact became absolutely clear to every mage present in that place.A deadly silence spread throughout the Ody family. This was a direct affront to their sovereignty, and yet they could do nothing. Kayden had walked into the highest seat of power within their family and metaphorically thrown tea in their faces. This event would spread like wildfire.It would take no more than a few days before word of what had happened in that place reached every corner. All the gods in the region would understand who Kayden was—or rather, no, who he was could not be explained—but that he was untouchable would become clear to all the mages.

The young man headed toward Lucius's house and sat down in his usual chair, as he had always done. His tea was placed in front of him, just as it had been on the thousands of other days he had been there. It took only a few seconds for Lucius and Yasmim to appear and take seats opposite Kayden."What was that?" Yasmim couldn't hold herself back after a few moments. This was the strangest event of her life."I told you I had a broad back," Kayden didn't elaborate. He had to keep his secret about his mortality under absolute lock and key."That's not having a broad back," Lucius tapped his fingers on the table in an anxious tic. "That's being the direct descendant of a fourth-level god—and not just that, but one capable of forcing our elder to put his hands behind his back."

Lucius felt utterly deceived by Kayden. Even though he had been the one to recruit the boy and was supposed to be the superior in their arrangement, none of it made sense when one considered that he and Kayden were not even in the same league of power.Meanwhile, Yasmim felt small—minuscule, even. She had always thought she was simply having some fun talking with Kayden. He didn't need to worry in the slightest about his actions because, in the end, she believed herself to be above him. She didn't think she needed to respect him because, in her mind, she was his superior. But now? Now she was tiny compared to his stature."That's not important," Kayden waved his hand dismissively. "I've never used my influence to get what I want. Those at my level are free to kill me if they think it's appropriate."

Time passed quickly, with Kayden remaining in his usual spot. No matter the invitation, he never left that chair for anything. Even the great gods of the Ody family came to greet him after that event, trying in every possible way to extract some information from him. But…Kayden would only smile and never delve deeper into such topics. After a while, the gods gave up entirely on trying to get anything out of him or to engage with him at all. He was not open to many pointless social interactions; the only people outside that rule were Yasmim and Lucius.

Kayn continued training alongside Kayden. His strength grew at an exponential rate with each passing year. His mind was shaped profoundly by Kayden's actions. His confidence increased greatly after understanding the might of his master, and on top of that, his talent had become infinitely greater than before.Meanwhile, Kayden's only real focus was learning more about that green lightning from karmic taxation. Unfortunately, he knew that letting any god suffer the effects of karmic taxation would not be enough for him to truly learn anything—the gains would be minimal. At that moment, it was far more worthwhile for him to study on his own.

"Kayden," Lucius appeared one day, "in a few days, the competition of my family will take place—the one I told you about a long time ago." Kayden nodded, signaling that he remembered. "Do you still want to participate for me?""Of course. Did you save a slot for mortals for me?" Lucius nodded and left Kayden in peace. The next to appear was Kayn."Master, I think I'm ready to become a god," Kayn was excited. "There's still time to compete in the category for newly ascended of the family." The boy was happy, but the look Kayden gave him was monstrous."No. You're still pathetically weak. Fight as a mortal." Kayden's harsh words knocked Kayn off the imaginary pedestal he had put himself on.

"I don't see where else I can grow, Master. I feel lost." Kayden didn't even need the blink of an eye to answer."Are there mortals stronger than you?""Yes, but—""No buts. Get out of here." Kayden threw the boy out as one would throw a bag of garbage.

In the following days, no one came to talk to Kayden. Everyone was busy with their own affairs. Lucius had tried to recruit the boy for the team fight a long time ago, but had failed miserably every time. Kayden had no interest whatsoever in learning the abilities of his teammates; his only guarantee was the confidence he had in himself.

"Kayden, it's starting," Yasmim appeared and began guiding the duo to the site of the confrontation. It was much larger than just the Ody family, for it was also an open invitation to many great organizations to witness the strength of the Ody family.

It was a location completely removed from the city. In it, there was an area spanning hundreds of kilometers filled with constructions meant for viewing the spectacle. These structures were placed in the center, and each organization was free to build theirs as they wished—but all had to remain within the Ody family's protection zone.The mortal fights would not cover a very large area—at most, a few trillion kilometers—but the fights between gods could reach colossal proportions. Therefore, a powerful spatial rune covered the entire place; it was practically an entire universe of space contained within.

The presence of dozens of gods could be easily felt by Kayden. Many among them were monstrosities that, in his opinion, should not even be wasting their time watching such a trivial event. But all of that changed when he felt the presence of the ancestor himself amidst the gathering.