"Is that so? Has it really been that long?"
Howard had probably never experienced anything this incredible in his life. Then again, after personally witnessing gods that defied common sense, the fact that his son still looked young-even though Howard himself had been dead for decades-didn't feel especially strange.
With gods appearing and parallel universes now interconnected, youth was hardly difficult to explain. As for why another version of his son looked so old, Howard simply chalked it up to personal taste.
"Long? Maybe," Tony sighed. "Sorry. I'm not very sensitive to time anymore since becoming a sorcerer, so... forget it. Let's not get into that now. Once you're properly resurrected, we'll have plenty of time to talk."
"Resurrected?" Howard and Maria froze.
They examined their bodies and quickly noticed the faint, void-like transparency. Howard immediately understood his current condition.
"So I'm a soul right now?" He didn't seem bothered at all. "I do remember dying back then. Looks like souls really do exist."
"They definitely do," Tony nodded seriously. "The world is vast-far beyond what we imagined. There are too many unknowns, too many unbelievable things."
Seeing the unmistakable interest on Howard's face, Tony immediately forgot his own suggestion to wait until after the resurrection.
He started from the very beginning.
From the moment he had been swindled by a certain sorcerer.
Tony spoke with enthusiasm. Howard listened with equal focus. Even the other Avengers leaned in-especially the ones from the alternate universe.
They were all curious.
Why was the Tony of this universe so different from their own?
It was usually awkward to ask, and Tony had never volunteered the explanation. Now that he was talking freely, no one wanted to miss a word.
While Tony recounted everything, Noah remained in a corner of his Domain, quietly refining and modifying his understanding of this particular magic.
In truth, the magic itself wasn't especially complex.
After using it once, Noah already had several ideas-simplifying the structure to reach the same result more directly, or converting certain mana-control requirements into fixed incantations for improved stability.
He had long realized that so-called incantations were essentially high-level magical knowledge-or raw magic-condensed into a form usable by weaker practitioners.
Through gestures, chants, and mana guidance, the spell was reconstructed.
Yet the rules contained within this magic were vast. Immense. Intricate.
Noah sighed.
Even with elemental magic-his strongest field-he was still a beginner.
"The path of power really is endless," Noah slapped his cheeks lightly. "Sometimes ignorance isn't a flaw. Only the ignorant live comfortably."
"But they live within a lie," the System's voice sounded in his mind. "The truth is often the last thing one wants to face. The closer you approach it, the more you sense your own inadequacy. The closer you get, the smaller you feel. Yet only then can you live clearly, without your vision obscured. The truth you seek is the set of rules that govern the world-the most fundamental reality of the universe."
"That sounds like something straight out of the Cthulhu mythos," Noah rubbed his nose. "And pursuing truth? I wasn't a physics major. I was a liberal arts student. What you're describing sounds more like cultivation theory from back home."
"It is neither strange nor unexpected," the System replied coldly. "When a life form reaches a certain level, it naturally seeks the ultimate truth of the world. Only by mastering and transcending it can one claim to truly live."
Truly live.
Noah sighed.
He hadn't thought that deeply about it. He felt alive enough already.
As for transcending truth, that likely referred to fifteenth-rank Self-Eternals-or perhaps something beyond, Transcendentals.
That had nothing to do with him.
He was still a tenth-rank small fry. Compared to those beings, he didn't have the luxury to dwell on lofty concepts.
"Who knows what the future holds," Noah muttered. "It's unknown, full of infinite dangers. Truth and reality-I'll pursue them. But I won't say I'm not alive just because I don't understand them yet. Maybe one day I'll reach that level. But for now-"
"For now, you are indeed a small fry," the System cut in bluntly. "However, that will likely change. You possess this Domain-an independent, universe-like space with infinite possibilities. With it comes limitless potential."
"Maybe," Noah shook his head. "That's a future problem. Right now, I still have plenty to deal with. By the way, how's the research on converting the Shadow Clone Technique into magic?"
"There has been progress," the System answered promptly. "But as you know, it involves soul structure and mana composition. It requires time."
Noah wasn't surprised.
Chakra was too unique. It could even simulate aspects of the user's soul.
That simply wasn't possible in the magical system. If mana exhibited similar traits, it would be considered a catastrophic flaw.
Mana was not a soul. It could not be one.
Recreating that jutsu here was inherently difficult.
"Instead of thinking about slacking off," the System said suddenly, "why not consider the Gate of Hell? Are you truly willing to leave the souls of your universe entirely to the World of the Dead? Before, you had no choice. Now, you do. Why not create your own realm for the dead?"
"A realm like the World of the Dead?" Noah frowned. "You mean copying Heavens or Hells?"
"Yes-and no," the System replied. "You can do better. They treat mortal souls as nourishment. You are different. Your universe constantly generates life source. Using souls as fuel is inefficient. Instead, give them chances. Erase their memories. Let them begin again. Through repeated refinement, their souls will strengthen. Once they reach a certain level, return their memories as compensation. But once they do-there are no more restarts."
"And those high-level souls..." Noah's eyes widened. "They become nourishment. For the universe. Or more precisely, for me. For rules and laws."
The possibilities clicked into place.
Creating a realm for the dead carried far more depth than he had expected.
"And what about the ones who refuse to move on?" Noah asked. "The 'Voldemort' types. Old schemers who hide forever. Once they're strong enough, their lifespans are ridiculous. What then?"
"Don't you already have an answer?"
"You mean that?"
Noah had long considered establishing a battlefield at the core of the universe.
Any race that reached a certain level would be forced to participate.
Survivors would be rewarded.
Those who died would ease the population burden.
The idea came straight from the Panlong universe. Cruel, but necessary.
Back then, it had only been an idle thought. His universe had been nothing more than a tadpole.
Now?
It was an embryo.
A healthy one.
It had everything it should-and a few things it probably shouldn't.
By coincidence, Noah had already created a Gate of Hell through the Impure World Reincarnation, modified by the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One and the God-King Odin.
If he mastered and adjusted that spell to retain souls within his own universe, it would become an immense source of energy-and a fountain of laws and rules.
Noah had chosen not to limit the growth of life within his Domain precisely because he needed their feedback.
With this approach, his progress would only accelerate.
And the problem of overpopulation would resolve itself.
"But... how did I end up becoming the very person I feared most?"