Spellcasting Gods

But to everyone's surprise, the other party was so insidious that they tampered with the soul.

The reason Gru used the word "stealing" is not because he disliked the guy who called himself the Initiator, but because he did not believe that this method of devouring himself from parallel universes, causing string vibrations, and thus creating a new main string was the right way to become the Dominator.

Because artificially created master strings are not as stable as naturally formed master strings, and are full of dangers and uncertainties, the devastating impact and destruction on the universe if they fail would be far more devastating than destroying hundreds or thousands of massive galaxies.

Most importantly, this kind of destruction is irreparable and irreversible; once it occurs, it signifies a change in the rules of the entire universe.

Fortunately, the initiator did not fail; in fact, he succeeded on his first try.

Of course, as a price, countless versions of himself in parallel universes were exhausted, with only one unplanned accident surviving.

Not only did they survive, but they also became, like him, a high-level life form standing at the pinnacle of cosmic evolution—the Overlord.

Gru is now eager to know where the part of Zhang Cheng's soul that he lost went, whether he realized it later, and if he did realize it, why he didn't retrieve it.

With more questions and curiosity, he kept traversing the smallest points in time, tracing the trajectory of fate.

……

Meanwhile, at the far end of the universe, the Initiator sat at a round table, squinting at the giant radiating golden light not far away, making no attempt to conceal the hatred in his heart.

Similarly, the other party didn't hide their emotions either, a playful smile appearing on their lips, and took the initiative to ask, "What, do you have some complaints about me?"

"Dissatisfaction? No! I don't just dissatisfy you! I hate you! I hate you to the core! I will never forget what you and your men did to my homeland," the Primitive One replied coldly.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I've conquered too many planets and galaxies to remember exactly how many civilizations I've destroyed, especially the backward civilizations in the lower three-dimensional universe." The Giant of Light deliberately put on a mocking expression, seemingly wanting to achieve some ulterior motive through provocation.

Unfortunately, this trick is completely useless against meticulous beginners.

He merely gave a cold laugh, then chose to shut his mouth, completely ignoring the other party's provocation.

Because he understood that although he was already the ruler, in terms of absolute power, he could never be a match for these veteran rulers.

If you can't tolerate insults and provocations and strike first, you will definitely be the one who suffers.

"Hmph! Coward!" Seeing that the Beginners ignored him, the Giant of Light scoffed contemptuously, but said nothing more.

Clearly, he was none other than the madman who was the mastermind behind the Tamen Empire and proclaimed himself emperor.

That's right!

He's a madman!

He attempted to destroy all the planets in the universe that did not follow an absolute order in establishing civilization through pure violence, and then reshape them according to his own will.

However, such transformations often come at the cost of destroying more than 90% of life and the original civilization system. Survivors who survive will not only not be grateful, but will hate him from the bottom of their hearts.

But interestingly, this ruler doesn't care at all.

His sole purpose is to completely eliminate the chaotic properties in the universe and let the light of order shine in every corner.

Just as the atmosphere in this space, radiating light and heat, grew increasingly tense, another circular orb of light suddenly descended from the sky, uttering a solemn and steady voice: "Very good! I'm glad you didn't start fighting! You must know that we are all members of Order! We must keep the universe from falling into chaos and disorder. If you two continue to fight over past grievances, it will not only weaken the power of Order but also fuel the flames of Chaos. Do you know? I have just received the latest news that another newly promoted ruler has shown a strong tendency towards Chaos. Now, I need someone to contact him and test whether this guy can be won over by us."

“Leave it to me! I’m the most experienced at dealing with newbies like this,” the Giant of Light said, standing up first.

Before the sphere of light could react, the Initiator stood up and said, "Leave it to me! You should know that this guy had a conflict with the organization I founded before, and his presence would only backfire. But I'm different! He and I are unified individuals from different parallel universes, and there is a connection between us."

"Oh? I do know that you two come from parallel worlds of the three-dimensional universe and ascended to become rulers at the same time. But what makes you think you can persuade him?" The sphere of light flickered noticeably, revealing a hint of doubt in its tone.

“Only you truly know yourself! We are essentially the same kind of people. Even if we don’t agree with each other’s choices, we can understand each other’s thoughts. Under this premise, only we can build a bond of trust with each other and communicate and negotiate further. Believe me, he is a pragmatist and not too attached to factions,” the initiator explained confidently.

"Foolish! Do you think the choice of faction is based on self-interest? No! It is each ruler's deepest understanding of the universe, an identification whose effects cannot be described in words. Only when you identify with it from the bottom of your heart can you gain power from it, supreme power, and then determine the ultimate direction of the universe," the Giant of Light retorted mercilessly.

"I don't want to argue with you pointlessly! If you don't believe I can succeed, then let the results speak for themselves." The Initiator swept his cold gaze over the other party, then turned his gaze to the sphere of light not far away.

The sphere of light hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "Alright! I can give you this chance, but you must understand that failure will result in severe punishment. This is the essence of order, and a rule that every ruler must abide by."

"Understood! If I fail, I am willing to accept the punishment."

After saying this, the Initiator turned around without looking back and passed through a portal, disappearing without a trace.

Chapter 1066 Exposure

Having nearly annihilated the kingdom's pacification army in the Battle of the Wasteland, Kerwin only rested in place for less than two days before launching a full-scale attack with three separate forces, spreading like wildfire before the enemy could react.

In just half a month, more than a third of the country's most valuable land fell into his control.

The same approach was taken as in the western provinces: mercilessly slaughtering the nobles who originally held the dominant position, and then winning over and supporting the forces that had been suppressed, bringing them to the forefront to support the basic functions of administrative institutions such as maintaining public order and collecting taxes.

It must be said that this is a rather dangerous practice.

Although these forces are suppressed by the aristocratic class, they may not be willing to pledge allegiance to a tyrant. They only temporarily submit to powerful forces, and once given the opportunity, they will definitely launch a rebellion, either to negotiate for benefits and return to the kingdom, or to choose self-governance.

In short, while rapid expansion may have been a major military victory, it represented a reluctant compromise in deeper political, economic, and social spheres. It did not disrupt the original distribution of interests and wealth; it merely seized what originally belonged to the royal family.

This potential danger will become more and more serious over time, eventually leading to a series of terrible and catastrophic consequences.

Interestingly, Kerwin apparently didn't care about any of that.

The three armies advanced rapidly, at a speed unimaginable to the enemy, which gave him a strange sense of arrogance, making him believe that the word "defeat" would never appear in his dictionary.

A full twenty thousand steel golems, like killing machines, and tens of thousands more monsters capable of casting various kinds of spells, were continuously being sent from the rear.

He didn't even know if there was any powerful nation on this continent that could defeat such a terrifying army on the front lines.

With the addition of human soldiers who had been tempered by long-term warfare and gradually matured, Kerwin had enough power to support his ever-expanding ambitions and establish a country that was entirely his own.

As long as these troops remain, he believes no one will dare to betray them easily, otherwise they will face extremely severe retaliation.

But what he didn't know was that a terrible transformation was taking place in a small island kingdom on the other side of the ocean.

Deep within the dark sewers, oval-shaped metal eggs hatched rapidly, producing countless tiny insects the size of grains of rice in just a few weeks.

Under the cover of night, these insects silently sneak into residents' homes and, through parasitic control, have unknowingly taken over nearly one-fifth of the population.

With their innate abilities, they can easily distinguish which ones are parasitized by their own kind and which are not. They eventually unite to fight for power and profit, and conflicts intensify in almost all the cities and towns on the island. Even a fool can feel the tense atmosphere in the air.

Some clever people realized something was wrong and immediately took their families and tried to escape to other countries by boat.

However, almost every ship that departs returns that night, and the escapees seem to become different people, settling down again as if they had abandoned their previous desire to escape.

It goes without saying that they were all parasitized on the ship.

To be precise, these unique life forms created by Gru are isolating the entire island kingdom from the outside world in their own way, and will never appear before the world unless they complete their population annexation plan.

However, once they begin to make contact with the outside world, it means war, plunder, and annexation.

As a species that relies entirely on parasitism for survival, their purpose is to parasitize all intelligent life on the planet and use them to enter the interstellar age, expanding recklessly at any cost until they alert some advanced civilizations and are wiped out.

In a sense, these little insects represent Gru's understanding of chaos and his unique way of expressing it.

……

Just as Zhang Cheng was observing through the magic mirror how these little insects gradually infiltrated civilized society, how they fought for power and profit little by little, and how they eventually controlled the entire country, he suddenly felt a familiar energy tearing through space, crossing countless spaces and dimensions, and appearing out of thin air on the top floor of the tower.

Because the other party seemed unaccustomed to this complex and special teleportation method, they lost control and suddenly tore a huge hole in the roof. The other side of the hole was not a blue sky, but a layer between dimensions, a terrifying place where matter and energy were extremely chaotic and unable to form a stable state.

"Oh—damn it! I think I've damaged your tower."

Accompanied by an incredibly familiar voice, the Primitive One emerged from within with a smile, an apologetic one on his face.

He appeared so composed, as if the two were close friends who could talk about anything and had never had any unpleasantness.

But what about the actual situation?

The two of them almost turned against each other over the chance to become the ruler!

Although they eventually found their own way, the thorn was deeply planted in their hearts, and they could never trust each other again.

"How did you know I was here?" Zhang Cheng frowned instinctively.

He could hardly believe that even though he had hidden away on a planet in a remote corner of the universe to avoid those malicious gazes, someone had still managed to find him.

It's important to know that Gru finding him was entirely an accident, with luck playing a large part.

However, the Initiator was teleported directly to its location using precise positioning.

This means that the tower's coordinates have been exposed to the sight of almost all the Overlords.

The initiator placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly, replying in a somewhat sincere voice, "I'm sorry, I can't give you a definite answer on this, because even I'm not quite sure myself. I apologize for visiting without prior notice. But please believe me, what we're about to discuss will benefit both of us."

"Oh? As far as I know, the last time you told a similar lie, you slaughtered everyone in the organization except me," Zhang Cheng said with a deliberately sarcastic smile.

“No! This time is different from last time! This time it’s not even me in charge, but some other great beings.” The Initiator shook his head, his tone full of profound implications.

Chapter 1067 Refusal

"Great and existent? Are you referring to the rulers of the Order factions?" Zhang Cheng asked with a half-smile.

Without a doubt, he saw through the other party's usual trick of maintaining an air of mystery almost instantly.

Even before joining the organization, he noticed that everyone around him seemed to be under some kind of hypnosis, or more accurately, self-deception.

The Initiator creates an aura of mystery, leading everyone to mistakenly believe that he is omnipotent and omniscient, even knowing the secrets hidden in the deepest part of the universe.

The inevitable result was that he successfully deceived everyone, and in the end, only Zhang Cheng was lucky enough to survive.

Of course, it wasn't all luck; a large part of it was that Zhang Cheng didn't trust anyone except himself.

“That’s right! They call themselves the Council of Order, and they intend to establish absolute order to ensure that the entire universe operates according to stable laws. So, are you interested in joining us? I guarantee that if you and I join forces, it won’t be long before we can climb over them and completely control this council.” The Initiator stated his intentions directly.

Zhang Cheng smiled and shook his head: "My answer is no! Compared to the dull and tedious order, I obviously prefer the infinite possibilities of chaos. You haven't felt the magnificent and vast power of chaos, nor do you understand that this is the ultimate manifestation of the entire universe. Chaos is the source of order; all order originates from the primordial chaos. Haven't you realized it yet? The so-called main string is actually the embodiment of the rules of the universe. Even it shows strong signs of chaos, so why would I go to such lengths to join the order?"

"Do you really believe that chaos is the origin? That the universe will eventually return to chaos?" The Initiator raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s right! At least until I find enough evidence to refute it, I will seriously try to understand the essence of chaos and am willing to become its spokesperson in the universe. As for your boring power struggles, go play with them yourself, I have no interest in them at all.” Zhang Cheng refused without any politeness.

Join the Council of Order?

What kind of cosmic joke is this!

What kind of organization is the Council of Order?

They are a group of lunatics who value order above all else, and they even have a strict hierarchy within themselves, with no concept of equality whatsoever.

Because in the eyes of these guys, the hierarchy is the embodiment of the ultimate order, so they must set an example, otherwise they are not qualified to understand the true meaning of order.

In contrast, the Chaos faction is much better. At least on the surface, all the rulers are equal, and they rarely force any ruler to do something he doesn't want to do.

After all, chaos symbolizes disorder, which means that the rulers can do whatever they want without any mandatory constraints, making it infinitely easier than the Council of Order.

However, everything has its good and bad sides!

The biggest problem with staying in the Chaos faction is that you never know when a Overlord might suddenly launch an attack on your allies.