Varian mediated, emptying his mind and letting his consciousness just sit in the void of nothingness.
There was no thought, no emotion, no impulse.
Everything turned into nothing.
Then, his consciousness slowly reeled back, sensing his origin which existed in multiple avenues on the divine paths.
Next was the power of the slivers that existed deep inside him, intertwining with his origins themselves.
Finally, the divine powers themselves, that exerted themselves into the real world through aura.
When he's about to open his eyes, however, something caught his attention.
A small golden thread, weaving into itself and unfolding, breaking into little pieces before coming together, over and over and over.
It was a power that didn't come from any of the divine paths or the pair of slivers.
The golden thread was slowly growing. The only thing it seemed capable of was 'nourishing'.
But the power was familiar.
He tapped into that power and followed a link created through it, a link that ignored the limitations of space-time fabric and reached the source.
A woman in a white dress with golden apron knelt in a room, clasping her hands together with eyes closed.
Her wings which were always pure white now shone with bits of gold.
Through the link of this power, Varian was able to see Hazel producing this 'power' which slowly reached him through their link.
'Hazel.'
'…'
'Hazel!'
'Ah?' Hazel flinched as his voice sounded in her mind and looked around in confusion. Then, she knocked herself on the head, muttering. 'Am I getting so delusional already? I should only be getting his voice in my drea—'
'You are not delusional. I am speaking to you through this golden power.'
'Whoops!' Hazel jumped to her feet and took on an elegant posture. Looking around with an awkward gaze, she said. 'I-It really works?'
'What is it?'
'My racial talent. We have an ancient history dating back to distant past. The records are mostly lost but this talent is unique.' Hazel placed her hands behind her back and fidgeted.
'…How does it work?'
She bit her lip for a moment before answering. 'Devotion. Faith. Positive feelings. I'm not fully sure but it happens at some point. Master, don't worry, there is no negative effect from the power.'
'It takes a lot of effort, doesn't it?'
Hazel froze for a moment. In truth, it took days and days of prayer just to condense a single bit of the thread. She was getting better at it but it's still a very time consuming process.
'I don't really mind.' The maid said with a carefree smile.
'The power would've been helpful if I was a rank 7 or 8. But it's not going to make any difference now. And its impact would be even less, practically negligible in the future once I step into the divine ranks.
So, you don't have to do this and spend so much time on me. Take time for your hobbies, enjoy yourself. You endured enough hardships in the past.'
Hazel lowered her head and her lips moved but no reply came.
'Huh?'
'But I want to do this!' She said, almost yelling. 'I know it's not helpful. I know I'm too weak for real help. But I will be satisfied knowing I contributed something.
And Master, don't worry, I am taking time for my hobbies, spending time with Primula and living a happy life.
But this…this is something I want to do at least for an hour or two everyday.
…I want to give you everything I can.'
Varian sighed. 'As you wish.'
He disconnected from the golden threat and checked his sea of consciousness.
Thanks to his soul path, it was like a small space where he could materialize intangible thoughts and even hold tangible things.
There was one guest here.
A string of obscure letters in the style he had seen on that door in God's Eye.
'When did they get in here?'
He had no idea but once he found them a while ago, he was trying to decipher them with his power.
Using aura was not helping but the power of slivers wielded some results.
Varian once again flooded the string of letters with the sliver power and he managed to partially decode only three words.
[Slivers]
[Unification]
[Maker]
If he hadn't gotten so proficient at the slivers, he couldn't have gotten even two letters.
And yet, after all the training, he only got three words which didn't help much.
The unification of slivers was a constant theme since the times of primordial tribes.
But 'Maker'. Was it a person's name, a title or a mistranslation?
The brief moment of unexplained experience he had in Paradise surged in Varian's mind and his chest tightened.
Clenching his fists, Varian took a few breaths and stabilized himself.
If Maker really meant what he thought it did, then…
"Varian Konstant of Genesis' Pala, enter the duel!"
As the voice of Aphosis rang, Varian stepped out of his room in the main palace, walked down the corridors and reached the giant gates.
Last time, he was a visitor to this palace. This time, he was a guest who was allowed to practice in a fine room before the match.
With a creak, the grand doors engraved with millions of runes opened, revealing the powerhouses of the alliance.
Varian jumped out of the palace and floated to the center of all those gathered.
He was billions of miles away from them but it felt too close for him.
"She's spending time with you." The elven woman snorted with a displeased gaze.
'Asherah'.
Varian narrowed his eyes and then glanced away.
"Varian! Varian! Go go go! Kill that unqualified bastard!" A middle-aged man with vertical pupils cheered for him while everyone was silent.
Varian would've felt embarrassed if he didn't recognize the aura coming from him.
A chill shot down his spine and he looked into the man's eyes for a brief moment. He didn't know if it was his illusion but he saw a mix of good will and a distorted anticipation in those eyes.
'Snake Of Chaos.'
Unexpectedly, Mors had two more powerhouses attending the match.
Since only rank 2s could attend, it seemed that Mors was the strongest camp of the alliance.
But the way those two let Yami rest her legs on them…
'Is it the obedience of Undead?'
"Ta-Ta-Ta!"
The skeleton in black robes raised its head to look at Varian and moved its jaw, making incomprehensible sounds. It could've spoken to him if it really wished to but the Undead being only wanted to mock him.
Varian didn't feel any pressure despite the apparent hostility.
From the beginning, Genesis and Mors were both against him. The only reason he came this far was not the simple backing of Nexus but them threatening a self-destruction.
Still, there's one thing he didn't really understand.
"Immortal will appear in a few seconds." Yami said with a smile and looked at Varian with a regretful gaze. "Too bad he wants to tear you into pieces or I'd have turned you into an Undead."
Varian remained silent.
"It's not common for all the top powerhouses in the Alliance to gather. Your last moments are really blessed." Yami crossed her legs with an amused gaze.
"Then can I ask a question in this blessed time?" Varian glanced at everyone before turning back to the lady in black.
"Of course, anything except pardoning you."
"The whole of alliance…has only 9 rank 2s? Where have the rest gone?"
Yami's calm expression cracked and the atmosphere suddenly grew cold.