The Villain Rising: Ascension of Arcane Trickster.-Chapter 215: Movement from beyond the worlds.

"What could have attracted HIS gaze?"

Ashavar smirked wildly as he watched the presence of the one beyond being erased by the Heavenly Principles.

Ordinary mortals shouldn’t have been able to see that gaze, let alone the Heavenly Presence itself and yet Ashavar was different. There were very few things in this world he couldn’t see.

Still, even he was surprised.

He had felt the shift in reality a while back. The air itself had changed as if the world had taken a silent step closer to its end.

He knew what that meant.

The Ones Beyond would begin to awaken as they always did when the world stood on the brink but this time, something was different.

Ashavar frowned slightly, the smirk still lingering on his face.

He didn’t know much about the Ones Beyond as even after countless rebirths, their nature remained shrouded and his strength never reached a level to be noticed by them but there was one rule that had never been broken across his lives and that was the fact that they were just spectators and never interfered much. Especially in worlds like this where a ruling authority like Heavenly Principles existed.

He had always sensed them observing like gods watching ants drown when worlds were ending.

But now... something in this world was making them react. The only time something like this happened was back in his first life in a world which didn’t even exist anymore and now, this world was following a similar pathway.

That alone was terrifying and exhilarating.

"First the existence of a being like Trickster who knew far too much for his strength and now this... the world is truly getting more and more interesting with each life."

He muttered as his smile widened.

Just then, he sensed a presence as a woman materialized before him in an instant. Her white hair flowed as if it possessed a will of its own and her violet eyes locked onto him as she knelt mid-air.

"I greet you, Your Majesty."

Her voice was respectful but her nervousness was impossible to hide.

Ashavar’s smile didn’t fade as he observed the other interesting existence of this world, Veluna... or as she had deceived everyone, Morvana.

There were very few beings he considered unique.

Rael was one, the Trickster was another and there were few more but this woman stood apart from them all for an entirely different reason.

He looked at her calmly and almost lazily.

"So... Rael, Arza, Alya, and Noah are stuck inside this divine domain as well?"

He asked with clear amusement as if this was all nothing more than an entertaining twist in a grand play.

"Yes, Your Majesty." She nodded.

Ashavar’s smile didn’t waver.

He didn’t know who had truly attracted that gaze but whoever it was, they had to be among those currently stranded inside the divine treasury.

The most probable one was Rael. That boy had been amusing him ever since his appearance, after all. A walking anomaly wrapped in coincidence and calamity.

Still... Ashavar didn’t care enough to confirm it.

From the very beginning, his goal had never been to become the strongest to stand above gods and laws nor was it to unravel every mystery of existence. He only wanted one thing and that was to die in peace.

"Hmm, I see." He nodded. "Can anyone enter from the outside?" He already knew the answer but asking it was just a formality.

"No, Your Majesty." She replied instantly.

"Good." His smile deepened slightly. "Then stay here and guard. Inform me of any changes and protect the kids once they come out of the domain."

Although he could easily enter with a weakened clone, he had absolutely no desire to meet the old man who owned this domain again. The moment that guy sensed his presence, he would definitely summon him and talk his ears off until death felt merciful.

That was also the reason why he hadn’t gone anywhere near that domain. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Then there was one more presence he had sensed from within the domain which kept him away from going anywhere near it.

Hel.

The pretender Goddess of the Underworld.

He had held an ancient grudge against her ever since his fourth life, when he had challenged her to battle and, after being rejected, went on to thrash her underworld instead.

He still remembered how she chased him down through the two realms just to hunt him down but unfortunately, even she hadn’t been able to kill him permanently and ever since then she had been actively seeking his soul to torment.

Not that he was afraid of her. She could never interfere in this world with her full power due to restrictions of Heavenly Principles... Still, it was exhausting to deal with her and it would cause nothing more than an inconvenience to him.

Meanwhile Morvana nodded without hesitation. "As you command, Your Majesty."

Ashavar watched her for a moment longer, amused. "Good."

With these words, his body vanished as it merged with the world itself.

—

Remaining where she stood, Morvana glanced once more in the direction Ashavar had disappeared, before turning her gaze back toward the Divine Treasury.

Her thoughts drifted to Arza, trapped inside that divine domain.

She couldn’t help but feel a faint worry for her safety. After all, her role in her plans were far from finished yet.

Then there was the boy who always smiled so brightly but Morvana didn’t worry about him in the slightest, even if he was weaker than Arza.

Because... from what she had seen, that boy always had a way of surprising her. No matter how deep the trouble or how impossible the situation seemed, he somehow slipped through it with ease, like fate itself was just another toy in his hands.

He never lost the smile on his face.

Her lips curved faintly.

I wonder how you’ll surprise me this time, Rael.

—

Meanwhile, within Helheim, seated upon her grand throne, Hel slowly opened her abyssal eyes.

"Master...?"

She muttered softly, though there was no one to hear her.

When she felt someone recalling her true name, she answered the call out of interest only to find an Eldritch beast and within the illusion of the beast, she had met the man who claimed to know her.

The man had white hair and a cracked face as if his body couldn’t handle the weight of his soul.

There were very few who knew her real name before her ascension and among those few, only one had ever spoken to her with such familiarity... The one who had always been there for her when she needed him most and now... someone had called her with that same familiarity.

Someone who had even warned her of a danger she herself hadn’t sensed.

Her fingers curled slightly against the armrest of her throne as her voice trembled, just a little.

"Was that really you... Master?"

After he had vanished so mysteriously, Hel had grown stronger with only one purpose in her heart and that was to find him again.

She had climbed higher and higher, until she became the ruler of the Underworld itself until even gods bowed before her authority.

But... She had never forgotten him and if there was even the slightest chance that the man she met was him, then she would make sure that she would find him again, no matter which body he is in.