My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 439: The amusement park of gods

Ethan gave a slow nod, locking his steady gaze with Ryogu’s.

“Yes. I’d like to head there,” he stated. “I wish to learn more about your people.”

A genuine, serene smile spread across Ryogu’s face, free from any trace of doubt or scheming.

“Naturally,” he answered. “When should we depart?”

After a short hesitation, Ethan replied, “In seven days. I’ve got a few things to wrap up here first.”

“Seven days,” Ryogu echoed, his tone laced with sincere warmth.

“We’ll arrange a fitting welcome for someone of your standing, Ethan Hunt. Our territories are... unique. I believe the environment will intrigue you.”

Ethan nodded once more. “I’m eager for it.”

“In the meantime, make the most of the Tower. My team will see to it that you lack for nothing.”

Ryogu signaled to his bodyguard, who was cheering loudly after smashing a new record on the Whack-a-Mole game, and Ethan rose to his feet.

He approached the enormous windows spanning floor to ceiling, gazing out at the twisting depths inside the Tower.

Thoughts of the upcoming week’s arrangements already filled his head.

Trillions of Origin coins awaited collection, techniques required adaptation for the Dragons and Phoenixes, and his expanding empire demanded oversight.

Yet as he moved ahead, an abrupt, fierce yank seized his thoughts.

The feeling resembled being sucked through a narrow tube.

Colors from the café’s neon glows smeared into elongated streaks before his eyes.

The clone.

Ethan had dispatched the clone to the Neutral Plane.

He’d ordered it to locate Erebus and relay updates.

However, no report came from the clone.

Instead, it dragged Ethan’s main awareness across the emptiness by force.

Gasping, Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

Fresh air rushed into his lungs like a revitalizing elixir, sweet and sharp with vibrant life.

This wasn’t some grim, battle-scarred desert.

Nor was it an empty, lifeless expanse.

He stood atop a gentle hill covered in grass softer than luxurious silk.

The Neutral Plane unfolded around him in a stunning vista of untouched wonder.

Towering peaks of sheer crystal thrust toward a sky swirling in gentle hues of violet and gold.

Lush emerald forests danced in a wind bearing fragrances of fresh jasmine and timeless soil.

Ethereal creatures, radiating a faint inner glow, roamed the vales in tranquil harmony.

No echoes of conflict rang out.

No metallic tang of bloodshed lingered.

“What’s this spot, Yumiko?” Ethan queried in his mind.

His words seemed tiny amid the grandeur of this haven.

Yumiko, his System’s voice, answered at once, though stripped of her typical robotic enthusiasm.

Her inflection turned grave.

[Master, what you see is the Neutral Plane right now.

Yet its splendor hides a darker truth.

This domain lies between the lower realms and the Plane of the Gods.]

[From time to time, offspring of the God Races visit to frolic.

Even their casual aura, spilling divine power, transformed this desolate stone into a lush idyll.]

A chill unrelated to the mild air crept over Ethan.

“Offspring of the God Race?

You mean the builders of the ‘Cage’?”

[Indeed, Master.]

[The architects of this whole existence hail from one clan within the God Race.

Among their kind, they hold no special might or status.]

[They’re merchants.]

[This ‘Cage,’ the full universe, exists purely for their commerce.]

Tremors started in Ethan’s hands.

The majestic peaks and serene beasts now appeared as mere lobby ornaments.

“Commerce?

What sort of trade?”

[The God Races stand as the pinnacle of creators.]

[Top figures from their lineages treat this like a playground.]

[Your 100 Supreme Original Races, seen as ultimate forces, serve merely as attendants.]

[They exist to amuse the guests.]

[As for the rest... humans, vampires, dragons in the lower realms... they’re mere cattle.]

Nausea surged through Ethan.

“Cattle?”

[Affirmative.]

[Upon a God Race visitor’s arrival, they select from offerings.]

[The Original Races then ‘gather’ the desired bloodlines or essences and deliver them here.]

[They fetched Lady Zara not to cultivate her gifts, but as an exquisite treat.]

[Hybrids awakening top-tier bloodlines rank as fine aged spirits to them.]

The haven’s quiet pressed in like thunder.

A frosty rage ignited in Ethan’s eyes, sharp and unyielding in his core.

“Why hold this back until now?

You made me believe I faced only regional overlords.”

[You’d have perished, Master.]

[Knowing the vast foes ahead, you’d have challenged the Apocalypse Emissary head-on.]

[You weren’t prepared.]

[Lady Zara faces no urgent threat.]

[God Race visitors appear only every millennium.]

[By the present timeline, roughly five years remain until the next ‘reaping.’]

[At your rapid progress, that span suffices to gain the strength to shield her.]

Ethan drew a steadying breath, calming his racing pulse.

Grasping the true hierarchy of might became essential.

“Describe them.

How do they battle?

What fuels their strength?”

[Each God Race individual emerges with a strand of law, akin to yours presently. Their lives center on extending that strand.]

“In what manner?”

[Via forging, strife, scheming, and gathering. Certain ones birth species to extend their strand. Others ignite conflicts. Some commit deeds you’d deem abhorrent. Yet forging proves the securest, swiftest path.]

“No stages of advancement?” Ethan pressed.

[None like those you know.]

[Among the God Race, might gauges purely by law strand length. Greater length yields broader dominion and being.]

Ethan absorbed her words without a sound.

[Certain God Race figures command pantheons, overseeing myriad multiverses with legions of species in thrall.]

“The supreme deities,” Ethan muttered.

[Precisely. Such entities spawn whole peoples from one strand.]

Overwhelming weight settled on Ethan.

“And this playground?”

[Clans of elite gods harbor their own deity-tier powerhouses. That chasm speaks volumes.]

[This Cage’s makers, though, peak at Absolute Continuum Grade Five. They pale beside true God Race luminaries.]

Shadows deepened in Ethan’s gaze.

“Thus they endure.”

[Right. God Race folk buy entry with divinity. Such essence straightens extends law strands.]

Ethan inhaled sharply.

“How many tiers surpass Absolute Continuum?”

[Four.]

Yumiko recited them steadily.

[Eternal Singularity Realm.]

[Transcended Logos Realm.]

[Supreme Archetype Realm.]

[Proto Deity Ascended Realm.]

[Beyond lies the God Realm.]

A icy tremor coursed Ethan’s back.

At last, he’d touched the summit.

Yet that summit marked only a race’s outset.

“Do the God Race alone govern the higher planes?” he inquired.

[Negative.]

[Four rival lineages match their stature.]

“What do they call themselves?”

[The Noble Race.]

[The Elder Race.]

[The Protose Race.]

[The Null Race.]

Ethan processed the revelations gradually.

[They maintain an equilibrium across countless multiverses.]

Settling onto the yielding turf, Ethan massaged his forehead.

The vastness overwhelmed.

He’d fretted over trillions in currency and petty skirmishes, as the “proprietors” plotted which “stock” to savor come dinner in half a decade.

“It all,” Ethan breathed.

“Physics’ rules, the battles, the lineages... mere scripts for their diversion.”

[True, Master.]

[They fund their visits with ‘Divinity.’]

[Only that Divinity lengthens a Law Thread outright.]

Ethan now mulled the hierarchy of power. He’d pinpointed evolution’s zenith, yet it served as another contest’s dawn.

Still, Ethan grasped his path forward.

Armed with this knowledge, he’d ready himself methodically.

He must embed his law of infinity within humanity, empowering them; as they advanced, so would his law thread lengthen, until he rose to loftier realms.

This Cage now felt confining beyond measure. Yet the haven’s allure remained striking.

“Let’s savor the scenery. I’ll claim this paradise before long.”

Ethan began strolling across the verdant meadow.

He reached out to Erebus, who’d arrived earlier.

“Erebus, come here.”

At his summons, Erebus materialized before him.

“My lord, when did you get here?” he inquired.

“Not long ago. Now speak—do you realize this realm is merely a playground for the God Race?”

Bewilderment crossed Erebus’s features.

“God Race? Who are they? I’ve never heard that name before,” he said, eyeing Ethan.

“Fine, forget it. Where’s the Apocalypse race? Lead me there.”