Ross sighed as he looked at the two loved birds lost in their moment. He didn't want to interrupt, but they've been in each other's embrace for many minutes now. Any more and Ross might snap.
"Alright, that's enough." Ross interrupted with a frown. "I'm right here, you know? And Julia… You wound me. How can you not even notice my presence?"
Alex chuckled while Julia's eyes snapped open. She was getting way too comfortable in Alex's arms. The girl had totally missed Ross's presence.
"R-Ross… Right." Julia muttered as she distanced herself from Alex. Her face was slightly red from embarrassment. "It's been a while. How do you do?" She said while her eyes looked anywhere but at Ross.
"A little too for that." Ross shook his head with a sigh. "Not that I blame you. You've only had eyes for Alex, after all."
Alex remained silent as he watched their interaction. It's been many years since they interacted this way. Since he returned from being missing, he had been on the move and barely spent time with his friends.
He was not in the same generation as Hunter Zol and the others, so he couldn't get comfortable around them. But things were different now.
With his ability to have multiple bodies, he could spend all the time he wanted with them, exploring the universe, making new memories and helping them grow stronger.
"Looks like you're at the A-Tier as well." Ross congratulated the Knight princess and then turned to Alex. "Does she know everything?"
"Not everything." Alex replied. "She still has no idea about the god part and the visit from those Veilwalkers."
"What are you talking about?" Julia tilted her head in confusion. "You mentioned going to the universe's centre, and I take it that you succeeded in your evolution?"
"Yeah…" Alex nodded and filled her in. "So that's the situation."
"I see…" Julia had a thoughtful expression on her face as she mulled over what she just learnt.
"I was about to ask you this before Julia jumped in…" Ross glared at Julia for a moment before continuing. "... but how are you going to deal with that Supreme One when he comes knocking? We can't play house in our universe forever."
For a moment Alex gave no reply, mulling over the question.
"Honestly I'm not sure what to expect." Alex replied. "My ascension granted me a lot of knowledge, but not much on what's outside this boundary. They could be outside staring at this place right now or they could be planning something big.
"There's no way to tell…"
"Hmph!" Julia snorted, floating closer to Alex to grab his hand. "You've been through so much and still came out on top. If anything, those people and that Supreme One should fear you.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? In this universe, you're the supreme one." The girl had absolute faith in her man.
"Hehe… Of course." Alex laughed it off but Ross could see through him.
It wasn't that simple.
'He may be the supreme one in here, but that might not be the case outside our universe.' Ross had paid attention to Alexander's words to understand this much. 'Also, if they decide to disturb Alex, they could easily attack from the outside to draw him out.'
"So what now…?" Ross asked a moment later, turning his gaze to Earth's atmosphere. "Do we head down?"
"Naturally." Alex agreed. "But it's been a while since you saw your family. I suggest you go see them and spend some quality time."
"Mhm." Ross nodded. "I'll see you guys soon…" The redhead plunged into the atmosphere with a bang, leaving a fiery trail behind.
"Finally…" Julia muttered with a smile, turning to face Alex. The Knight princess wrapped her arms around Alex's neck. "I've been waiting to do this for some time now…" Julia placed a soft kiss on Alex's lips.
It was a simple kiss, yet Julia expressed all her feelings through the gesture. She pulled back a moment later and stared right into Alex's eyes.
"I'm ready, Alexander…" Julia said with a resolute expression. "I can't wait any longer…I'm yours and you're mine…That is the only truth that matters to me."
"You don't say…" Alex replied with a smirk.
.....
Centre of the Universe
Alex's universal body had been in deep meditation ever since he concluded his meeting with the leaders. He had spent weeks digesting the new information he acquired.
And with each new thing he learnt, his understanding of things grew. He was surprised to learn that the universal laws he comprehended were not the same across all universes--at least for the one that made up the universe's core.
While higher universes had more robust laws and universe fabrics, all universes had a unique principle that was only meant for that universe. It was sort of like the key to the universe and was what he received from fusing with the core.
This unique principle identified him as the master and lord of the universe. It was why he was supreme inside the universe. Moreover, this unique principle Alexander dubbed the Axiom was responsible for the universe's evolution.
'With the axiom, I can make the universe grow and evolve to a mid-level one or higher.' Alex mused silently. 'But that requires 'permission' from the multiverse core… Something that is not possible given our predicament.
'At the same time… I think I understand what the Supreme One is after, and if I'm right, the other Veilwalkers who have fused with a universe's core should know this too.' He wasn't entirely sure.
Alex's evolution was complete, but that was not the end. He became a god by acknowledging himself before fusing with the core, but that was only a part of it—literally.
'My evolution is complete. However, the axiom is only a small part of it.' This truth was hard to accept. 'It's like I'm only privy to a fraction of a wider breadth of knowledge.' Alex didn't like this one bit as it meant his evolution was only one small step.
There was also this feeling within him, urging him to obtain more axiom to fill in the gaps. It was like a slow cancer creeping up into his existence.
'There has to be another way of gaining that knowledge.' He played various scenarios in his head but always came empty. 'Was fusing with the core the wrong decision?' He frowned in contemplation.
The good thing was that he could un-fuse with the universe's core and still retain his god-level prowess and abilities.
Its downside was that he would lose his status as the administrator and would have to resort to using his own energies instead of what was readily available from the core.
Moreover…