"No, it's the benefit of being independent — the path of the untethered." Alex replied calmly, leaving the catwoman shocked.
Alex was basically saying he was invincible if he chose to. Nothing in this universe could touch him if he didn't want it. While that was dependent on his energy reserves, it was the absolute truth.
Cassandra couldn't help but look at Alex with trembling eyes. She looked down on the sphere once more, focusing on how different the essence felt,
Unfortunately for her, she couldn't deduce any properties of the essence. Aside from being able to touch it, she wasn't permitted to probe.
'What kind of broken power is this?' She inwardly questioned. 'He can affect everything, but nothing can affect him…'
"I know it's a lot ot take in." She heard Alex say, making her look up to him. "But you have all the time in the world to contemplate everything you've heard."
"..."
Cassandra had nothing else to say. Alex had given her everything she needed to ascend on her own. It was now up to her to make that existential change.
'It's going to be the hardest, if not an impossible feat to achieve…' She mused silently. But then a thought crossed her mind.
"What about veilwalkers who ascended with the help of the universe core? Can they reverse that process and ascend themselves?" A genuine concern, as it would be a very easy method.
"I don't think so…" Alex shook his head. His brows furrowed for a split second before returning to normal. "If my guess is right, then the core makes the process irreversible. After all, ascension wouldn't have been possible if not for the core."
Moreover, the Supreme One and his cohorts wouldn't have bothered him had there been an easy method to achieve his level of power. This thought further solidified the theory he had on the multiverse.
"I see…" Cassandra muttered under her breath, feeling slightly disappointed. Of course, there would be no shortcut to the path of true independence. "Is there anything else I need to know?" She asked, passing the sphere to Alex.
Alex took the sphere in his hand, making it dissolve a second later. "No, this is all you know to know; for now, at least." Even he was still learning about the grand multiverse.
"Mm, then take me back." Cassandra wanted to get started right away.
"You'll stay here," The reply caught her off guard.
She narrowed her eyes at Alex, waiting for him to explain what he meant by that. No thoughts about captivity crossed her mind as she knew the kind of being Alex was.
"In the event that you succeed in convincing yourself to ascend, the eruption of power from your core destruction could erase the galaxy and then some."
"Oh, okay…" She didn't need much convincing as it came from a credible source. "Then this place is fine, right?"
"That's why I brought you here." Alex nodded and then added. "You're free to create whatever environment that suits your taste."
"Thanks, Alexander." Cassandra said with genuine sincerity. "You could have chosen not to share this with me, but you did it anyway."
"Don't worry about it." Alex waved it off. "It's not really a secret."
His main body was in Universe Prime, ready to explain the same thing to the Supreme One. And as he had mentioned before, it wasn't that simple.
"Alright then, I'll leave you alone," Alex said, stepping back. "Good luck…" His body dematerialised, turning into motes of light that disappeared into the stream of surrounding energies.
"..."
The catwoman was left alone with her thoughts, mulling over everything. Her eyes remained focused as she sat down in the void and crossed her arms over her chest.
'From nothing comes everything, huh…'
...…
Back in Universe Prime.
Alex and company continue their tour, exploring the many interesting places of the city. Like the dragon said, most places in the city were the private property of powerful organisations and sects.
Among the many sects and organisations that raised powerful beings in one district, they came across an interesting event happening: a tournament between sects.
The dragon noticed Alex's interest in what was happening and decided to lead the group to watch. While they were at the pinnacle of power and existence, they were still beings who found joy in the smallest of things.
The tournament in particular reminded Alex of his time at the academy. That tournament, despite being hosted in a simulated environment, taught him a lot about his abilities.
"Eh… Lord Alexander?" Andrew called softly, swallowing his nerves.
For whatever reason, he was afraid to interact in a normal way with Alexander. The person was literally the being he was trying to imitate in the act of self-ascending.
At the same time, he was curious to know more about Alex. The guy was an enigma of changing personas. He would be chill to be around at one point, then the next, he would be domineering.
"Mm, what is it?" Alex turned to Andrew, waiting for him to speak.
The group could already hear the loud cheers of the spectators and feel the disturbance in the air as they got closer to the arena. Moreover, the sheer size of the arena was inconceivable to someone who came from Alex's universe.
"N-now that we're here… ca-can we have a sparring match?" He managed to ask despite his stuttering.
"You want to spar with me?" Alex raised his brows, slightly taken aback. Naturally, they both knew they had to reduce their strength to the limits of what was already ongoing.
"Yes!" Andrew replied almost like a salute, making Alex chuckle.
Alex turned to look at Drakmor, who nodded in acknowledgement. A word from him would make anything possible, so there was no worry on that front.
"Sure, Andrew." Alex gave his reply, flashing a small smile.
Andrew beamed in excitement. For a moment, he feared Alex would take his domineering persona and shut him down, but Alex was surprisingly cool.
Sometime later, the trio arrived in the arena and quickly got a special booth to observe the fights. The arena was like any other. However, this one had a lot of room for movement — a lot.
'And to think Class B awakened can fight here without breaking anything…' Alex was once again reminded of how powerful the environment here was. 'In my universe, this level of strength is enough to shatter planets.'
"A short intermission would be announced soon," Drakmor said after they took their seats. "You'll have your spar then…" He turned to look at Andrew, who nodded resolutely.
He was ready to prove himself to his master and then to Alexander, and hopefully gain some insights. But that remains to be seen.