[Alex, Lord Zol and the others are ready for you.]
Julia growled and pulled back, glaring at the ceiling as if she could see Xex up there, though her arms stayed around Alexander's neck.
[My apologies, Lady Julia, but they are right outside.]
Xex was smart enough to apologise before Julia ordered him to take physical form. He may be a program, but he was sentient and could feel pain when he took a physical form.
Alexander chuckled at Julia's fierce expression, grabbed her cheeks and lowered her head to meet her eyes.
"It will only take a few minutes, tops," Alexander assured her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Then we can spend all the time we want together." The Knight princess added, her eyes closed to receive her beloved's affection.
"Indeed…"
Alexander pulled away and headed for the closed entrance/exit. And while Julia could have accompanied him, she saw no need to.
The doors slid open before Alex even got to it, allowing him to pass without breaking his measured steps.
A few meters away from the doors stood the vassals who had made up their minds.
The vassals stood at attention, intentionally or instinctively forming rows like military personnel.
"At ease."
Alexander said as he came to stand before the brave vassals, hands behind his back. Even with his order, most of the vassals retained their stance.
As his gaze roamed the serious expressions on their faces, he noted those who were absent from the lineup.
And as expected, the Oracle was among those who chose to sit this one out. Then again, she was not a combatant.
For the others, Alexander had no reason to hold it against them. He promised great power, but at a cost.
At the forefront of the vassals was Lord Zol and his close friends, who patiently waited for their young leader to take action.
"I'm glad many of you chose to accept the mission…" Alexander expressed proudly, a gentle smile on his lips. "With that said, there isn't much I have to do on my side.
"You will not feel much different from how you are now…well, except for the stream of knowledge that would flow into your minds as and when needed."
Among the vassals, many had visible signs of confusion on their faces. Alexander knew many had expected some form of powerful display, but honestly, none of that actually mattered.
The vassals were unaware, but as Alexander spoke, he subtly initiated the changes to their existential frameworks, carefully altering them to match paragonic proportions.
Following those changes, he expanded the link that already existed between him and the gathered vassals, granting them the ability to draw from his infinite and self-regenerating essence, which, of course, was himself.
With a knowing smile on his face, Alexander continued, "Embedded within your existence is the strength of a paragon… an Existential Paragon to be exact."
"Existential Paragon?"
A vassal echoed before he even realised he had. He swiftly bowed to apologise, but Alex casually dismissed it.
"Yes, Existential Paragon." Alexander nodded, explaining. "It's a suitable name for your current level of power. It's a power stage that suggests a pseudo-perfection within your existence, but not beyond it.
"You are now the pinnacle of all that can exist within your given affinities. You are your abilities, and your abilities are you. Of course, you are still capable of drawing other abilities from me, but you're more attuned to your abilities, so stick to them."
Lord Zol and the others nodded, not quite grasping the kind of beings Alexander had turned them into.
Until they tapped into those abilities and utilised the knowledge within them, they wouldn't quite understand it.
Even so, every single one of them could feel something different about themselves. It was not the overflowing stream of essence many had imagined, but something within their being that told them they were different.
"Everything that you will need for the task ahead is within yourselves, and will be made available to you as and when needed. You don't want to be overwhelmed by the influx of knowledge, after all." Alex added.
"So that's it?" Mason questioned with a raised brow. Sure, he felt different and knew something had been done. But he expected a lot more…
"Yes, that's it, Lord Mason." Alex replied with a knowing smile. "But since you want proof, I'm more than happy to give it."
The barrier magic user narrowed his eyes cautiously, keenly sensing that his young lord was about to do something drastic.
Abruptly, his surroundings changed; the lustrous and grey walls of the Universal Accord Commission Headquarters were replaced with a vast expanse of outer space.
Lord Mason's instincts kicked in as he swiftly surveyed his surroundings, noticing that his companions were thousands of kilometres away from him.
However, before he could even form any thoughts, his body moved, sensing danger approaching from the front.
Turning around, Lord Mason saw no one, but he wasn't fooled. The barrier magic user shot a hand out, swiftly catching an invisible hand that had attempted to impale him.
A flicker of killing intent shone in his eyes as he shot his other hand forward, shattering the void before him like a fickle mirror.
Without stopping, Mason pushed further and cleanly struck the being who had attempted to aim for his life, delivering a devastating blow that shook the void for millions of kilometres.
A loud gasp escaped the daredevil as the blow tore a hole in their abdomen, revealing an essence-filled interior that now leaked said essence.
Lord Mason tightened his hold on the hand he had grasped while the figure fell to their knees, continually bleeding out essence.
"Who are you?"
Mason growled coldly, not recognising the being hidden behind the mask. Naturally, he knew Alexander was responsible for it, but that attempt on his life was not for show.
It was very real… and would have left him very injured or dead.
"That, Lord Mason, is a clone with my former strength as a Veilwalker."
Hearing the voice of his young lord, Mason turned to see Alexander and the others calmly approaching, shifting through the fabric of the universe as though they were taking a stroll in a park.
"Really?"
Mason found that hard to believe. He turned and then lowered his head once more, staring at the being before him. "Were you this weak?"
Despite the danger he felt, it all felt all too easy. Mason couldn't help but wonder if Veilwalkers were this weak.
Moreover, the fact that the surrounding space was still intact and had even begun healing despite the crack in it made it difficult to accept.
Then again, Alex had no reason to lie. Even so, Lord Mason was reluctant to believe the truth that was already staring him in the eyes.
Suddenly, the being before began dissolving into specks of light, slowly dissipating into the surrounding space.
Lord Mason thought nothing of it and turned to face his young lord, who had arrived with the others, standing a few meters away from him.
"I wasn't that weak, Lord Mason." Alexander replied with the same knowing smile. "You, as well as everyone here, are far stronger and more powerful than I was as a Veilwalker."
The barrier magic user swallowed hard, finally accepting the truth he knew. Lord Mason lowered his head and looked at his hands.
They were trembling!
And he wasn't the only one. Everyone's expression slowly changed from quiet observation to abject shock and realisation.
'Existential Paragon!'
The term echoed in Lord Mason's head like thunder, sheer disbelief on his face. Despite the realisation, he strangely felt no different.
He had just demonstrated the power Alexander had promised them, and yet… his evolved mind was too slow to grasp it.
Suddenly, he was aware of the things he could do with his abilities. With a thought, he expanded his senses to the utmost limit, his eyes widening a split second later.
'Unreal…'
In that very moment, Lord Mason had encompassed the entirety of their universe. Everything that existed… from the celestial bodies to the cosmic phenomena raging through the universe… he saw it all.
Many were the things he would have preferred not to have seen. However, as if by some magic, those scenes were filtered out and erased.
He even sensed that he could go further had he not reached the boundaries of the universe. The influx of information would have crippled and destroyed his mind and soul; he could instinctively tell.
However, that was not all.
From what he saw… the barrier magic user realised just how small and insignificant he was compared to their universe!
Massive could not even begin to describe what he saw! There was no comparison to what he could do as an Immortal to what he could do now!
'So this was his view of the universe…' Mason swallowed as he withdrew his senses and looked at Alexander, a newfound respect burning in his eyes. 'Even with all that power…'
Unsurprisingly, his companions were reaching the same conclusion as Lord Mason was. They didn't know if it was even possible to respect a person more than they already did.
Regardless of whether that was possible or not, as the vassals appreciated their newfound strength, they looked at the being who had made it possible, seeing him in a completely new light.