Before anyone could respond, Ace casually took the obsidian Overgod Spark floating in the void and had Aiden take him and the rest of their group back to their home.
None of the Overgods remaining said anything for a long time; they all just continued to stare off into space with deeply pensive expressions on their faces. The shock Ace had left them with this time was way more than any of them ever could've expected. Still, the feeling that they all shared, even more intensely than shock, was regret.
Naturally, as spirits birthed directly by the Heavens, all of the original Overgods were innately opposed to Ace's existence – he went against the natural order of things. Even though they had long since developed a consciousness and were more than just arbiters of Heaven's Will, that innate need to rid the universe of anything that they saw as a threat to Heaven was still very much a part of who they were.
Even so, between the fact that they had their own free will and the fact that heaven had never explicitly made it clear that it wanted Ace killed made. That meant that if they really wanted to, they could've chosen to, at the very least, ignore Ace's existence, but they hadn't. They had repeatedly chosen to oppose Ace, and now, they had gone too far to turn back, no matter how much they wanted to.
Still, the two that felt the deepest sense of regret were none other than the Overgods of Earth and Lightning.
Because the Overgods of the four Edicts had grown sentience so long ago, they were almost destined to stand opposed to Ace. Plus, although, thanks to Ace's actions, the faith they had managed to fuse with when condensing their Overgod bodies was far less than they would've liked, even the weakest of them – the Overgod of Life – had still managed to reach a level that had surpassed Phueus several times over, but the Overgods of Earth and Lightning were different.
It wasn't by much, but individually, they were still a little weaker than Phueus. The only positive thing was that Ace had chosen to take them both on together, and as strong as Ace had become, from the power he had just revealed in his battle with Phueus, fighting two-on-one, Ace didn't stand a chance against them, but they knew full well that with his talent, the Ace they fought against in ten thousand years would be far superior to the Ace they saw today.
As there was nothing they could do to enhance their strength at their level now, all they could do was sit back and hope for a miracle whilst wallowing in their regret, regret for choosing the wrong side. Now more than ever, they wished they could go back and make their decision again; if they could, there wasn't a chance in hell that they would choose the side of the four Edicts. Even if it meant becoming a mere weapon spirit for one of Ace's friends or family members, they definitely would've chosen Ace's side.
At the same time, Ace and the others had just returned to his personal dimension. The mood of everyone in the group was one of joy and excitement; after all, Ace, by himself, had just done the impossible; he had defeated an Overgod.
Still, Ace didn't seem particularly phased by his achievement. In his eyes, the job was far from done – this was just the beginning. Until all of the threats on the lives of his friends and family were neutralised, he wouldn't rest.
Paying no mind to the others, Ace, whilst holding the Overgod Spark of Darkness, closed his eyes and entered a deep state of focus.
His friends and family looked at him curiously. Although they had no idea what Ace was planning, they knew that, if for no other reason than the overwhelming Heaven-like aura he was radiating, it would be big.
It was then that, under their shocked eyes, the head-sized obsidian gem in Ace's eyes began to dissolve, and at the same time, they felt the almost baron land in Ace's personal dimension begin to revitalise itself. The dried-up elemental essence from before began to return in an almost flood-like manner. What was even more strange was the fact that not only did it return, it shot past its previous levels. By the time it came to a stop, it had almost doubled in purity.
Seeing the shocked, hesitant, and slightly concerned expressions on his grandfather's face, Ace told him not to worry; although he used all the energy in the Overgod Spark to refuel his private dimension, it wasn't gone for good – a new Darkness-type Overgod Spark would be born in a few hundred thousand years, and with a new spirit of Darkness at that. He just hoped the next Spirit of Darkness doesn't make the same choices.
Ignoring the odd looks he was receiving, Ace then went on to explain that between the state of his personal dimension reaching its current level of maturity and his current comprehension of the Rules of Time, he should now increase the flow of Time inside by a factor of five, meaning that the ten thousand years his opponents are waiting for him will equate to fifty thousand years for each of them, which should be more than enough time!
Not bothering to wait for their response, Ace teleported to a small cabin near the centre of the dimension where his mother was meditating by his wife's side. The moment he arrived in the room, even though she was still in an unconscious state, a warm, gentle, and beautiful smile took shape on her face, as though just being in her husband's presence put her mind at ease.
Ace kissed Amira on the head and told her that Phueus was dead, meaning the remaining members of her Vis Clan, which had basically been repopulated by her father's little sister, were no longer in any danger – they would be able to leave the confines of the Yulan Plane as and when they liked.
Although he knew Amira was too focused on her pregnancy and therefore couldn't hear his words, Ace still made sure to keep his beloved wife informed. If not for her sake, then for his.
After spending a little more time accompanying his mother and wife, Ace returned back to his training. Although he had set a great foundation for himself, he was far from his limits.
At the same time, his friends and family also went back to their respective training, but not before Bluefire spread his perception through the universe to inform all of its inhabitants of Ace's victory over the Overgod of Darkness, making sure to show them his memories of the battle.
Although, seeing as they had all now condensed their respective Overgod bodies, Bluefire's actions would do nothing to take away from their enemy's faith, it would still be able to enhance Ace's and, by extension, continuously increase his power of perception. A fact that Ace was very much appreciative of.
Whilst it was true that his comprehension would no longer suffer under Heaven's influence, the Rules of Space and Time were infinitely more complicated than the Laws of Fire or even the Mandate of True Yang. Add that to the fact that each subsequent Rule of Space and Time grew in profundity and complexity, and Ace was more than grateful for all the help he could get.
Though Ace was focused on his own training, it didn't stop him from keeping an eye on the others' training in his private dimension. As such, he was always aware when one of them achieved a breakthrough into the Sovereign Realm, a fact that always made him worry, especially after the second natural Sovereign was born.
Unlike what one would expect, the second breakthrough wasn't a member of Ace's Golden Sun Pirates, nor was it a member of Linley's group. Instead, it was one of Ace's Gol Clan descendants.
Gol D. Turner was Murcurielle's eldest son, making him Ace's eldest nephew. And though he wasn't born with the qualities of a king, he was still seen as a supreme talent who was second to none in his generation.
At 12, he reached the limits of comprehension for a mortal, having comprehended and fused two profound mysteries of lightning, and at 20, he reached the limits of comprehension of a saint, having comprehended and fused four of the law of lightning's profound mysteries as well as comprehended his first Concept of Lightning to the level of a Full God.
These were achievements that had surpassed even Ace's. However, that was mainly because he, as a prince of the Yulan Plane's Imperial Gol. Clan had far more resources to take advantage of, and more importantly, following the footsteps of your predecessors was always easier than forging your own path, as Ace had to. Still, his achievements made him something of a legend in his own right.
Unfortunately, as talented and powerful as he was, when undergoing his Lightning Tribulation, he hadn't been strong enough to survive.
As saddening as it was, his death served as a prudent reminder to the others all hoping to become Sovereigns – they were effectively attempting to challenge and surpass heaven. They couldn't do it half-heartedly!
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