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Chapter 810: The Celestials
Tony's ascension to a Level Eight Singular God thoroughly shook the Sphere of the Gods. The Ancient Beings within it were utterly shocked, searching for this first-ever Singular God to be born within the Multiverse.
Singular God, Quasi-Unique God, and Multiversal God—these were the three paths of ascension one had to face after transcending the limits of a mortal.
The Singular God needs little explanation: unique in all existence, revered across all realms, the rarest, and simultaneously the noblest and most powerful, possessing infinite potential.
The Quasi-Unique God is a tragic madman. Every increase in strength, no matter how small, requires them to secretly devour countless doppelgängers who are undergoing the exact same process of empowerment. In essence, they are blurring their own identity. Each advancement is a fusion of innumerable selves, meaning a Quasi-Unique God has lost their core self, becoming a hodgepodge of their doppelgängers.
The Quasi-Unique God is a failed imitation of the Singular God's path, a tragic collective.
The Multiversal God is the most common, but also generally the weakest. Each step forward in power is akin to "gathering myriad powers unto oneself." They do not interact with their counterparts in parallel universes, instead focusing solely on strengthening their self within a specific universe.
Multiversal Gods are, in fact, the most common type throughout the Multiverse. Take Thanos, for instance: there is the Thanos with the Infinity Stones, the Thanos with the Heart of the Universe, and the Thanos who just kept eating. None of these versions of Thanos would have any unnecessary interaction or confusion with their counterparts from other universes.
Under normal circumstances, a Multiversal God is the weakest. However, those who rely on external forces to brutally augment their power can erupt with a force that would make even a Singular God tremble. For example, the Thanos who possessed the Heart of the Universe could instantly kill the Living Tribunal and confront the OAA directly. His combat record was simply off the charts; not even the Five Great Gods combined could achieve such a feat.
Regardless of the perceived hierarchy among these three paths of ascension, once a being reaches the Level Eight tier, they can live freely for countless epochs, so long as they don't go looking for trouble.
Even if the Multiverse is destroyed, as long as they don't foolishly involve themselves in the chaotic wars between cosmic beings and instead hide far away ahead of time, no one will have any interest in killing someone so insignificant.
All they have to do is patiently wait for the Multiverse's next reboot and continue to serve as a supreme deity in the eyes of countless beings. It's a good life.
But the most fundamental prerequisite is to reach Level Eight, where one's very being is equivalent to the concept of the Multiverse.
Tony had long understood these three types of deities, but he saw no point in deliberately distinguishing between them. He was already the strongest form of a Singular God. At a critical moment, he could place his mark upon his followers, transforming them into his Favored Ones and setting them on the path of the Multiversal God.
It made no difference at all.
From Tony's current tier and perspective, enemies were divided into only two categories: those who could threaten him, and those who couldn't. Everything else was just noise.
Yes, at least in Tony's eyes now, even Death showing up at his doorstep was just noise.
"Are you here to waste my time?"
Tony lay quietly on the lawn, gazing up at the azure sky, squinting as he watched the clouds drift by.
...
The skeleton in a black robe was suddenly at a loss for words, with the sole thought of strangling him.
"You've changed a lot. You are no longer weighed down by troubles as you once were."
After a long moment, Death raised her skull, an inexplicable light gleaming from within her deep eye sockets.
Tony didn't respond, continuing to watch the clouds in silence.
Death studied Tony with growing suspicion.
"Just say what you came to say. If it's to thank me, don't bother. I don't believe a death deity would express gratitude to a living being," Tony said lightly.
"Do life and death even have a distinction for you now? It's laughable that you would apply the concept of an individual's life and death to that of a Singular God," Death said in a spectral tone.
Tony was now on the exact same tier as Death. Although the goddess of death could control the concept of death throughout the Multiverse, she was completely helpless against him.
After a pause, Death said indifferently, "I came to deliver a message. You are being watched. Some beings are planning to pass judgment on you."
Tony's eyes shifted. "The Celestials? Aren't they afraid of dying?"
"Some of the high-level models of the Celestials are not like those expendable, mass-produced types."
Death stated flatly.
Among the mass-produced models, a relatively famous one is The Final Arbiter Lord, renowned for its combat power and considered the strongest unit in their squadron formations.
But a model like The Final Arbiter Lord is, after all, just a mass-produced unit. Compared to the truly unique models, it's not even worth mentioning.
"Tell Eternity to stop them. It's his responsibility to prevent major upheavals in the Multiverse," Tony said.
"It's useless. The Celestials operate under their own set of laws; Eternity cannot interfere. A group of their high-level Judges are on their way to the Prime Universe. Do your best to avoid conflict with them."
Leaving him with these words, Death tightened her black robe and vanished the moment she turned.
Tony stared coldly at the spot where she had disappeared, sensing Death's aura rapidly fading as it transcended space-time. In the past, it would have been impossible for him to track her, but now, it was simple.
"The Celestials... What's meant to be will be." Tony's expression was impassive.
If the Celestials truly intended to oppose him, Tony wouldn't mind waging a blood war against their various major models. At worst, he could just flip the board, destroy the Multiverse, and escape to the Sphere of the Gods.
Besides the top-tier Sleeping Celestial, the Celestials possessed a host of other terrifying models. While far inferior to the Sleeping Celestial, they certainly had enough combat power to cause Tony a great deal of trouble.
"The fourth judgment of the Earthlings... there's no way it won't involve me."
The first judgment resulted in the birth of augmented Earth life.
The second judgment led to the extermination of the Deviants.
The third judgment saw the World Tree Pantheon utterly defeated.
In the coming fourth judgment, if the Celestials deem them unworthy, the fate of the Earthlings will be the same as their old ancestors, the Deviants: complete extermination.
This time, numerous high-level Judges were being dispatched. It was possible some were coming for Nekron and the Life Entity, to confirm the status of those two unkillable beings, but the greater target was Tony.
The rise of this unprecedented Singular God, Tony, had been too swift—so fast that it had caught the Celestials completely off guard, forcing their high command to rush to the Prime Universe.
It would either end peacefully or result in a great war. There was no third possibility, let alone something like negotiations, which simply didn't exist in the Celestials' programming.
"Let's see what you constructs are really up to..."
Tony gazed toward the heavens, his eyes cold.
Just then, Duzun returned, triumphantly dragging Zarathos along with him.
(end of chapter)
Tony's ascension to a Level Eight Singular God thoroughly shook the Sphere of the Gods. The Ancient Beings within it were utterly shocked, searching for this first-ever Singular God to be born within the Multiverse.
Singular God, Quasi-Unique God, and Multiversal God—these were the three paths of ascension one had to face after transcending the limits of a mortal.
The Singular God needs little explanation: unique in all existence, revered across all realms, the rarest, and simultaneously the noblest and most powerful, possessing infinite potential.
The Quasi-Unique God is a tragic madman. Every increase in strength, no matter how small, requires them to secretly devour countless doppelgängers who are undergoing the exact same process of empowerment. In essence, they are blurring their own identity. Each advancement is a fusion of innumerable selves, meaning a Quasi-Unique God has lost their core self, becoming a hodgepodge of their doppelgängers.
The Quasi-Unique God is a failed imitation of the Singular God's path, a tragic collective.
The Multiversal God is the most common, but also generally the weakest. Each step forward in power is akin to "gathering myriad powers unto oneself." They do not interact with their counterparts in parallel universes, instead focusing solely on strengthening their self within a specific universe.
Multiversal Gods are, in fact, the most common type throughout the Multiverse. Take Thanos, for instance: there is the Thanos with the Infinity Stones, the Thanos with the Heart of the Universe, and the Thanos who just kept eating. None of these versions of Thanos would have any unnecessary interaction or confusion with their counterparts from other universes.
Under normal circumstances, a Multiversal God is the weakest. However, those who rely on external forces to brutally augment their power can erupt with a force that would make even a Singular God tremble. For example, the Thanos who possessed the Heart of the Universe could instantly kill the Living Tribunal and confront the OAA directly. His combat record was simply off the charts; not even the Five Great Gods combined could achieve such a feat.
Regardless of the perceived hierarchy among these three paths of ascension, once a being reaches the Level Eight tier, they can live freely for countless epochs, so long as they don't go looking for trouble.
Even if the Multiverse is destroyed, as long as they don't foolishly involve themselves in the chaotic wars between cosmic beings and instead hide far away ahead of time, no one will have any interest in killing someone so insignificant.
All they have to do is patiently wait for the Multiverse's next reboot and continue to serve as a supreme deity in the eyes of countless beings. It's a good life.
But the most fundamental prerequisite is to reach Level Eight, where one's very being is equivalent to the concept of the Multiverse.
Tony had long understood these three types of deities, but he saw no point in deliberately distinguishing between them. He was already the strongest form of a Singular God. At a critical moment, he could place his mark upon his followers, transforming them into his Favored Ones and setting them on the path of the Multiversal God.
It made no difference at all.
From Tony's current tier and perspective, enemies were divided into only two categories: those who could threaten him, and those who couldn't. Everything else was just noise.
Yes, at least in Tony's eyes now, even Death showing up at his doorstep was just noise.
"Are you here to waste my time?"
Tony lay quietly on the lawn, gazing up at the azure sky, squinting as he watched the clouds drift by.
...
The skeleton in a black robe was suddenly at a loss for words, with the sole thought of strangling him.
"You've changed a lot. You are no longer weighed down by troubles as you once were."
After a long moment, Death raised her skull, an inexplicable light gleaming from within her deep eye sockets.
Tony didn't respond, continuing to watch the clouds in silence.
Death studied Tony with growing suspicion.
"Just say what you came to say. If it's to thank me, don't bother. I don't believe a death deity would express gratitude to a living being," Tony said lightly.
"Do life and death even have a distinction for you now? It's laughable that you would apply the concept of an individual's life and death to that of a Singular God," Death said in a spectral tone.
Tony was now on the exact same tier as Death. Although the goddess of death could control the concept of death throughout the Multiverse, she was completely helpless against him.
After a pause, Death said indifferently, "I came to deliver a message. You are being watched. Some beings are planning to pass judgment on you."
Tony's eyes shifted. "The Celestials? Aren't they afraid of dying?"
"Some of the high-level models of the Celestials are not like those expendable, mass-produced types."
Death stated flatly.
Among the mass-produced models, a relatively famous one is The Final Arbiter Lord, renowned for its combat power and considered the strongest unit in their squadron formations.
But a model like The Final Arbiter Lord is, after all, just a mass-produced unit. Compared to the truly unique models, it's not even worth mentioning.
"Tell Eternity to stop them. It's his responsibility to prevent major upheavals in the Multiverse," Tony said.
"It's useless. The Celestials operate under their own set of laws; Eternity cannot interfere. A group of their high-level Judges are on their way to the Prime Universe. Do your best to avoid conflict with them."
Leaving him with these words, Death tightened her black robe and vanished the moment she turned.
Tony stared coldly at the spot where she had disappeared, sensing Death's aura rapidly fading as it transcended space-time. In the past, it would have been impossible for him to track her, but now, it was simple.
"The Celestials... What's meant to be will be." Tony's expression was impassive.
If the Celestials truly intended to oppose him, Tony wouldn't mind waging a blood war against their various major models. At worst, he could just flip the board, destroy the Multiverse, and escape to the Sphere of the Gods.
Besides the top-tier Sleeping Celestial, the Celestials possessed a host of other terrifying models. While far inferior to the Sleeping Celestial, they certainly had enough combat power to cause Tony a great deal of trouble.
"The fourth judgment of the Earthlings... there's no way it won't involve me."
The first judgment resulted in the birth of augmented Earth life.
The second judgment led to the extermination of the Deviants.
The third judgment saw the World Tree Pantheon utterly defeated.
In the coming fourth judgment, if the Celestials deem them unworthy, the fate of the Earthlings will be the same as their old ancestors, the Deviants: complete extermination.
This time, numerous high-level Judges were being dispatched. It was possible some were coming for Nekron and the Life Entity, to confirm the status of those two unkillable beings, but the greater target was Tony.
The rise of this unprecedented Singular God, Tony, had been too swift—so fast that it had caught the Celestials completely off guard, forcing their high command to rush to the Prime Universe.
It would either end peacefully or result in a great war. There was no third possibility, let alone something like negotiations, which simply didn't exist in the Celestials' programming.
"Let's see what you constructs are really up to..."
Tony gazed toward the heavens, his eyes cold.
Just then, Duzun returned, triumphantly dragging Zarathos along with him.
(end of chapter)
