Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 496

Chapter 496: Fate XV
The once overconfident contenders were now terrified.

And Aiden?

He was enjoying himself.

His golden eyes burned with excitement, his aura pulsing with a strange mixture of divinity and something… more.

“What’s wrong?” Aiden called out, sidestepping a barrage of light spears before casually slashing through them.

“I thought you were here to climb the Divine Ladder?”

“If this is all you’ve got, then you should just quit now.”

The taunt hit its mark.

A remaining group of elites, their pride wounded, roared in defiance before launching their most powerful techniques at him.

Seven of them.

Each one wielding an ability strong enough to devastate lower realms.

One controlled pure flames, forged from the breath of an ancient sun.

Another wielded the Chains of Judgment, binding even demigods in place.

A third invoked the Curse of Annihilation, a forbidden spell that could erase souls.

And four more—each bringing their own terrifying power.

Aiden stood there, watching the maelstrom of divine techniques descend upon him.

And then—

He smiled.

“Alright. Let’s test something.”

He lifted a single hand.

His golden and abyssal energy flared—twisting, fusing into something new.

A power that wasn’t bound by divine law.

A power that wasn’t supposed to exist.

[Authority Activated: Reality Unchained—Adaptive Devour]

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—

The attacks did not hit him.

They collapsed.

The moment they touched his aura, they unraveled—converted into pure energy, absorbed into Aiden’s form.

The battlefield fell silent.

The remaining contenders stared in horror.

“Did… did he just absorb our strongest attacks?”

Aiden stretched his fingers, feeling the new power surge through him.

“Huh. That worked better than I thought.”

His smirk widened.

“My turn.”

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Aiden vanished.

In the next instant—seven warriors were already falling.

Bodies torn apart. Armor shattered. Souls flickering.

“Impossible…” one of them gasped before hitting the ground.

Aiden exhaled, rolling his shoulders.

The battlefield was nearly empty now.

Only a handful of warriors remained standing.

The Grand Melee—the first trial to reach the Divine Ladder—was almost over.

Aiden lifted his blade once more.

“Who’s next?”

The battlefield was nearly empty.

Hundreds had entered. Few remained.

Bodies of defeated divine warriors lay scattered across the vast arena, some unconscious, others struggling to move, their divine energy completely drained.

And in the center of it all—Aiden stood untouched.

His golden and abyssal aura pulsed, the energy of the defeated still circulating through his body like fuel. His breathing was steady, his posture relaxed—as if he hadn’t even exerted himself.

“Tch. Is that it?”

Aiden’s golden eyes swept across the battlefield, searching for anyone who still had the strength to stand.

And then—

—𝘛𝘏𝘜𝘋—

Two figures stepped forward.

The final two challengers.

1. Ragnir, The War Saint

A massive warrior clad in black and gold armor, his body covered in divine battle scars. His presence was overwhelming, his muscles brimming with celestial war energy. His fists were wrapped in golden gauntlets, each engraved with the names of gods he had slain.

His eyes locked onto Aiden, burning with pure battle intent.

“I don’t care who you are. You’re strong.”

“That means I have to defeat you.”

Aiden smirked. “You can try.”

2. Sylva, The Moonblade Valkyrie

A tall, silver-haired woman with ethereal blue eyes, clad in flowing celestial robes. She carried a single sword—thin, elegant, and glowing with lunar essence.

Unlike Ragnir, her expression wasn’t filled with rage or bloodlust. It was calm. Focused.

“You are beyond mortal. But you are not yet divine.”

“If you cannot defeat us, you have no right to climb the Divine Ladder.”

Aiden’s smirk grew.

“Then come prove it.”

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

They attacked at once.

Ragnir vanished, moving at speeds that shouldn’t be possible for someone of his size. A fist came crashing toward Aiden’s skull, packed with enough force to shatter mountains.

At the same time—

Sylva flickered like moonlight, her blade carving a flawless arc, aimed directly at Aiden’s heart.

A perfectly coordinated attack.

Brute force from Ragnir. Precision from Sylva.

Any other warrior would have been overwhelmed instantly.

Aiden?

He grinned.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

His body blurred.

He sidestepped Ragnir’s punch at the last possible moment, letting the devastating force tear through the battlefield instead. The very ground collapsed, creating a massive crater beneath them.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—!

At the same time, Sylva’s blade narrowly grazed his chest, its sharp edge slicing through the divine air.

Aiden flipped midair, twisting between both attacks like a phantom—untouchable.

Then—he countered.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—

Aiden’s twilight blade ignited, golden and abyssal energy fusing into a weapon that defied reality itself.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—!

His blade met Sylva’s Moonblade in an earth-shattering clash. The force of the impact rippled across the entire arena, sending divine winds howling into the sky.

Ragnir wasn’t done.

“You think I’ll wait my turn?”

With a roar, he slammed his fists together, generating a massive shockwave that warped gravity itself.

Aiden’s feet left the ground.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

In the next instant, Ragnir drove his fist forward, aiming to end it in one hit.

“I don’t need fancy skills. I just need to hit you once!”

Aiden’s eyes gleamed.

“Good luck with that.”

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—

At the last second, Aiden did the impossible—he stepped into Ragnir’s attack.

The massive warrior’s fist came barreling toward him—but Aiden’s hand shot out, catching it mid-motion.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

The entire arena trembled.

Aiden held back Ragnir’s full force with one hand.

“Too slow.”

Before Ragnir could react—

Aiden’s free hand shot forward.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

His fist buried itself in Ragnir’s gut.

The massive warrior’s eyes widened.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Ragnir’s entire body was sent flying, crashing through multiple levels of the arena.

Unconscious. Defeated.

Aiden turned back to Sylva.

She still stood, her blade glowing with moonlight.

She inhaled, then exhaled, her stance shifting.

“You are worthy.”

“But let’s see if you can handle this.”

Her aura erupted, the lunar glow intensifying into something more—

Something divine.

Aiden grinned.

“Now we’re talking.”

And then—

The final battle of the Grand Melee began.

Sylva’s aura exploded, the celestial light around her intensifying into a radiant lunar storm. The very air shifted, bending under the weight of her power.

Aiden felt it immediately.

This wasn’t ordinary divine energy.

This was lunar divinity—the power of an entity who had walked the path of gods but had yet to fully ascend.

“You are strong, but strength alone will not let you ascend the Divine Ladder.”

Sylva raised her Moonblade, and instantly, the sky dimmed.

The sun-like glow of the Divine Realm’s sky waned, replaced by a silvery twilight. Aiden noticed immediately—her control over the battlefield was absolute.

“Moonlight Domain—Lunar Sovereignty.”

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—

The ground beneath Aiden froze solid, covered in a layer of shimmering silver mist.

His body felt heavier.

His movements slowed.

[Warning: You are within the Moonlight Domain.]

[All non-lunar beings suffer suppression—Speed and Reflexes reduced by 30%.]

Aiden grinned.

“So you’re playing dirty, huh?”

Sylva vanished.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—!

Her blade streaked toward his throat, moving like a comet through the night sky.

Aiden barely twisted in time—but even then, the blade still grazed his cheek.

A thin line of silver blood dripped down.

“Tch.”

Sylva was already gone—reappearing behind him in a blur of light.

“Lunar Crescent Slash—Second Form.”

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

A crescent arc of moonlight erupted toward Aiden.

It was fast. Too fast.

But Aiden was faster.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

He slammed his foot down, shattering the frozen ground beneath him.

His golden aura exploded outward, disrupting the flow of Sylva’s Moonlight Domain.

“I don’t do well in cages.”

Aiden’s blade flared.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

He cleaved through the crescent slash, splitting it apart in an instant.

Sylva’s eyes widened—but only for a second.

Then she smiled.

“Good.”

She raised her hand—and suddenly, the battlefield shifted again.

Aiden’s vision flickered.

And then—

He was surrounded by infinite moons.

“Final Form—Lunar Phantasm.”

Aiden frowned.

Illusions? No—this is something else…

Each moon in the sky shimmered, and out of them—hundreds of Sylvas appeared.

“If you can’t find the real me, you lose.”

They all attacked at once.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—

Aiden’s instincts flared.

His golden eyes gleamed.

“You want me to find the real you?”

Aiden exhaled.

“Fine. Watch closely.”

And then—he shut his eyes.

Sylva’s smile vanished.

“What…?”

Aiden vanished.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—

The first Sylva disappeared.

Then the second.

Then ten more.

Then fifty.

Aiden wasn’t hunting.

He was erasing the false ones—one by one.

Sylva’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“How?!”

Aiden’s voice echoed through the domain.

“Simple.”

“I don’t need my eyes to see through you.”

His Codex of True Sovereignty burned inside him.

[Authority Activated: Akashic Vision—All Falsehoods are Revealed.]

Aiden opened his eyes.

And they locked onto the real Sylva.

“Found you.”

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Before she could react—Aiden was already there.

A single strike.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—

Aiden’s blade pierced through her Lunar Domain, slicing straight through her chestplate.

Sylva staggered, coughing silver blood.

“I… lost?”

Her Moonlight Domain shattered.

The arena returned to normal.

Aiden exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “You weren’t bad.”

Sylva looked up at him, then smiled faintly.

“Neither were you.”

She fell to her knees.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

The battle was over.

The Grand Melee had ended.

And Aiden was the last one standing.

The crowd erupted.

“He won?!”

“No… he dominated!”

“Who is this outsider?!”

Above them, the Divine Guardian of the Arena stepped forward.

His booming voice echoed.

“The Grand Melee is over!”

“The challenger, Aiden, has claimed victory!”

“He will now be granted the right to climb the Divine Ladder!”

Aiden grinned.

“Finally.”

The Divine Ladder—the path to godhood—was now within his reach.

But this was only the beginning.