Arthur felt the familiar golden mana envelope him. Beside him stood Rae and Oriole, both being transported into the Divine Trial. As he sensed the mana, he made two observations using his Omniscient Eyes.

First, it was his own mana.

Second, it was connected to somewhere outside their world.

"Seek me out the moment the trial begins," Arthur told his two companions. They nodded before turning into motes of lights that scattered into nothingness.

Arthur remained a short few seconds later, watching as hundreds of thousands of people vanished. He saw them being teleported elsewhere, following the source of the golden mana.

"How do they possess it too?" Arthur muttered to himself.

Darkness then descended, but he wasn’t unconscious. He was in a dark space, neither floating nor standing, as if suspended by strands of space. Then, runic lines appeared in front of him.

[Welcome to the Sovereign Path.]

[Current World: Tutorial Eden.]

[Ascension Quest: survive one lunar cycle.]

The meaning behind the words appeared directly in his mind, even though the language was written in ancient runes. His suspicions were confirmed now. This Divine Trial wasn’t made by Devaheim, but rather... a part of Yggdrasil itself.

Colors emerged from the darkness, like a painting being drawn. It wasn’t sudden, but insidious and slow, like watercolors overflowing the canvas. Structures began appearing, like mountains, rivers, valleys, spires, tall trees, monsters, and celestial bodies.

The spatial strands released him, and Arthur found himself standing atop a hill overlooking an ancient forest, with mountains covering the horizon and celestial objects moving in the sky.

[Welcome to Tutorial Eden.]

[Sovereign Path has now integrated with your legacy.]

[Modifications made to the legacy... none.]

Arthur read the messages from his legacy with confusion, and then understanding. His reawakened legacy matched the laws of the Sovereign Path because it was the only way he could defeat the gods.

"I guess that means I always have the Sovereign Path," Arthur muttered as he looked around. "There is nothing here, but I can tell the forest is filled with dangers. Did the gods fool us into ascending the Sovereign Path? But why?"

He knew there was a scheme behind this, but he was never the one to refuse a fight against the jerks high above. He stretched his body, which felt lighter than ever, and used his new skill.

Information and insights filled his vision, like a tsunami wave rushing toward him. He read the names of the different types of grass, the rising trees, and the cascading mountains. Everything his eyesight reached was revealed to him like an epiphany.

After a moment of collecting himself, Arthur focused his vision on the distant cosmic bodies. The runes floating above everything else disappeared, and he read the description for the celestial creature floating in the sky.

[Mimic Astral Uranserki (Level 10)]

[Race: Uranserki (info)]

[Class: World Destroyer]

[Stats:]

[Body: 19.]

[Mind: 15.]

[Insight: 16.]

[Spirit: 20]

[Abilities: Telekinesis, Astral Breath, (Mind Control)...]

The list was endless, all dreadful powers with the ability to destroy worlds. And this creature of unfathomable strength was merely a level 10, but Arthur himself remembered he was only a Level 6 in his soul.

If it was according to Earth standards, then a Level 6 should be an Empyrean-ranker, like Osian the Invincible. Arthur himself was reborn as a Level 1 life form, which meant different creatures had different physical powers. His stats, however, were all 6, after being 600 for a while.

Arthur had realized a long time ago that these stats didn’t apply to him because he had other amplifiers to his powers, like his wrath and his runes. He could reach thousands of stats depending on what rune he used or whether he was using the Mask of Mercy or not.

"I guess this is the divine level," Arthur muttered as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he did, the grass around him leaned toward him, as if reaching for a handshake. "As we rise higher in strength, each point becomes the difference between night and day."

He was still examining his surroundings when he heard a strange cry from the distance. Arthur frowned, as it didn’t seem to be a random monstrous wail, but something akin to a howl.

The ground began to shake. Trees parted in the distance. Creatures fled in every direction. Arthur stared at the incoming rising dust storm with both apprehension and intrigue.

A giant creature was approaching him. Arthur didn’t attempt to run or identify it, as its sheer size rivaled the mountains in the distance. He waited with an amused look as the creature began revealing itself through the giant trees and dust.

An enormous beast on all fours reached him and stood before him. Its giant maw looked like an entire valley as it revealed giant spires for teeth. Its fur was entirely white, as if glowing underneath the distant sun. Its eyes were red, with a single black horn between them, staring down at Arthur as if he was an ant.

Arthur looked at the creature with an expressionless face. Then, he smiled in bitterness.

"You have grown so much," he said. "It’s good to see you again, after all this time, old friend."

The beast howled.

Arthur read the runes floating atop its giant frame.

[Moonlight Guardian (Level 8)]

As it heard his words, the wolf howled, washing the entire forest with moonlight. Its cries spoke of pain, loneliness, but more than anything... it cried of longing and joy. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Arthur jumped high, sailing through the sky, before landing atop the wolf’s nose. It stopped howling and looked at him with big, intelligent eyes.

"I missed you too, buddy," Arthur said as he crouched to rub its giant nose. He was nothing but an ant compared to the wolf, but his touch made the giant beast wag its tail, bringing calamity upon the forest.

Arthur laughed as he witnessed the destruction. Then, as if reading his mind, the giant creature began to shrink in size. He had to jump down lest he fall.

Just a few seconds later, he was staring at the familiar wolf companion, albeit with a few changes to its appearance. The wolf pushed its head toward him, rubbing his face. Arthur began patting its fur and scratching behind its ear as he heard it growl in joy.

"You became a Moonlight Guardian while we were away, huh? You didn’t forget about me?" he asked with a smile. "I guess your old name no longer fits a guardian like yourself, right, Kira?"

Its eyes turned to slates as if in a smile. Arthur pulled back for a second, a wide smile on his face, as he thought of a name. He remembered an ancient beast of legends, in the form of a giant wolf.

"Your new name will be Fenrir."

Fenrir howled again, letting the moonlight wash over the forest. All creatures fled the forest, leaving the man and wolf alone in their reunion.

After the wolf stopped its celebrations, it bowed its head toward Arthur and light emerged from its horn. He was confused for a second before receiving a message from the path.

[An astral creature wishes to form a bond with you.]

Arthur reached out without hesitation. The light merged with his body, like cotton dissolving in water. He felt a strange connection link his soul to Fenrir, and then, he heard it.

"Master," it spoke in his mind. "I have longed for this day ever since the first trial of the crown."

"You can talk?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"These are my thoughts, communed through our bond," Fenrir replied. "We now share a bond of familiarity, letting me follow you anywhere."

"Why do you speak like an old lady?" Arthur asked with a laugh. The wolf tilted its head in confusion. "I should’ve had this bond with you long ago."

"It was fate that led me to this place, awaiting your arrival. But master... you shouldn’t have come here."

"Why not?"

"I feel the great eyes staring at us, watching you arrive at this place," it said while raising its head toward the stars. "I fear that this was their desire all along... to bring you here... to attempt something, even if I do not understand what."

"I have a similar feeling as well," Arthur said with a smile as he followed its gaze. "I can tell that it won’t be long before I meet them again."

Fenrir looked down at him with something akin to pride and approval. It began growing again, reaching the size of a Nightroad aircraft. It then lowered its head toward him.

"Let us begin this journey. I have many places to take you, and things to teach you. I can tell through our bond that your authority is still weak. I have prepared for this day for a hundred years."

Arthur was shocked to hear that Kira, no, Fenrir had spent a hundred years in this world. He was even more shocked to realize that it had spent all those years preparing for his arrival.

He jumped on its head, and the moonlight wolf kicked the ground and soared, never hitting the earth again. The two of them sailed above the forest, rushing toward the distant mountains cradling the moon.