There was silence in the hall as Wain's words were something they didn't understand at all yet. They knew the Transcendence Stage existed, but they had absolutely no idea how such a level could be achieved as for them it was something beyond, just impossible.
"So unlike the God Stage where you can gather followers or go the way of the loner and concentrate completely on yourself, the Transcendence Stage requires something special, something that allows you to separate yourself from the energy of this world, right?" Frigus asked with a serious look.
"Yeah." Wain nodded, "In my case, it is my power that is literally the embodiment of myself. My energy can't be contained as well as fate couldn't stop me. Sure, everything has limits, I can't destroy the whole world in a snap, but this is definitely the pinnacle."
Frigus nodded as he crossed his arms across his chest with a thoughtful expression. For him as a warrior, becoming the strongest was one of his most important goals, so knowing that he had a chance to become one of them was the most powerful motivation for him.
'Hmm... Something special, right? Philosophy? That doesn't work for me, I have to find what I consider my specialty or what I want. Surely Alucard didn't become immortal by accident, he definitely did something for it.' Frigus muttered inwardly trying to understand himself. He looked like he was just thinking, but Wain saw that gradually his gaze grew deeper.
'Good job, it looks like you're beginning to understand something.' Wain noted as a slight smile appeared on his face, 'I wish I could tell you more, but that would only make it worse. If I tell you my thoughts and my ways, it will just lead you away and your way is the only right one.'
"Wain! Can everyone really reach the Transcendence Stage?" Nicole said with sparkling eyes as she gave him a questioning look, "I mean... Isn't everyone in the Transcendence Stage Progenitors?"
The others wondered the same as they looked at Wain.
Wain shook his head, "There are some monsters that are on the Transcendence Stage, but recently one of the angels killed their Progenitors and became the new leader. So it's not just possible to reach the Transcendence Stage, it's even possible to become stronger than your race's Progenitor. There are simply no limits, though, of course, it is incredibly difficult."
Wain hadn't expected this, but the conversation about the Transcendence Stage had piqued his team's interest far more than he had anticipated, so for the next hour he had to answer questions again until there was silence again.
'Hah, it seems that by the beginning of the second Great War, not only Frigus will be able to become much stronger. They've all become so serious, even Nicole, though up to this point, I doubted she could be.' Wain chuckled inwardly as he looked at their pensive faces.
"Wain, can I ask you something?" Edena said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Hmm? What is it?" Wain raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I... no, Lui Bu, and I need your blood." Edena said seriously as she clenched her hands into fists.
"My blood?" Wain tilted her head with a thoughtful expression, "Do you want it used to make potions?"
"Not really, though it's a good option, too. Maybe you haven't regained your full power yet, but technically you're on the Transcendence Stage, aren't you?" Edena asked with a curious look.
Wain nodded slightly, "Yes. There won't be any barriers in my way since I already overcame them a long time ago. I just need to get my energy back to get my full power."
"I thought so. In that case, your blood has great power. I want to take some to make potions, but I also want to do some experimenting." Edena said calmly.
"I don't mind, but don't overdo it. A few drops of my blood will be enough to tear the Fourth Chronicle apart since it just can't absorb that much energy at once." Wain shrugged nonchalantly.
"Fine, can we do this right now? Lui Bu and I have everything we need." Edena asked as she glanced at her partner.
Wain hesitated, staring at the ceiling for a while until he said, "Yeah... I still have time. I thought I'd take care of the evolution of this Void first, but it looks like I'll have to put it off for a while.
Edena nodded with a slight smile as her eyes sparkled. She was an alchemist, so conducting unique experiments and working with such a valuable resource as Wain's blood was exciting to her.
"Evolution of the Void...?" Elegan asked as his eyes went wide, "Wait, you want to change this area?"
"Sure. I did that every time I reached a new Chronicle, didn't I?" Wain grinned, "It's going to be a lot bigger this time, but you'll only get one upside from it. I'm sure the territories will become much larger as well as the resources, though the responsibilities will increase as well."
"Hmm?" Elegan was puzzled.
"Right now this Void is a Fourth Chronicle space, but when we move to Fifth Chronicle the rules of the game will change significantly. Zones at this level are considered half-worlds." Wain said calmly as if it were nothing, but a wave of shivers ran through Elegan's body.
"Half-World...? Are you serious?" Elegan muttered in disbelief.
"Sure." Wain nodded.
"And... What will change when we're no longer a mere space among thousands like us? I mean... what does it mean to be in Half-World Void?" Elegan asked with a curious look, but he seemed afraid to hear the answer since it was too important.
Elegan was the one who ran this Void, so such a change was both an enhancement of his abilities and potential, but it was also a huge responsibility. Unlike Nicole, he couldn't take things lightly.
"Well, at least this means that now our zone won't be closed. Anyone can come here, weak and strong, and now someone can declare war on us even if I, the owner of the Void, am not in the zone.