Chapter 367: Lost
Despite already being at the high-tier level of seventh-dimensional transcendence.
Moreover, according to Uatu's statement, this girl should at least be capable of wielding power on a multiverse-scale.
"I must say, I'm quite curious about you and your father," Zane remarked, gazing at the young girl with a faint smile.
"Let me witness the so-called multiverse-level power firsthand."
*Boom!*
The two struck simultaneously.
The two planets nearest to them spun wildly before colliding in an instant.
Then, they were reduced to dust.
"So, how do we determine the winner now?"
Hovering in the void of space, Zane's expression remained calm as he spoke.
A fierce glint of competitive spirit flashed in Roma's eyes as she passionately declared:
"Whoever's consciousness collapses first and gets ejected is, of course, the one who loses!"
*Rumble!!!*
Another intense clash erupted.
The starlight in the scene dimmed significantly.
While the two continued their cosmic chess battle,
Outside, in the Domain of Watchers, within the Museum,
The observing elder and museum curator, Uatu, was meticulously sorting the museum's collection, items he had painstakingly persuaded Zane to return.
According to Uatu, the genuine pieces could at least serve some practical purpose for Zane.
But as for the replicas, they were at least necessary for display in the museum.
What Uatu hadn't anticipated, however, was that Zane had already copied all the items—genuine or otherwise—and found them more cumbersome than useful.
Thus, when Uatu approached, Zane simply returned them all.
At that moment, Uatu suddenly shivered, muttering to himself:
"...Hm? The energy fluctuations from the Eye of Observation have vanished?"
"Has the new lord already left the Domain of Watchers so soon?"
Frowning slightly, Uatu suddenly shouted in frustration:
"Damn! I completely forgot about Lady Roma!"
"I need to get there quickly, or else our new lord is no match for *that* existence."
"Even though Lord Merlin once said that Zane has the potential to grow into an Omnipotent, Right now, Lady Roma is already a bona fide multiverse-level entity!"
"…"
"This is bad… Without the owner's summons, I can't even enter the Starlight Castle…"
"Well, I can only hope our new lord has luck on his side."
At that moment, a dazzling light burst forth from within the Starlight Castle.
Zane had already regained consciousness from the cosmic chessboard. He stood there calmly, looking at Roma, who was disheveled and visibly shocked.
"Alright, now tell me—what's the surprise you mentioned?"
"It's so unfair! You can almost completely convert magical attacks!"
"No wonder my dad always says you're the biggest nemesis of us mages."
On the other side, Roma appeared across from Zane, disheveled and covered in dust. Even her pristine white gown was now slightly dirty and messy.
"Mages?"
Zane silently committed the term to memory. Just as he was about to press Roma about who her father, Merlin, truly was, a sudden disturbance erupted.
*BOOM!!!*
The black knight chess piece, Chess Gaurdian, that had brought Zane into the Starlight Castle suddenly transformed into a towering man over two meters tall.
Wielding an iron sword as massive as a door, the figure swung it down fiercely at Zane's head.
In the next moment, Zane could feel an immense gravitational pull radiating from the blade, sucking up the remaining starstone chess pieces from the dense Cosmic Chessboard.
In an instant, the sword carried an overwhelming aura of unstoppable might.
From within the chessboard, where his consciousness was still immersed, Zane clearly understood that these starstone pieces were made from actual celestial bodies.
Yet, the Chess Gaurdian, a being only slightly taller than Zane himself, effortlessly wielded them all.
It truly lived up to the term "Seven-Star Greatsword."
In terms of raw physical strength, this Chess Gaurdian rivaled even the combat division members of the Celestials Zane had previously fought—giants nearly a kilometer tall.
As the Chess Guard's sword descended, carrying blinding starlight and deafening bursts of thunder and lightning, Zane's lips curled into a cold smile. He was just about to retaliate when a sudden, commanding shout interrupted him:
"Brian! Stand down!"
"My matters are none of your concern!"
The shout, coming from Roma, who had just finished tidying her clothes, was like an emergency brake.
The enraged Chess Gaurdian, moments away from striking Zane, immediately froze.
Like a scolded child, he lowered his head and dared not move.
Zane watched this unfold and sneered internally:
"This Roma's timing is impeccable. If she hadn't stopped him, I wouldn't have cared who he was. If he'd dared to attack, I'd have destroyed him on the spot."
It wasn't hard to figure out: if his master had already been defeated by Zane, what chance did a mere chess piece have?
"This is one of your Earth's descendants of young Arthur from back then. The sword he's holding is none other than the Sword in the Stone, forged by my father using the Ultimate Universe Core."
"So, despite only being at a sub-Celestial Father level, with the Sword in the Stone, he can easily cleave through a nascent dimensional universe."
Roma, now pristine once more, strolled leisurely past the humanoid Chess Gaurdian.
However, when her peripheral vision caught sight of the cracks spreading across the Sword in the Stone, she was inwardly shocked:
"It seems that even though Zane is only at a high-tier seventh-dimensional level, the energy he can harness has already reached the limit of a single universe."
"No wonder he could take out eight of the Celestials' strongest members without much effort."
She cast a dissatisfied glance at the now solemn Chess Gaurdian, whose hands gripped the sword hilt tightly, and muttered:
"That fool… He saved me once, and ever since, he's been clinging to me, pestering me relentlessly."
"I had no choice but to promise him that if he stayed as the Chess Gaurdian here for a hundred years, I'd agree to go on a date with him."
"But that idiot has no idea—there's no passage of time in my Starlight Castle at all."
The moment she finished speaking, Zane noticed a brief flicker of despair in Brian's eyes before he quickly returned to normal, evidently long aware of the castle's timeless nature.
Without hesitation, he transformed back into a stream of light and reverted to his original chess piece form, standing alone on the chessboard.
It seemed that in every game Roma played, this solitary chess piece was always the last one remaining.
Zane withdrew his gaze and fixed his icy stare on Roma. He spoke coldly:
"This time, I'll let it slide, considering how long the Watcher has resided in your and your father's domain..."
Before he could finish, Roma interrupted with a mischievous smile:
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