"Alright. I did that. In fact, I created an infinite loop. Copies would be copied infinitely, just to be fused with one of the infinite abilities you have. This is all happening in an instant, too fast for even time itself to react or record what's occurring. This speed would also grow faster with every single fusion, ensuring the rate of growth shall always bring noticeable and significant results no matter how powerful you become." Jarvis explained in detail while Zenryu turned his gaze upward to look at the gods, who stared back down at him from their domain with deeply uneasy expressions etched across their faces.
"Just so you know, at your current level of power, physical strength and such mundane things can be manipulated at will. What truly matters now is the power to do anything with your abilities... although possessing a unique physique can change this dynamic," Jarvis said calmly while Zenryu studied the gathered gods with analytical eyes, taking in their forms and the power radiating from each of them.
'...They can do everything I can do.' Zenryu thought while looking specifically at Zeus, who was in the process of summoning his thunderbolt, the weapon crackling with divine lightning as he prepared to hurl it down at the insolent mortal below.
Zeus's true form was... well, somehow it possessed even more control over lightning than his already impressive avatar had displayed. And that avatar's control of lightning had already been absolute in every sense of the word.
To somehow go beyond what was already absolute control gave Zeus the power to accomplish absolutely insane feats that defied all logic and reason. Like willing his lightning to make him stronger on nothing more than a whim.
Willing his lightning to grant him new abilities. Willing his lightning to do just about anything his mind could imagine, and the list of possibilities went on without any discernible limit or restriction.
This level of beyond-absolute control over his element made Zeus and the other god-king level deities far too powerful for anyone in existence to hope to rival... but even with all of that overwhelming and incomprehensible strength at their disposal, Zenryu was confident he should still be able to emerge victorious if he used everything at his disposal without holding back. But where would the fun be in that? What would be the point of gaining all this power if he couldn't enjoy a good fight?
"You want to become the next ruler of this world?" A voice suddenly appeared from behind Zenryu, causing him to turn around with curiosity rather than alarm. He saw a woman whose hair looked as if it were literally made from the earth itself, brown and rich with soil.
She had leaves, small flowers, and tiny sticks naturally woven through her earthen hair, yet somehow none of it diminished her beauty one bit. If anything, it enhanced her natural divine appearance.
Only her upper body was humanoid in appearance, smooth skin giving way to divine features. The rest of her form below the waist was made entirely from the ground itself, stone and soil merged together, as she hadn't bothered to reform her full body just for this meeting.
"Nah, ruling over existence seems like way too much of a pain to deal with. I don't mind the idea of sitting on a fancy throne and getting all of the benefits that come with power without having to do any of the actual tedious work. But even that minimal level of involvement sounds like too much responsibility for my tastes." Zenryu said with a casual shrug, completely unbothered by the presence of a primordial being.
Ruling over existence wasn't all that impressive to him anymore when he could simply create entire worlds with nothing but a single thought. Hell, given a few tries and some experimentation, he was confident he could recreate the entire DC multiverse from scratch if he really wanted to. Even the Great Darkness, Lucifer, and other powerhouses could be recreated with his current capability
What he truly wanted now was to live within these stories he had grown up loving... it would be like becoming part of his favorite fanfiction brought to life. He would insert himself into these narratives, creating avatars that would live out the dreams and adventures that anyone would want to experience firsthand.
"The only reason I'm about to kick these guys' butts is that they started it first. They came after me." Zenryu said simply, to which Gaia looked at him for a long moment of contemplative silence, studying him with eyes that had witnessed the birth of countless civilizations before she finally decided to speak.
"Then, can I ask you to bring back the golden age?" Gaia asked softly, causing Zenryu to frown in confusion, not understanding what she was referring to.
"The golden age was the era when this world reached its absolute peak of prosperity and harmony... and that was under the rule of my child Cronus. Back then, this world was... well, many times better than it is now in every conceivable way. Life flourished, More gods existed than now, it was looking forad towards being of strength beyond GOd King would be born. But since Zeus took over..." She sighed heavily with profound disappointment, weighing down her voice.
Yes, Cronus had been a terrible father by any measure—he had eaten his own children out of fear and paranoia, swallowing them whole to prevent the prophecy of his downfall. But outside of that one horrific failing, he had actually been a genuinely good and wise king. This was clearly evident in how the world had reached its highest peak of power, prosperity, and happiness under his steady rule.
"Sure... I guess I would have no choice anyway. Seeing as I'm planning to kill these gods, I would need someone competent to actually rule this world afterward and keep things running smoothly." Zenryu said softly after a moment of consideration, making Gaia smile slightly with genuine gratitude warming her heavenly features.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart... Can I give you a small gift in return for your kindness?" She asked with something unreadable in her eyes. Zenryu nodded with innocent curiosity, wondering what a primordial being would consider a gift... only to freeze completely as Gaia leaned forward without warning and pressed her lips against his in a kiss.
[Congratulations, you have gained the Kiss of Gaia. You have become the husband of Gaia.]
[Husband of Gaia] — As the Husband of Gaia, you have unrivaled authority over the Earth, life, animals, and plants throughout all realms. You shall be immortal, for the life flowing through your veins is endless, as Gaia would never allow it to disappear or fade. The Earth itself is your wife, and as her devoted husband, she would naturally bend to your wishes and desires. Just don't overdo it. Remember: Happy Wife, Happy Life.
Chains exploded out of the earth without any warning, massive links of divine metal wrapping tightly around Gaia's form and constricting her movements. She didn't fight back against the restraints as she was forcibly pulled down toward the ground, but she struggled desperately to speak before she was completely sealed away from the world.
"You're powerful beyond measure, but right now you're still classified as just a lesser god in the hierarchy. Form your god core, and you would ascend to become a high-tier god with far greater capabilities. Once you accomplish that milestone, bond with your core completely. Have your soul and your core become one unified existence. At that point of perfect fusion, you can simply will your core to do anything you desire without limit." She said as quickly as she could manage before being sealed away completely, her form sinking into the earth that was her body.
Zenryu watched this strange sight unfold with a speechless expression on his face before simply shrugging in acceptance of yet another bizarre occurrence.
He was collecting wives left and right at this point, and the pace was only accelerating. It was admittedly strange that these incredibly powerful higher lifeforms were so willing to just marry him without any hesitation or courtship.
Yggdrasil he could understand perfectly—she had made it clear she wanted to bind him and limit his freedom through the chains of marriage. Well, Gaia and Nyx he could also understand now that he thought about it more carefully. They were both imprisoned by the current gods and clearly saw him as their ticket to eventual freedom from their eternal confinement.
He turned his attention back to the gods above, who were glaring down at him with murderous intent radiating from their divine forms. He smiled up at them with apparent confidence, but that smile was merely a mask hiding his true thoughts.
He knew he needed to get serious for what was inevitably coming... meaning it was finally time to start actually training for the first time in his entire existence. The gods couldn't do anything to harm him so long as he remained down here in this lower realm under Yggdrasil's protection.
The gods were undeniably strong, possessing power that defied mortal comprehension, but Yggdrasil was stronger than anything the gods could possibly throw at him. He had a powerful wife who yet the rules of this world and, by extension, protected him, so naturally, he ignored those furious gods glaring down at him for now.
So, he goes to training... Well, training for him was having Jarvis create a mental world where one second in the world was equal to 999 vigintillion years. And he created clones, which went on to train. Said clones were created for the sole goal of wanting to train and master everything Zenryu had; he created an infinite number of said clones. Although they couldn't master every ability Zenryu had without it spilling into the outside world, they mastered the rest.
While the clones trained, he shifted his attention to a matter closer to his heart—his family down on the lower plane of existence.
***
Within a dungeon—a pocket dimension that appeared on Earth through mysterious gates that manifested without warning. These dungeons weren't original to Earth; they appeared across the entire multiverse in countless worlds, functioning similarly to how they did in Solo leveling and other such stories that had gates
Within one such dungeon, far from any hope of rescue, a young woman could be seen sitting alone in a dark and damp cave. The flickering light from distant crystals barely illuminated her form. Scars covered nearly every visible inch of her body, each one telling the story of a battle survived through skill or sheer luck.
Her left arm was missing entirely, the stump long since healed over. Her right leg was also gone, lost in some terrible encounter. In place of her missing leg was a crude wooden prosthetic that she had fashioned herself from whatever materials she could scavenge.
She sat with her back against the cold stone wall, her trusted sword resting between her legs with her remaining hand ready to grasp it at a moment's notice.
Her eyes were closed in what appeared to be meditation, but she was actually conserving her strength while remaining ready at any moment to wake and fight for her survival... but slowly, despite her best efforts to stay alert, her vigilance faded as pure exhaustion finally claimed her battered body. She fell into a deep sleep for the first time in what felt like years.
She found herself standing in a vast field of green grass that swayed gently in a warm and pleasant breeze. The sun shone down from a clear blue sky, and the air smelled of flowers and life. It was a beautiful and peaceful sight, so completely unlike the hellish dungeon she had been trapped in for years... and that stark and jarring contrast made her go completely silent with deep suspicion.
She hadn't reached level 6,329 with nothing to show for it but scars. Her instincts had been honed razor-sharp after years of constant survival against monsters and environmental hazards that would kill lesser beings instantly. She knew immediately and with absolute certainty that this wasn't a normal dream.
She slowly looked around in every direction, fully alert for any sign of danger that might be lurking nearby in this deceptively peaceful landscape. But she saw nothing threatening in any direction... that was until she felt something appear directly behind her without making a single sound.
She froze completely in place, every muscle in her body locking up as her survival instincts screamed at her. Her body refused to move even an inch, paralyzed not by fear but by the absolute knowledge that whatever stood behind her was far, far beyond her capabilities to fight or flee from.
"Sorry, I forgot how powerful I was." A voice that sounded like that of the gods themselves filled her head, making her feel an overwhelming urge to kneel. She tried to resist with everything she had, but how could a mortal stand before a being that transcended them and remain standing?
Luckily for her, that crushing feeling disappeared as quickly as it came, allowing her to quickly move and put distance between herself and the being. She spun around ready to fight, only to freeze upon seeing her elder brother standing there.
It had been so long since she saw him. She had almost forgotten how he looked... but she immediately went on guard despite the familiar face. She was in a dungeon, and naturally didn't believe for a moment that her brother would just appear out of the blue like this. It had to be a trick.
"Relax, forehead," Zenryu said with a warm smile, making her eyes narrow. Forehead... that word brought back memories she had buried deep. Her brothers had always called her that to tease her. She recalled the many times they had fought, going back and forth, calling each other ridiculous names until one of them cracked and started fighting... she missed him. She missed everyone so much it hurt.
Slowly, tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked them away stubbornly. She didn't say anything in response. It had been so long since she had spoken to another person that she had forgotten how to form words.
Zenryu stepped forward, appearing before her in an instant. She wanted to quickly shield herself out of reflex, but she froze as Zenryu gently tapped her forehead with his finger.
[You have received the Blessing of the God of Anime. Your System, the Copy System, has evolved to the Anime Copy System.]
[You have been blessed with the title: Younger Sister of the God of Anime.]
[Younger Sister of the God of Anime] — How could you remain normal when your elder brother is so great? You shall be able to force your elder brother to spoil you, or else he is a bad elder brother. You want an ability? Just run to your elder brother; he's got your back. Just be careful—an elder brother can easily make your life hell or heavenly depending on his mood.
"Well, I can't stay for long. Using my powers like this is harder than I expected. But it was nice to see you again." Zenryu said softly, pulling her into a hug. The moment his arms wrapped around her, she burst into tears. She let out a cry—the cry a mute would unleash after years of silence, raw and filled with every emotion she had suppressed just to survive.