Chapter 1444: Souls Without Bodies

As the group stood on the branch of Yggdrasil, they stood in silence of awe of its magnificent scene. Its branches reached the farthest land, and its trunk pierced the heavens.

"Is this... the entire universe?" Ali asked.

"In its many forms," Guffaw answered. "Each branch contains a multitude of worlds on it. It carries all the possible versions of that world or realm; all connected through a single entity of life: Yggdrasil."

Arthur was silent. His golden eyes took in the scene as he felt at peace and in union with the world. He closed his eyes, and felt the heartbeat of the world resonating with his own.

His spiritual energy began tuning with the world. The rest could see that Arthur was becoming more defined, and their eyes shifted to him. Then, he opened his eyes and addressed Master Guffaw.

"Is this what others call the Game of Worlds?" he asked him. "This Sovereign Path."

"Both refer to the concept of climbing this tree," Master Guffaw said with a nod. "On its top is the realm craved and feared by most: Devaheim."

"I understand now," Ali said. "All worlds are connected through this tree, and the Spirits Realm is just a branch of its infinite ones. I always believed that the Spirits Realm is the key."

"It is the connector," Master Guffaw said. "The Spirits Sovereign was the sole challenger to become the Spirits Sovereign. His world is the only one to require a soul, but not a body. It became a hub for all interdimensional travelers."

"And a place to advance their spiritual energies," Arthur added. "People began to realize that the stronger their souls, the more potential they had in other worlds."

"An astute observation," Guffaw nodded toward Arthur. "Once people began understanding this, the Spirits Realm was no longer a place to have your next companion — it became the ticket to reach Devaheim."

"It makes sense," Lusica said. "Even in the alternate timeline, people were becoming more interested in entering the Spirits Realm as an escape from the rising calamities. But this puts a target on the Spirits Realm."

"Devaheim sees it as a threat," Tiara said.

"And that’s why they will be aiding Invidia in taking control of the realm," Arthur concluded. "We are not just fighting the Sin of Envy, but the realm of gods itself. This plan is beyond a mere invasion, but total annihilation."

"This should be forbidden, right? To destroy a part of the world’s tree?" Ali asked Guffaw. "I don’t imagine that Yggdrasil would let them do this."

"The Mother Tree does not interfere," Guffaw said while staring at the golden sky. "But it makes sure that those who enter its highest realm have what it takes: the willingness to protect the world."

"That seems odd, given that all those from Devaheim have been trying to invade the lower realms and devour them," Lusica said, his tone a little sharp. It seems he was still haunted by nightmares of the Nameless.

"Something has corrupted the gods," Guffaw said. "And it has sealed off all entry to their realm. No one knows what happened, but the once mighty defenders of the World Tree became its leeches."

Arthur was still staring at the sky. "When was the last person to ascend to Devaheim?"

"The last person? No one could remember — as old as humanity itself," Guffaw said. "The Gods make sure that no one can enter their divine realm to hide the secret behind their corruption."

"And that makes the game unbeatable," Arthur said with a grin. "A realm of gods untouched by the world, and them trying hard to keep everyone out — that sounds like a good challenge."

"It adds to the difficulty of the Sovereign Path, but it doesn’t prevent ascension," Guffaw said. "You can use the Sovereign Path to access the higher layers of the Spirits Realm — and possibly even more."

"I have some questions," Arthur said. "I heard about this Game of Worlds from a friend. I thought it meant climbing one world after the other."

"There are two paths to reach Devaheim, at least the ones we know about," Guffaw said before turning back. "Let’s get back as I tell you about them."

"Why can’t we stay here?" Tiara asked. "I feel my spiritual energy growing."

"That’s because we can’t stay here for a long time without being spotted," Guffaw said before going through the gate back to his realm. "Devaheim has created enforcers to patrol Yggdrasil — creatures of omnipotence."

After the others heard that, they followed after Master Guffaw and returned to his ethereal realm. Once the gate closed, their connection to the Mother Tree was severed.

Arthur felt his form becoming ethereal once more. He sighed at the lost connection and clenched his fists a few times. Then, they all turned to Master Guffaw who teleported them to a large field of sunflowers.

"Your training begins now. I will help you become proficient enough to survive the Sovereign Path — but you have to understand, that the path is separated from the Spirits Realm. I will help you strengthen your souls, but I cannot do anything about your bodies."

"Our bodies would return to us?" Ali asked.

"In the Sovereign Path, they do," Guffaw confirmed. "You will enter the Sovereign Path, survive, and then return to the Spirits Realm. We will meet once more in the Earthen Layer, where I will help you strengthen your souls even more."

"Why are you helping us?" Lusica asked with a frown. "You barely know us."

"I know him," he pointed at Guffaw. "He is the First Seeker, the first soul to wander into this realm and allow others to use it by sacrificing his emotions."

"Arthur is?" Tiara wondered as she turned toward him. "You never told us."

"Because you never asked."

"I don’t go around asking my friends whether they changed the course of history in their past lives," Tiara said with a roll of her eyes. The others laughed and Arthur smiled. "We need to know these kinds of things."

"Why?" Arthur asked. "It doesn’t change anything."

"If we only share what matters, then we are just teammates," Tiara said. "I, for one, would like to think that we are more than just a makeshift team aiming to take down the gods."

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