Several years later.
In a place known as the Imperial Capital.
It existed at the terminus of countless spacetime continuums and even countless Timelines.
Although it appeared to exist within the material world, its true essence lay in the gap between realities.
In other words, the Imperial Capital possessed a certain characteristic: it existed, yet did not exist, much like Schrodinger's Cat, though it was even more complex and abstract.
Unless something had received recognition or permission, it was impossible to reach this place by ordinary means. This remained true even for an Infinite Stage Awakened traveling here. It was a chasm transcending distance itself.
Thanks to this characteristic.
The disturbances caused by various Transcendent Stage Awakened were often regarded as nonexistent phenomena within the Imperial Capital. At most, the outsiders cared more about them. To the locals, they caused no sensation at all, aside from occasionally becoming topics of conversation over tea.
This overwhelming sense of security directly drove those living across countless spacetime continuums to rack their brains trying to reach the Imperial Capital and settle there permanently.
However.
Those who succeeded were ultimately few and far between.
This had been the case even before the turmoil began.
Looking out.
As the region at the center of the world, the Imperial Capital was surrounded by countless infinitely long, illusory ribbons of light. They connected the Imperial Capital with the surrounding regions like lifelines.
Although they appeared to be individual entities.
Each ribbon of light was actually composed of countless lines existing at different points in time.
Without exception, those lines connected to different spacetime coordinates.
Some existed in the past, some in the present, and some in the future.
At this very moment.
At a certain ribbon of light.
Countless Lifeforms were traveling back and forth through it