Kiana's Fists Bled, but Her Flames Couldn't Even Touch Otto's Clothes

"How did he do it?" Chang Gongwei's brow furrowed tightly.

"Because he had already obtained the Dominance Authority and connected to the Imaginary Tree," Gu Yuena said softly. "The Tree recognizes authority, not people. When a predetermined Herrscher had yet to be born, and a mortal held enough equivalents, the Tree would place that crown upon his head instead. Otto used the stakes he had amassed over five hundred years to buy a position that should have belonged to divine punishment."

"So he became a Herrscher?" Lei Xiang asked gruffly. "Wouldn't Honkai still control him?"

"No." Tang San spoke slowly. "The Constraint Herrscher's power suppresses everything beyond what is 'permitted.' Now that Otto holds this ruler, no Herrscher Authority can affect him. It is as if he issued himself a pardon. Flamescion cannot burn him, the Reason Law User cannot calculate him, and Tianyuan Power cannot cut him. Because he now stands outside the Rules, while Kiana and the others remain within them."

"False God." The Dragon God's voice descended from on high, like thunder rolling across an Ice Field that had existed since time immemorial. "With a mortal body, he has stolen a god's throne. He did not ascend; he seized it by force. This is not cultivation. It is blasphemy. He is no longer bound by the world, yet he will never belong to this world again. He can look down upon the Laws, but he will never again touch even an inch of mortal reality. Otto Apocalypse has finally forged himself into a god statue without a foundation."

"But that statue can kill," Dai Hao said coldly.

On the screen, Kiana and Durandal had already slammed into that layer of white light. Their flames and sword light, when they came within a few feet of Otto, seemed