Everything in the universe has its appointed time, and death, as a concept, is inevitable.
Samuer clearly disagreed with Ed's statement, but seeing that Ed did not intend to refute it, he wisely stopped the conversation.
"In that case, let's wait and see."
Samuer waved his hand, and a giant bird flew down from the sky and landed on the withered branch behind him.
At the same time, his body began to decompose rapidly, emitting a foul odor like rotten wood in a rainforest.
"You're leaving already?"
Ed raised an eyebrow, sensing that Samuer was up to no good.
"I'd be willing to fight with you, but we both know it's pointless."
"Indeed."
Ed nodded, and Samuer continued:
So, it's not just me.
"What do you mean, not just you?"
Ed didn't react for a moment.
"I'm not the only one leaving."
Samuer answered Ed's question again, pointing to the boy in front of him:
"I can see that you, too, yearn to gain something from this war."
Ed looked at the refined, slender young man and nodded:
"I've already received it."
Ed was referring to how he used the war to figure out Samuer's true intentions, which allowed him to revise his own future plans.
"Let's leave together then; it would be a perfect farewell."
Samuer's lips curled into a smile:
"Or are you planning to fight me until the curtain falls and the audience leaves?"
Ed understood Samuer's meaning.
This person might be a cricket fighting enthusiast, or they might be planning to refine their scheme like I have, or they might simply be hoping for more deaths...
In short, Samuer hoped that neither he nor he would get involved in today's battle, and let the High Tier, Middle Tier, and Low Tier fighters fight each other.
If you intend to intervene, the other party will continuously create clones, exchanging one for another with you time and time again.
As the antithesis of life, Ed knew that Samuer was by no means an ordinary High Tier.
Once one's strength reaches a certain level, the weight of Authority surpasses that of rank, and rank becomes no longer important.
For Samuer at present, with the Authority of "death," he can ignore external conditions and constantly exchange his life with himself in a way similar to exchanging pieces in chess.
Just as plants always grow lushly in areas covered by Ed's Root Network, Samuer's dissipation of his clones fits the concept of "death."
He can project this influence onto his clone, causing his clone to die unconditionally.
Conversely, Ed could also do something similar, using a Vitality area to force Samuer to leave.
But he had no reason to do so, so in this one-for-one exchange, although both sides had equal Authority, Samuer gained the advantage due to tactical reasons.
And all this, simply because Samuer wanted to see authentic cricket fighting?
What bloodthirsty audience?
Ed's lips twitched, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
He knew Samuer's words were true, so... he had obtained a portion of the Territory Secret Pact the Demon Realm realm, and through this, he had also Spread his roots underground, just like himself?
Otherwise, he wouldn't be so confident.
Does this mean that the Grand Dukes, having roamed the Demon Realm for a century, never considered re-establishing Territory Secret Pact for this conceptually unclaimed land?
These insects!
A rare sense of helplessness welled up in Ed's heart, but upon closer reflection, it seemed that locusts were creatures that only ate crops and didn't plant seeds.
It's too difficult to expect all vampires to be anthropomorphic like Vanessa!
"Have you figured it out?"
Samuer looked at Ed and asked.
Ed nodded with a self-deprecating smile.
Although they had gained an intelligence advantage, which would give them a strategic edge, Ed had to admit that tactically, they were only evenly matched with their opponents today.
"Then, see you next time."
Samuer waved his hand and left the battlefield like a long-lost friend.
In just a few breaths, his tall, thin body had completely decayed, like wood buried in damp soil, and finally turned into smoke and dissipated in a gentle breeze.
Ed stretched out his hand and discovered that his once smooth and delicate skin was aging rapidly.
Indeed, they are opposing Authority, completely equal in level, but only because I do not only symbolize life, can I delay this effect to a certain extent.
But a delay is not a halt; Ed knew he would probably have to leave the battlefield in about a minute.
He lowered his hand and began to make arrangements for the next step in the last moments before his clone dissipated.
First, Ed has confirmed his previous conjecture: Samuer only has memories of the material world and no knowledge of the Sea of Psionic Energy; his understanding does not match the actual situation.
If we had to use a metaphor, the universe Ed inhabits could be seen as a vast ocean filled with Psionic Energy.
The "world" in which all life exists should actually be called the " Material Plane," and everything in it was essentially created by Ed using his Psionic Energy in his previous life.
In other words, the "world" is like a small boat on the ocean relative to the entire universe.
Samuer's reply that beyond this world lies another dead world clearly reveals his ignorance of the endless Sea of Psionic Energy beyond.
It seems the corpse really has become a spirit.
Ed pondered to himself, "So, Samuer's potential isn't particularly high after all. After all, how powerful can a World Tree be, no matter how strong?"
Moreover, it's still incomplete...
Even if he were to unleash his full power to collect "death," he could only reach the level of half a World Tree at most, while the other half would still be with him.
However, the World Tree, as a mere costume, cannot compare to the true Creator.
If he really devoured himself...
Perhaps we really will be able to see an even more vast universe.
But I won't give him a chance—he clearly possesses such immense power, yet his mind is filled with nothing but destruction.
Then we can only regard him as an enemy.
Prior to today, Ed had never spoken to Samuer face-to-face, and naturally wondered if the other might be one of those "extreme salvationists" from certain games.
But now it seems that's impossible.
But this is for the best, Ed thought to himself.
At least it helped me make a certain kind of decision.
Ed turned his head to look at the distant battlefield, quickly revising his plans for the day in his mind.
Having learned Samuer's background, Ed no longer felt the need to insist on the so-called " High Tier immortality".
The reason is simple: when Samuer expressed his desire to merge with Ed, he also sensed the aura of Authority emanating from the man.
Life and death, as two sides of the same coin, inherently yearn for mutual integration.