God Simulator: The Goddesses In The Simulation Are All Real

Noticing Linsley's interest, Zephyrax replied, "The lack of Level 9.9 Overlords in this world is due to the existence of ascension."

Hearing Zephyrax's reply, Linsley could already guess what he meant since that kind of plot was very common in the novels he'd read in his past life. However, guesses were just guesses, so Linsley didn't interrupt Zephyrax and waited for his explanation.

Noticing that Linsley was listening, Zephyrax continued, "When a Level 9.8 Overlord breaks through the restrictions, or invisible barrier, preventing them from becoming a Level 9.9 Overlord, they're no longer bound by the rules of this world."

"Furthermore, the world's limit is Level 9.9. No one, no matter their talent or the amount of flux they absorb, can reach Level 10."

"Level 10 doesn't exist, and the only way for a Level 9.9 Overlord to increase their power is to heed the call of the universe and ascend to a higher realm. The higher realm has a higher power level limit and can accommodate much stronger beings. Even the flux there is far more abundant."

"And that's not all. A Level 9.9 Overlord will be rejected by the World Will because their power could cause significant destruction."

"Though such beings are no longer restricted by the world's rules, they're still bound by the rules of the universe. The only way for Level 9.9 Overlords to remain in this world without being forced to ascend is to seal their power."

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"The ancestors of the dragon race had no intention of staying here, so when they reached Level 9.9, they shared their knowledge with the younger generation before ascending to the higher realm."

Zephyrax sighed. "I don't know if the higher realm truly exists or if it's a trap. None of our ancestors who ascended have ever returned. Perhaps they can't because of the universe's rules preventing them from descending, or maybe the upper realm itself is a trap set by higher beings."

"Either way, that's why there are no Level 9.9 Overlords here. I'm not sure if some ancestors of other monster races chose to seal their powers and lurk in the shadows to aid their clans, but at least, as far as I know, there are no Level 9.9 Overlords in this world."

Fulminis interjected, "There might not be any Level 9.9 Overlord other than the one who massacred the phoenix clan. They should have gathered enough flux to break the bottleneck and become a Level 9.9 Overlord."

Listening to Fulminis's remark, Zephyrax's mood soured; a Level 9.9 Overlord's power was not something he or Fulminis could contend with.

Just as there was a gap between a Level 9.8 Overlord and a Level 9.7, there was an even greater gulf between a Level 9.8 and a Level 9.9.

Their only silver lining was Linsley's presence, giving them confidence that, even if his power couldn't fully match a Level 9.9 Overlord, they could still assist him. In the worst-case scenario, they might have to retreat and rally every Level 9.8 Overlord worldwide just to handle the one who had massacred the phoenix continent's inhabitants.

After their brief exchange, the three went silent, focusing on finding the perpetrator and, if possible, any survivors. Yet everywhere they looked, the Phoenix Continent was strewn with corpses, without a single sign of life.

After a quarter of an hour's search, they sensed a powerful flux pressure ahead.

Linsley looked to Zephyrax and Fulminis, and both nodded at him, agreeing to approach the enemy with caution.

With a wave of his hand, Linsley created a gem imbued with presence concealment and invisibility, its surface shimmering with a faint, translucent light. This gem would mask the aura and appearance of anyone he used it on, making them undetectable to those around them.

Without hesitation, he activated the gem, and a subtle veil wrapped around himself, Zephyrax, and Fulminis, rendering them invisible to both sight and sense.

"Stay close and keep quiet," Linsley whispered, the gem's power muffling even the sound of his voice.

They advanced carefully toward the intense flux pressure, now able to observe without drawing any attention.

The landscape grew more devastated the closer they came—craters scorched into the ground, trees reduced to splintered, blackened stumps.

At the heart of it all, in a clearing surrounded by smoldering debris, a solitary figure stood amidst the ruins of the phoenix clan.

The figure radiated an oppressive aura, their power unmistakably that of a Level 9.9 Overlord. Tall and cloaked in dark, flowing robes, they seemed to be absorbing the residual flux from the battlefield, the energy swirling around them in a faint, eerie glow.

Linsley narrowed his eyes as he observed the figure's actions, catching glimpses of faint, silvery trails of flux seeping from the corpses toward it.

When Linsley encountered the cloaked figure, it slowly tilted its head in their direction, though he was certain they had been silent and hidden.

Beneath the deep shadows cast by the cloak, its face remained shrouded in darkness, but a pair of crimson eyes gleamed, piercing through the gloom. The red glow was unblinking, cold, and ancient, locking onto Linsley's group with an unsettling intensity.

As Linsley held its gaze, a creeping sensation clawed at his mind, something profoundly wrong.

The figure radiated an aura that was more than malevolent; it seemed to seep into the mind itself, twisting thoughts and instilling a faint edge of madness. He felt the beginnings of a sharp ache at the base of his skull, as if some invisible force was tugging at his sanity.

The overwhelming presence was beyond what he had encountered before, and he could sense a level of cognitive and mental pollution emanating from it—an aura that had the power to infect the mind of anyone who dared look too long.

Then, with a jolt, he recognized the nature of the creature standing before them. It wasn't simply powerful; it bore the mark of an Outer God, or at least something intimately connected to one.

The madness, the depthless aura, the force that tugged at his mind—all of it confirmed what he had feared.