Of course, an easier method would have been to simply allow themselves to be caught, or bow to one organization or family or whatever, gain information from them, and try working from the ground up like a normal person would as they adjusted to the Upper Galaxy, which would in turn also grant them a level of protection and guidance.

But the Demon King and the God were two beings who had lived for over a billion years, their pride was immense, although people like the Demon King hardly projected it outwards in an obvious manner. Their confidence in themselves to always survive, rise, and conquer was too deep-rooted, far too ingrained within their very existence. They had been in power for far too long, one ruling over an entire Galaxy, the other ruling over an entire Realm that had the entire Galaxy on constant defensive mode.

Did anyone truly believe these two beings would set aside their pride and bow to another person after staying so long in power? Definitely not.

Yes, they knew that upon ascension they would become nobodies once again, they would become weak, their immeasurable power would now become measurable as they would stand at the very bottom tier of society. But they didn’t care, because just as they had climbed from whatever insignificant existence they once were in the distant past to this stage, they could do so again within the Upper Galaxies through sheer will and persistence.

As long as they had the tenacity, the will, and the grit, they shall... no, they would survive.

They were willing to stake everything on the line to continue their ascension toward the ultimate path of existence. They couldn’t just be satisfied simply because they had reached the peak of a lower Galaxy. There was more power to obtain, more fun to be had, more adventures to embark on, and more adversaries to overcome.

Big fishes like the Spirit King knew of the Upper Galaxies; beings on his level were aware of it, but they never bothered to try escaping the cage called the Acarnis Galaxy, and the reason was simple and straightforward... in here, within the Acarnis Galaxy, they were the big fish, they were whales, sharks, beings who could look down on everyone and everything as they had climbed to the absolute Pinnacle of it. But if they mistakenly ascended, they understood that the chances of their deaths were over ninety percent, a risk far too great.

Which was why they simply remained here, living out their time, even using artefacts or resources to increase their lifespan and vitality whenever necessary, as they had accepted reality and halted, paused in their path of evolution.

The God and the Demon King, just like Anthony had, had already come to the conclusion that talent was what someone needed to receive the Calling in order to Ascend.

As for how the Demon King actually knew this, it was because he had witnessed an ascension with his own two eyes a couple of billion years in the past. And it wasn’t just any ascension, a Human had attained that Ascension. That was how he, the Demon King, found out. And of course, the Demon King had tried to force his way through by riding the coattails of the Human who was ascending, only for him, the Demon King, to be held back by some unknown force he couldn’t contend with at the time.

Since then, the Demon King hadn’t sensed anyone ascend into the Upper Galaxies, showing that even outrageous, genius-level talent wasn’t enough on its own. If it were, then he, the Demon King, would have already received a Calling, as there was simply no Demon more talented than him even until now.

If there was one, he would cultivate them and try helping them achieve Ascension. But alas, it seemed as though the Abyssal Realm had given birth to a ridiculously talented Demon like him and decided not to create any more on his level until maybe he died or left the Acarnis Galaxy itself.

As for how the God knew about the Ascension, he had his own ways, since he quite literally ruled an entire Galaxy and had access to knowledge far beyond ordinary comprehension.

But one had to ask... did the Spirit King, one who was known as the First Spirit within the Acarnis Galaxy, not truly possess enough talent to receive the Calling? Or did he receive it and simply understand the futility behind it, behind even attempting to ascend and challenge what lay beyond?

The Demon King’s ’eyes’ rose toward the pitch-black sky, a soft humming sound escaping him as though he was singing happily to himself, while a ’smile’ rested on his featureless face. He was simply happy, far too happy, as he was now one step closer to his goal, and this was the furthest he had ever been in all his existence.

And of course, if he didn’t succeed, he would simply try again, as long as he was alive, he would always try again without stopping. After all, his will and resilience had burned for the past eons, and he hadn’t even had a single moment of doubt in his life... such was the depth of his determination and unyielding will.

’Is he... happily humming?’ the God’s projection asked himself as he stared at the Demon King in mild surprise. The way the Demon King displayed his emotions, smiled whenever he wanted, laughed, hummed, and joked around like he wasn’t some pinnacle existence within the Acarnis Galaxy simply left the God’s projection a bit... fascinated. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

After all, the God of the Divinora Galaxy lived like a True Ruler, he bore an expression of authority at all times, gave commands with an overwhelming air of power surrounding him. And besides, the Angels hardly even saw him, as they only met him face to face whenever something truly significant was happening.

Unlike him, who was rigid, hard, and stern at all times, the Demon King was simply a laid-back individual who just wanted to kick back and relax. If it had nothing to do with his ascension goals, then you wouldn’t even know the man even existed. Besides, people only knew of him now simply because Lilith had died and he had to make a move... and also because of the fact that he felt that Anthony was likely the next person to Ascend after that Human from eons ago.