Cosmic Ruler
Chapter 498 - 498: Fate XVII

Aiden grinned.

"Then I'll just have to break you before you learn too much."

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

Aiden moved.

He stopped dodging.

Instead, he stepped into the Titan's space.

If it learned from his dodging, he wouldn't dodge.

If it countered his strikes, he'd attack differently.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Aiden's elbow smashed into the Titan's chest.

Its fist came down—

Aiden caught it mid-air, twisting its weight against itself.

"Too slow."

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

With a final pivot, Aiden used the Titan's own momentum to slam it into the ground.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

The colossal body collapsed, sending a massive shockwave across the battlefield.

The Titan struggled to rise.

Its body shattered, flickering with unstable energy.

"…Evaluation Complete."

"You… surpass all projections."

"You… win."

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

The Titan crumbled.

Aiden stood over its fallen form, breathing steadily.

A moment of silence.

Then—

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

The Divine Ladder shook.

The voice of the Divine Guardian echoed across the realm.

"Trial One… COMPLETE!"

"Aiden advances to the Next Stage!"

Aiden smirked.

"One step closer."

He turned toward the next set of stairs.

The next challenge awaited.

And he was ready.

The Divine Titan had fallen.

The first trial of the Divine Ladder was over, but Aiden had no time to rest. The very moment the Titan crumbled into golden dust, the second gate of the Divine Ladder shimmered into existence.

Aiden wiped a streak of blood from his lip, his golden eyes burning with undeterred resolve.

"One down."

He turned to the next challenge—

A massive stone doorway, covered in intricate carvings of celestial battles, blocking the staircase beyond.

A deep, ancient voice echoed through the battlefield.

"You have proven your strength. But brute force alone cannot forge a god."

The door trembled.

Chains of divine law unraveled.

And from the gate—a figure emerged.

The Keeper of the Second Gate—Elias, The Time Warden

A tall, imposing man draped in flowing silver robes stepped forward. His long platinum hair drifted in the wind, and in his hand, he held a staff etched with ancient runes.

But what caught Aiden's attention—were his eyes.

They were rings within rings, layered with shifting symbols of past, present, and future.

"I am Elias, Keeper of the Second Gate."

"To ascend further, you must prove yourself not just in power, but in understanding."

Aiden grinned.

"So what's the test?"

Elias raised a single hand.

"Survive."

Aiden's instincts flared.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—

The world changed.

One moment, Aiden was standing in the Divine Ladder's battlefield.

The next—

He was somewhere else.

Trial of the Second Gate—The Test of Time

Aiden's vision blurred, his surroundings warping into an unfamiliar landscape.

It was a battlefield.

Not just any battlefield—his battlefield.

"Wait…"

Aiden's eyes widened.

He recognized this place.

It was from his past.

A war-torn valley. Corpses of fallen warriors scattered across the dirt. The smell of blood and burning ruins.

"This is…"

Before he could finish—

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

A figure stepped forward.

A man, clad in black armor, carrying a blade wreathed in shadows. His face was unmistakable.

It was him.

Aiden stared at his own past self.

The version of him before he had reached the Immortal Realm. Before he had gained his authorities, his martial spirits, his rebirth.

The Aiden from the past looked at him, golden eyes burning.

"You're not me."

He raised his sword.

"And I don't tolerate fakes."

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Aiden's own past charged at him.

Aiden's past self charged forward, his black blade screaming through the air. The sheer force behind it ripped apart the battlefield, sending shockwaves of compressed energy through the shattered ground.

Aiden barely had time to react—he twisted, sidestepping just as the blade sliced past his ribs.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

The aftershock alone ruptured the earth beneath them.

Aiden skidded backward, golden eyes narrowing.

"Alright… this is weird."

He had faced countless enemies. Demonic cultivators. Divine overseers. Even beings who could warp reality itself.

But never himself.

The past Aiden stood there, blade resting on his shoulder. He looked the same—silver-haired, golden-eyed, his stance sharp with battle-honed instinct.

But there was one difference.

He's fighting like I used to. Before I mastered my authorities.

The past him had no divine enhancements. No authorities. No reality-bending abilities.

Just raw, brutal combat skill.

And yet—his instincts screamed at him.

This wasn't going to be easy.

"If you're really me," Past Aiden said, rolling his shoulders.

"Then stop dodging and fight."

Aiden grinned.

"Fine. Let's see which one of us is the real deal."

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

Aiden launched forward, meeting his past self in a blur of motion.

Swords clashed—

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

Fists collided—

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

The entire illusionary battlefield quaked under the force of their battle.

A Battle of Technique—The Clash of Two Aidens

Aiden quickly realized something.

His past self fought with terrifying efficiency.

Every movement was precise. Calculated.

There was no wasted motion—every attack, every dodge, every counter was sharpened by years of life-or-death battles.

Aiden smirked.

Damn. I was good.

But then—

His past self vanished.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—!

Aiden barely had time to react before a blade grazed his side.

He stumbled back, gripping his ribs as a thin line of blood dripped down.

His past self stared at him coldly.

"You got slower."

Aiden blinked.

Wait. What?

His past self tilted his head.

"You rely too much on your divine abilities."

"You forgot what it means to fight without them."

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

Is that what this trial is about?

He clenched his fists. He had fought so many overwhelming enemies, adapted so much to divine combat…

That he had started relying on his higher abilities rather than his raw skill.

The past Aiden grinned.

"Come on. Show me that you're still me."

Aiden exhaled.

And then—he grinned back.

"Alright. No tricks. No authorities. No divine energy."

"Just a fight between two monsters."

They charged.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Their blades met, and the sheer force split the battlefield apart. The illusionary sky trembled, the frozen memories of the past twisting and fracturing under the pressure of their clash.

Neither backed down.

Neither slowed.

Two Aidens—one from the past, one from the present—fought as equals.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—

Aiden's past self moved first.

A sharp, unpredictable faint attack—his sword flashing toward Aiden's left flank.

Aiden reacted instantly.

He sidestepped—but at the last second, his past self twisted his wrist, shifting his attack mid-motion.

—𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘒—!

A shallow cut bloomed across Aiden's shoulder.

Tch. He read me.

The past him was relentless.

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