Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 2018: Seven Monarchs!

Arvantos looked at Max and spoke slowly. "The Monarchs are real beings."

His voice stayed calm, but it carried a seriousness that made everyone listen without interrupting.

"The Seven Monarchs might be the strongest seven beings in our entire universe. They rarely show themselves in the Divine Realm, and even a lot of first-rate forces only know fragmented rumors about them. Some believe they’re ancient cultivators who survived the last universal war. Some believe they’re living embodiments of certain cosmic paths. Some believe they’re existences who failed to step into the True God Realm but still surpassed the limits of ordinary Divine Masters. None of those rumors are entirely right, but none of them are completely wrong either."

Max’s eyes sharpened.

Arvantos continued, "In a way, they’re the protectors of our universe."

Those words changed Max’s expression. Protectors of the universe. That title carried too much weight. The Primordial Race was already the oldest force in the Divine Realm. The four Primarchs stood among the highest beings Max had ever seen.

Yet Arvantos was saying the Seven Monarchs were the universe’s last protectors. That meant their standing didn’t sit below the Primordial Race. If anything, they occupied a place so special that even the Primordials had to acknowledge them.

Max couldn’t help but ask, "Are the Seven Monarchs stronger than Primarchs like you?"

The other geniuses looked toward Arvantos too. This was the question they all wanted answered.

Arvantos smiled lightly, but his answer wasn’t direct. "It’s hard to say who’s stronger between the four Primarchs and the Seven Monarchs." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Our powers are different. Our responsibilities are different. Our battlefields are different. The four Primarchs stand openly at the front of the Primordial Race, and we carry the weight of leading the oldest force in the Divine Realm. We guard the structure of this universe through authority, armies, ancient formations, and the foundation left behind by our ancestors."

His gaze moved past the window, toward the distant sky of the Primordial Ancestral Domain.

"The Seven Monarchs work differently. They don’t rule forces in the ordinary sense. They don’t attend conferences. They don’t fight over territory. They don’t get involved in the disputes of forces, clans, kingdoms, or palaces unless the matter touches the survival of the universe itself. Most of the time, they exist outside the visible order of the Divine Realm."

His voice deepened. "But when the universe reaches its final line of defense, they’re the ones who show up."

The hall went extremely quiet.

Arvantos looked back at them. "That’s why they’re called Monarchs. Not because they sit on thrones ruling over people, but because each of them has mastered a path so completely that ordinary cultivators can’t even imagine the height they’ve reached. One Monarch might suppress a forbidden region alone. Another might guard a wound in the Wall of Eternity. Another might sleep inside a dead star realm, waiting for an ancient seal to break. Another might be watching the movements of the Angel Race, the Dragon Race, or the devils right now."

Max listened with growing interest. He’d already seen plenty of powerful beings, but the way Arvantos talked about the Seven Monarchs made them feel different.

The Primarchs were mighty pillars. The Monarchs sounded like hidden blades buried somewhere in the darkness beyond the known world.

Arvantos continued, "The third path for all of you is to receive tutelage from one of the Seven Monarchs."

The expressions of the ten geniuses shifted again. Even Revona’s smile faded slightly.

Arvantos said, "If the first path is safe cultivation under the Primordial Race, and the second path is the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, the third path means being personally guided by one of the beings closest to the peak of our universe. That doesn’t mean all of you would get accepted. The Monarchs don’t teach casually. They don’t care about your background, your reputation, or the rankings you earned in the Cosmic Ascension Conference."

His gaze swept across them. "If a Monarch doesn’t find you suitable, even I can’t force them to take you in."

Orion frowned. "Then how are we even supposed to choose that path?"

"You won’t choose them first," Arvantos replied. "They’ll choose you."

That answer made the hall feel heavier.

Arvantos explained further, "Each Monarch follows a different path. Some specialize in body cultivation. Some specialize in soul. Some specialize in space, fate, sword, battle, life, death, and other terrifying directions. If your foundation resonates with one of them, you might get summoned. If not, you’ll have to choose between the Primordial Race’s protected training and the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage."

Max’s heart stirred slightly. Body cultivation. The path beyond the Seven Divine Veins immediately jumped into his mind. Saint Reiner had told him that if any force held records about the higher path beyond the Seven Divine Veins, it would be the Primordial Race.

But now Arvantos had mentioned that among the Seven Monarchs, there might be someone who specialized in body cultivation.

Maybe that wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe Saint Reiner’s clue and Arvantos’s third path pointed toward the same place.

Arvantos seemed to notice the shift in Max’s expression but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he continued, "Still, don’t think this third path is easier than the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage. Getting taught by a Monarch isn’t the same as being protected by a teacher. Their methods run extreme a lot of the time. Some might throw you into danger worse than anything you’d face in the Divine Realm. Some might test your will until your soul nearly breaks. Some might force you to confront your own path in a way that leaves no room to retreat."

His expression turned stern. "A Monarch won’t waste time comforting you. If they accept you, it means they believe you have a real chance to carry part of the universe’s future. If you fail, they won’t lower the standard just for you."

No one spoke. The three paths now felt far heavier than before. The first path offered safety, resources, and steady growth, but risked dulling their edge. The second path offered terrifying opportunities in the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, but also dropped them among monsters from all five universes, where death could show up at any moment.

The third path offered guidance from the universe’s hidden protectors, but acceptance wasn’t guaranteed, and the training might turn out even harsher than stepping onto an ancient battlefield.

Arvantos looked at them calmly. "You all have one day to decide."

His voice spread through the hall. "The next opening of the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage is in one week. During that time, the Monarchs will also be told about your existence. If any of them show interest, you’ll know before the pilgrimage begins."

He paused briefly. "Decide how you want your path to unfold."

The ten geniuses stayed silent. Each of them carried different ambitions, different foundations, different fears, and different reasons for wanting strength. But after hearing Arvantos’s words, they all understood one thing clearly.

From this moment on, their choices would no longer affect only themselves.

Arvantos looked at them one last time. Then his figure faded from the hall and vanished without a sound.

The hall grew quiet. Outside the wide window, the Primordial Ancestral Domain remained majestic and ancient, but in Max’s eyes, even that sacred scenery now seemed to carry the weight of an approaching storm.