In a dark forest with a cabin, Tesra was writing some stuff down in a book with a pen. She was writing about all the things she knew about battle.

A low rank 1 can destroy a giant tree, a low rank 2 can destroy a giant rock, a low rank 3 can chip away at a mountain, a low rank 4 can destroy a mountain over time, and a low rank 5 can destroy a mountain with a few attacks attack.

All these attacks were strength-based, they were not paired with endurance, agility, or mana. If a peak rank 3 paired their attacks with endurance, agility, and mana, it would not be impossible for them to destroy a mountain with a single attack.

A peak rank 4 who can use everything at their disposal can exert continental level attacks. A peak rank 5 who can use everything at their disposal can exert planetary surface level attack. A low rank 6 who can use everything at their disposal can destroy a planet if they attack the planet’s core.

When Jay was low rank 6, he had the power to destroy a small planet, but the will of the planet Dayna was able to stop him. Although the destructive power of higher ranks seems strong, it is not the same for every other world. Tesra world has mana and such destructive power of such rank was not possible without mana or other high form of energy.

Tesra had made a ladder that went from step 1 to step 10. A peak rank 5 at step 10 can destroy a planet’s surface and a peak rank 5 at step 1 can at most destroy a mountain with a few attacks.

Tesra ranked herself, Stake, Altos, and Nail at step 7. For Jay, she ranked him at step 10. However, Tesra did not believe step 10 was the limit, spells like expo spells can far surpass step 10. But she decided to not include expo spells in the ten steps. An expo spell at step 10 would become step 100.

In terms of power, Tesra could reach step 100 while Stake, Altos, and Nail couldn’t since they did not know about expo spells.

Tesra stopped riding and closed her book. She went to the front door and opened it. Sally smiled brightly at her and greeted her.

“Hi, how are you?”

“Very well,” Tesra replied with wizened eyes and a small happy smile.

Tesra let Sally in, she was very happy to see her. She had asked Sally to do something for her and Sally finally returned.

“How was it?” asked Tesra.

“They said they’ll agree if you can beat them on equal footing,” replied Sally.

Sally went into the kitchen and Tesra followed after her. Sally grabbed a chicken leg and started eating. She handed a chicken leg to Tesra and Tesra started eating with thoughts in her eyes.

“Do you think you could beat them?” Sally asked as she chewed.

“One on one on equal footing, yes, but one on three on equal footing, no,” said Tesra.

Tesra and Sally were talking about Stake, Altos, and Nail. In the continent of Mianol, the three of them were well known powerhouses. Tesra had conquered many continents so far and Mianol was one of the few continents left. Tomorrow, Tesra planned on fighting the elf Felta and Silna, to conquer the elves on Mianol.

“Do you want to compromise with them?” asked Sally.

Tesra shook her head, “I think I’ll be fine if I use some underhanded tactics.”

Sally nodded and the two of them chatted and finish eating. They went to sleep and woke up the next morning. Tesra ate breakfast and donned her silver armor suit with blue clothes. She pulled out her wicked double edge red sword to check it and sheathed it after seeing it was fine.

“Are you ready?” asked Sally.

Tesra nodded and the two teleported towards the territory of the elves.

At UC, a discussion was taking place. The discussion was about whether human-like robots deserve equal rights. Reese was in her seat looking at cat videos. Claire was by her side listening to the discussions. At the center of the senate was a humanoid robot who was speaking to everyone.

“What do you think?” asked Claire.

Reese kept watching the cat videos.

“I think black cats are cute.”

Claire sighed, she didn’t like Reese not paying attention, “Do you know what I’m asking about.”

“Yes, and I answered your question.”

Claire felt dead on the instead, Reese knew how to pick on her. Reese paused the video and looked at the robot.

“Robots have advanced quite far, the most advanced ones are just like humans. They can feel, experience, and express themselves.”

Claire knew what Reese was talking about and had heard about it over and over for quite a long time, she just wanted to know Reese's opinion.

Reese gazed calmly with thought at the robot.

“Claire, do you remember how we met?”

Claire fell into her memory and nodded, “Yes I remember it clear as day.”

Claire remembered waking up in a lab. Reese was the first person she saw. Reese helped her fit into society. Her friendship over time with Reese had grown through time and she came to help Reese whenever Reese needed it.

“Say, Claire,” Reese looked into Claire's eyes, “am I manipulative?”

Claire saw that Reese wanted an honest answer. She also felt something off about Reese, it was then that Claire realized Reese was in her serious mode. Claire thought of an answer and replied.

“You put your brother in a simulator and manipulated him, so yes you are manipulative.”

Reese nodded, “Is that all?”

Claire thought for a moment and shook her head, “Although there are many irritating things about you, you always do what you need to do with good intentions.”

Reese fake shed a tear with a smile and wiped it, “I’m glad you understand.”

Reese's expression turned cold and Claire expression became surprised.

“Say, Claire,” Reese grinned, “if I were to gut punch you, would you still believe I have good intention.”

Claire felt her heart accelerating and she calmed herself. She thought for a moment and replied with a smile. Her eyes showed bravery and truth to Reese.

“I would still believe you have good intentions.”

Reese nodded with a grin, her expression seemed to be expecting something unexpected.

“My family is one of the best at making advanced biological bodies, after my brother died and I became a senator, I thought about whether human-like robots deserve equal rights.”

Claire waited patiently with surprise as she listened to Reese.

“To understand human-like robots better, I decided to spend time with one. I got a robot conscious, and placed it into a human.”

Claire felt her body and mind become shocked. Reese stopped grinning and looked at her calmly.

“That robot was you.”

Silence seemed to engulf the two of them as the noises around seemed to disappear. Claire did not move or speak, she felt lost, too lost to move or speak. Reese turned her gaze back to the robot. She knew that Claire felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

“The reason human-like robots have never gained equal rights is simple, it is undetermined whether they have a soul or not.”

Reese jumped and landed at the center of the senate by the robot. The humanoid robot stopped speaking and looked at Reese with confusion. The humanoid robot had very human like features wite pure white hair. It looked female and feminine. Its looks were deliberately picked by it to gain sympathy.

Claire came out of her shock as she watched Reese stand in the center of the senate. She wondered what Reese was going to do. Everyone looked at Reese wondering what she had to say.

“I know everyone is bored listening.”

Claire and the robot's hearts fell at Reese's words.

“The problem we have with human-like robots is whether they have a soul or not.”

Reese spread her arm with a smile.

“Our society has advanced very far, we don’t understand the soul very well, especially since it's in the realm of the supernatural.”

Reese widened her smile, “As atheists, nonbelievers, or people who only believe in science, we don’t have the right to dictate whether something has a soul or not.”

Reese brought her arms down, “But we can define what a soul is, I for one define the soul as proof of existence, anything that exists, has a soul.”

Reese snapped her finger, “Now let's get this over with and vote, I’m feeling hungry.”

Some people laughed and a hidden poll started. After everyone was done voting, it was revealed that human-like robots should deserve equal rights.

Far far away in a dark space of nothing, there was a diamond-haired boy named Absolute Eszero or initially named AE. AE turned his gaze away from the senate. AE looked at the robot in his hand. The robot was very human-like. AE killed the robot and it died painlessly. A soul appeared from the robot, it contained the existence information about the robot.

Eszero appeared in front of AE with a bow, he spoke coldly. “I guess robots do have souls.”

AE replied coldly, “Stop bowing every time you show up.”

The two of them looked just like each other. They would be called twins if someone saw them.

Eszero laughed, “As long as you keep getting irritated, I’ll keep bowing.”

AE didn’t reply and watched the soul dissipate.

“Why so glum?” asked Eszero.

“Watching Tesra fully grow fills me with some regrets about Vanilla.”

Eszero paused silently for a moment and carefully looked at AE. AE was all of them, everything that any of them did or felt was what AE did and felt. Even if the AE in front of him ceased to exist, as long as Jill or any of the others were still alive, then AE would still be truly alive.

When Jules first came from Jay’s corpse, that was AE. When Jack, JJ, and Jelly combined to be Jay, Jay was AE. The AE in front of Eszero could split and become a new self of theirs and it would still be AE.

“Don’t feel too bad, some things are just meant to be.”

AE didn’t say anything and turned his gaze away to his other-selves. As his other selves continue to live, he will continue to master his power as an Externity. When they reach the true world of existence, AE knew he would look two-dimensional.

A new selves formed off AE. The new self was named Jolly. Jolly was given a mission, his mission was to explore the true world of existence and report back. Jolly had snow-white hair with black eyes, he wore snow fur clothes.

AE exerted his power and sliced down Jolly’s existence to two-dimensional. From there, Jolly’s existence disappeared from the three-dimensional world.

Eszero looked at AE’s power with some fear. AE's mastery over his power had grown very fast. As AE keeps spreading his self of existence to other words and world branches, his powers would continue to grow. Once Joy was done raising that baby, Eszero was sure AE would start his spread of existence to the Above World.

“How will he return?”

AE could see and feel Eszero's every thought, “He will return through a story. Through which story I don’t know. But once my power grows to the zenith, I will know and we will journey into the true world of existence.”

Space started cracking around the two. From the cracks, Eszero could see the transforming existence of a higher dimension that would remove AE and Eszero from the three-dimensional world. The Void and Below world were not very happy.

Eszero could tell that he did have the power to stop these two branch worlds.

“Why are they mad and you have a plan right?”

AE communicated with the two-branch world and looked at Eszero blanky. The space cracks around closed in and everything returned to normal.

“Don’t flaunt my powers too much, you don’t have very high control of it. They were here because you stopped their flow of existence supply while you were playing around.”

Eszero made a surprised expression.

“They can threaten you?”

AE became thoughtful for a moment, “Our three-dimensional world sustains its existence by its roots and branch. It dies from the top to the bottom.”

“So they can’t threaten you?”

AE shook his head, “I am one with existence, that means I am also one with those two world branches. They are like my body cells, they can become cancer and kill both of us. As I explore my body and gain more control of it, I can exert more of its abilities. The other Externity like myself represent the different unconscious will of the world.”

“Very complicated, but I understand.”

Eszero disappeared and left AE. AE continued about his business.