The 316th and 320th iterations found themselves teleported within complexes filled with robed disciples.

As for the 317th and 318th iterations, they just found themselves in a forest.

At this development, the ones in relative safety knew that their plan had succeeded, they had worn the Devil's Gamble too thin. Even at the highest level, an Adept's Devil's Gamble could not create problems with each of the iterations separate teleportations that would put them in danger.

At least they were out of danger, for now.

The ones in the clear were about to move before they simultaneously realized something: what the gamble would do now is try to force them closer together so that it can fully utilize its power to fully kill Mathias Calypses.

Walking in any direction would cause them to be closer together. This was due to the gamble's probability manipulation, any direction one Mathias would choose the other Mathias would also choose.

This was not just because they were an identical person with similar tendencies but because at the level of the one-hour stage, even space, distance and position went against Mathias Calypses.

The only reason Mathias could teleport at all during this near-final stage was because he was an Astris sorcerer, someone with specialties in those fields.

But even so, his teleportations were mostly warped and did not aid him.

So he instead opted to just concentrate on absorption, after all there were only 41 minutes left to go.

In front of the golden Ascetic the 319th Mathias Calypses smiled with courtesy, "Such a gesture is common from my homeland, the mirror's land." Mathias said

"Were you the one?" The golden-eyed cultivator said.

Mathias knew precisely who this was and what he was talking about, "Hmm, what are you talking about?" he said

"The one who replaced my clansmen with dolls?" He spoke calmly.

Mathias slightly tilted his head sideways.

"There was another look-alike to you, I killed him. He was an Adept without aether." The robed Ascetic said, gripped his left wrist with an erratic motion.

The Ascetic continued, "I wonder, could he have been a brother?" He said in a crazed state, his face constantly twitching.

"More so than you can ever imagine." Mathias said, a delighted smile forming on his face.

At this smile the Ascetic made an unfathomable expression.

In a clan hall the 320th iteration of Mathias Calypses looked at the surrounding disciples, under the influence of the gamble and their fear they instantly attacked the intruder.

With a mass amount of sorceries prepared, the 320th Mathias Calypses killed a vast number of the Initiates using beams of starlight.

Noticing elders coming, the 320th Mathias Calypses swiftly sent all the aether of the Initiates to the 319th iteration, the one that was requesting help. This was done by utilizing an inverted Energia Furari.

Normally inversion is part of the mirror affinity, an infinity belonging to the Lunae sorcery branch, but due to the fact Mathias had already completed the explosive progress aspect of becoming an Ascetic, he was already a kind of half-ascetic.

He could manipulate laws not directly pertaining to Astris!

Mirrors reflect light, light comes from stars. Using this logic Mathias Calypses could use the specialty of mirrors, a specialty not derivative of Astris to a limited level. Using this limited specialty he had inverted the effects and process of Energia Furari.

Right now Mathias was really close to the level of an Ascetic, so theoretically he could use a proto-domain.

Of course, sustaining such a domain for even a second would be catastrophic for him. He was not an Ascetic, its power would be halved at best and it would be missing certain qualities that Mathias, even with his excess of sorcerous knowledge, couldn’t imitate.

Awakening the 321st iteration, the Mathias Calypses up against the Ascetic teleported his aether to him. He was allowed to do this because not having the aether anymore helped the Ascetic facing him. Prompting the gamble to not interfere.

The moment after this occurred, a relatively large amount of aether was sent to the 319th iteration.

A domain takes an ungodly amount of aether to sustain, this is due to the principle of how domains actually work. It is a process similar to how an Ascetic can manipulate laws connected to their sorcery branch.

It is best explained as forcing nearly every law and concept in the immediate vicinity to become connected to your sorcery branch and then simultaneously manipulating everything.

It doesn't just take aether to form a domain, it takes understanding.

A domain can more easily spread across an area that already has a natural affinity to the sorcerers’ branch. An example of this would be a Solaris domain being significantly weakened by having to overwrite the natural state of nighttime into daytime.

Of course night doesn't actually exist in the realm of Solaris so that example isn’t possible here but in the realm of Nix, the realm of eternal nighttime, a Solaris Ascetic would be severely disadvantaged.

The sun is a star, so to a physical extent, Astris is Solaris. The problem is that stars and the sun hold different meanings. They may be physically the same but metaphysically they’re different things.

Mathias Calypses then activated his proto-domain.

His surroundings instantly became blurry, as if even the smallest distance became the widest gap. Trees became walls and even the very concept of distance became distorted.Seeing this development, the golden Ascetic also activated his domain. Mathias Calypses knew that if his proto-domain clashed or even attempted to attack the Ascetic’s more defined domain, he would fail horrendously and maybe even die on the spot.

Even if an Adept extremely close to ascetichood activated his proto-domain it could not function as a regular domain would. Its only combat application would be to go against other Adepts, or anyone lower than that.

Mathias knew this, so instead he opted to use the other special characteristics of a domain to aid him.

All a domain is, is a space where you control practically every concept in, at least in the immediate vicinity.

Due to the Jade Marble Ascetic unleashing his domain from inside the ground he couldn’t exert full control on every concept on the surface. Yet milliseconds after the true body of Mathias Calypses entered his sanctum that iteration’s fate was sealed.

‘The immediate vicinity’ relatively relates to the surrounding area an Ascetic can cover within the distance of 16 paces, without of course bending any laws or rules on spacetime.

Mathias opted for a workaround to this ‘16 paces’ rule. The rule is 16 paces in every direction, although being blocked by the ground or specific sorcery might limit this. He planned to shrink and condense this 360 degree area into a single corridor, thereby extending this limit.

This way the distance his domain could cover would be around 500 paces in a singular direction. If was a true ascetic, this number would have doubled.

Mathias instantly projected his domain behind him and teleported to its very end, pulling back the domain in front and projecting it back again!

With this technique Mathias Calypses had gained the distance of 5,000 paces in a half a second.

Mathias’ domain then collapsed, devoid of aether. All in all, he had only sustained it for half a second, despite properly utilizing the aether capability of 11 initiates and 2 Adepts. It was worth mentioning that this aether count was estimated to only be 1/3600 of the aether count held by a true Ascetic.

This estimation was a number Mathias Calypses came to under the assumption that upon ascension, Ascetics only have the aether to sustain their domain for 30 minutes.

Bam!

Instantly after thinking that, a hand draped in gold plunged straight through Mathias Calypses’ chest at the speed of light.

This was the issue with using this technique against Solaris sorcerers, if Mathias Calypses moves in the same linear direction, he cannot outrun someone moving at lightspeed.

He was out of aether, his chest pierced and in pain. Mathias realized that he was going to die even if he lived on. Since he creates his iterations when he is in a stable state, Mathias never has memories of his past deaths.

So dying slowly like this was always a horrifying shock to him, even if he logically knew that it wasn’t the true end for him.

At this moment, Mathias suddenly felt slightly envious for every iteration that died instantly.

Looking up, he stared at his assailant and tried form a smile,

He couldn’t.

“Look at you now, I don’t even know what insult to call you. Your pathetic state surpasses the limits of humanity.” The Ascetic spoke.

“I have long crossed that boundary.” Mathias responded, shakily.

The golden ascetic scoffed, “Don’t think you’re special.”

“I never did.” Mathias responded, “If I was, I wouldn’t have had to do, all of this.”

“All of what?” The Ascetic asked him genuinely dumbfounded.

At this question Mathias Calypses gained the strength to smile.

Seeing his face the Ascetic boiled with rage, grasping Mathias’ neck. He kept squeezing and squeezing. Mathias tried to stop him but he couldn’t.

A cacophony of useless thoughts swirled through his head. It was at this moment that Mathias realized that he had probably had these thoughts hundreds of times before.

And he would have these thoughts thousands of times after.

Moments later he felt lighter than he even did before. Like was flying through the sky, unbarred and unbothered by everything that had happened to him.

Crack!

Mathias then laid lifeless on the cold dirt, his spine shattered into countless fragments. Inside his head he thought of nothing, this was because he was dead.

Mathias Calypses has always thought of himself as strong, as infallible and great. This did not change even as he died. Even as he has always died.

This was illogical of him.

His actions prove that he is weak, the fact that he had to die over 7 times to just become an Initiate is proof that he is not a natural sorcerer. No proficient sorcerer ever dies trying to become an Initiate.

Mathias Calypses’ pride is backed by nothing but his emotions. No matter how many iterations he runs through.

In an unknown clan’s courtyard the 320th iteration of Mathias Calypses stood charred, bleeding and burning, stabbed through with a collection of pure white blades of blazing light.

Standing 40 feet from him was the clan leader of this courtyard, yet another Ascetic.

This Ascetic just stood there and looked at Mathias, seemingly contemplating a question that couldn’t be answered.

Why couldn’t it be answered? That’s because Mathias Calypses couldn’t respond ever again but even so, he still had a smile on his face.

Soon after, Mathias Calypses’ burnt smile started peeling red, revealing grotesque features. A horse voice then emulated from his scorched throat, ‘17 more’.

He then fell, never to move again.