༺ In the Gap ༻
The moment I crossed the dimensional gate, I realized.
This place was neither the afterlife nor the real world. It was a completely different place.
The gap between dimensions, or a passage, connecting each world.
It was a very dangerous place where, if one were not careful, could become a labyrinth of dimensions, preventing you from ever returning to your original world.
One might think it’s too risky, but actually, the power of Ionia which opens doors directly without going through such passages, was simply non-standard. Normally using these passages is the standard for moving between dimensions.
It was a strange feeling. This sense of moving through an unknown force in a space where there is no up, down, front or back. It felt as if I were endlessly falling, and also as if I were endlessly rising.
But that was not the important thing right now.
In the pitch-black darkness, I saw the figure of the Immortal Corps commander flying a little ahead of me.
‘I won’t let him escape.’
Though there was neither gravity nor ground to step on, I flexed my waist to the maximum in mid-air and shot towards him with the recoil.
[You disgusting bastard…!!]
Realizing that I had followed him through the dimensional gate, the Immortal Corps commander hastily gathered dark mana. Curses that weakened and sickened overlaid in hundreds and rushed at me.
But magic was useless against me. As I swung my spear in the air, all the mana was torn apart. Pieces of the torn curses clung to me, but they had no effect on my robust physique and vanished into thin air.
However, firing hundreds of curses was merely a time stall for the Immortal Corps commander as well. He gathered as much dark mana as possible, and five dark orbs formed around him. They turned into rays of darkness and were shot at me in an instant.
[Die!]
Each ray had the power to demolish walls and penetrate gates, at a 7th circle level of potency. Facing such a volley of rays, I thought calmly.
‘He’s gotten weaker.’
If he were the Immortal Corps commander from the time of the last great war, he would have showered me with 8th circle magic, equivalent to a natural disaster, not just the 7th. Even if he was a mage specialized in necromancy, he was also a powerful figure worthy of the title of Commander.
However, the resurrected Immortal Corps commander was not at that level. He was still a powerful dark mage, disastrous to ordinary people but he did not feel like an absolute powerhouse like the commanders of that era. Meaning, he was not of Grandmaster level.
So it wasn’t a full resurrection, I thought. Gripping Ajetus with both hands, I lifted it forward. Woosh, woosh, woosh! The rapidly spinning spear acted like a shield, drawing a circle and splitting all the rays, deflecting them.
Crash! Bang!
The scattered beams were lodged in various parts of the dimensional passage. At that moment, I felt a strange trembling throughout my body. To put it in metaphorical terms, it felt like being swept away by rapid currents after diving into deep water.
[Damn! The dimensional passage is getting damaged…!]
Starting from where the rays were lodged, the passage began to tear slowly revealing various worlds beyond the gap. From a world where sacred light was shining to a world of dreadful malice and blazing hellfires, worlds filled with nature and spirits, and worlds only of ice and death.
The Immortal Corps commander spoke in a panicked tone.
[Stop! It’s too dangerous here! Let’s go out and continue fighting outside! If the passage collapses like this, both of us will become lost in a dimensional labyrinth! We won’t be able to return to our original dimensions!]
Continue fighting outside?
At first glance, it sounded like a reasonable suggestion. If we fell beyond that gap, it seemed we might be thrown into some strange world of unknown identity.
However, instead of responding, I thrusted my spear toward his head.
The shield made of dark mana shattered instantly and in desperation, he raised his arm. Crack! The blade of the spear lodged more than halfway into the regenerated bone of the Immortal Corps commander’s left arm.
“No! You! You’ll die here-!”
I gripped the spear tightly and twisted as hard as I could. Snap! The Immortal Corps commander’s left arm broke and fell beyond the gap, disappearing.
[You damn bastard! Do you want us both to die…!!]
I had no intention of dying. And although I said I would kill the Immortal Corps Commander, I didn’t actually intend to kill him immediately. He didn’t need to know, but I needed to find out what schemes he had against Ella and how I could safely rescue her.
And I had no intention of trusting the sly words of a dark mage, of course.
Even if it was true that fighting here was risky, I had no way of knowing what tricks he could pull while we were moving through the passage. He might go ahead and quickly close the entrance. Hadn’t I been prepared for some risks from the moment I crossed the dimensional gate?
I decided to trust my intuition.
I stuck as close as possible to the Immortal Corps Commander, stabbing and swinging my spear like hell. In this place without gravity or direction, once I got close it wasn’t easy to get away. dark mana gathered around me, and beams of light struck my back. I took the hits. Close-range combat was my forte. If I took one hit, I could swing my spear twice as much in return.
“Kuooooo!”
“Haaaaaaa!”
Red trails and dark beams, two sets of lights brightened the darkness within the dimension. I swung my spear and cut through bones. The beams hit my body relentlessly, but my sturdy armor and resilient flesh could withstand 7th-circle dark mana for quite some time. Clearly, the one suffering was the Immortal Corps Commander.
However, I wasn’t particularly pleased with the situation.
‘He’s gotten more tenacious.’
Years ago, the Immortal Corps Commander had shown the persistence of a cockroach that would come back to life no matter how many times it was killed. But that was possible because he hid his main body somewhere only he knew and operated solely through avatars. His real body was a living elf, and it died easily when pierced by a spear.
But now, the Immortal Corps Commander was entirely undead. Even if I crushed and severed his bones, he regenerated quickly.
Was the source of this regenerative ability the souls he absorbed from the underworld? Whenever I cut down the Immortal Corps Commander, I could see the souls that had come into this passage with him trying to enter his body. Of course, they were always sliced by my spear and vanished.
So, his regeneration wouldn’t be infinite. But the immediate problem was that I couldn’t see a way to kill him.
‘In that case, I’ll kill him until he dies.’
I aimed for the head, neck, heart, vital points, groin and every lethal spot, stabbing over and over again. I didn’t know if it was effective. However I continued my attacks with the thought that if I kept this up, he would eventually die.
Having been stabbed in the groin about five times, the Immortal Corps Commander could no longer contain his rage.
“You little…! That’s enough!”
The pupils of the Immortal Corps Commander emitted a blue aura. Then, between him and me an enormous burst of dark mana exploded.
I stopped my attacks, crouched down, and crossed my arms to shield myself.
Kaboom!
“Ugh!”
The arm section of my armor cracked due to the explosion, and the shock jolted my internal organs. Had I taken that explosion unprotected, it would have been dangerous. However, the condition of the Immortal Corps Commander who took the explosion head-on without any defense, appeared to be even more critical.
“Kuuuh, Kuhhhhhh!”
His robe had completely torn away, and his upper body had a gaping hole centered around his chest. His lower body was nowhere to be seen. Still, even in that condition, the Immortal Corps Commander began forming incantations with both hands.
He’s taking time to cast a spell!
I tried to propel myself toward the Immortal Corps Commander once more, but the explosion had thrown me too far back. Sensing that I would be too late, I threw my spear. A red trail ripped through the darkness as it flew. But just before the tip of my Ajetus could reach the Immortal Corps Commander, his mana was barely activated first.
“Abandoning all the souls in this passage! Damn it… Dimensional Leap!”
In that instant, the body of the Immortal Corps Commander divided into dozens of pieces and shot forward. He was moving at a speed so fast that my eyes couldn’t perceive it, creating afterimages.
I did my best to chase the rapidly distancing back of the Immortal Corps Commander, but the speed was overwhelming, and I couldn’t muster the courage to catch up. Just then, while I was following the faint signs of the now invisible Immortal Corps Commander.
‘His presence… disappeared.’
The Immortal Corps Commander had finally crossed the dimensional gate.
I instinctively realized that I had lost any means to pursue the Immortal Corps Commander. The first thing he would do upon crossing the dimensional gate was obvious. He would close the exit he had created. Even if I continued to fly, the exit leading outside would have already been shut.
I momentarily felt a sense of defeat in the darkness.
My thoughts were engulfed by the situation. One by one, I annihilated the souls that, having lost their master rushed at me as prey using my spear Ajetus.
Would I have to be trapped forever in this passage with neither an entrance nor an exit?
Staring beyond the ripped fabric of the dimension due to the fierce battle, I pondered. Just like when I entered the treasure vault, should I rip through space with Ajetus and step into it?
If I did, I might be able to escape this corridor, but it would be uncertain which dimension lay beyond. I could miraculously land back in the dimension I originated from but there was also the possibility of falling into a completely unknown new dimension.
However, if I remained like this I would be left alone in the labyrinth of dimensions.
Even if it was somewhat risky, if there was a way I had to try anything.
It was the moment I had solidified my resolve.
“…Hmm?”
From beyond the crack in the dimension, something gray was flying toward me.
A gigantic entity exuding a powerful presence even across dimensions. No, a spirit perhaps? A grey avian creature with wings fully spread was flying around the gap in the dimension in a quite relaxed manner.
At first, I thought I was mistaken. I assumed it was just an unknown spirit passing by coincidentally. However, this entity was directly, precisely flying toward me.
Being cautious in case it was an enemy, I raised my spear.
However, I couldn’t contain my surprise at the voice coming from that entity.
[Instructor Eon!]
It was Titania’s voice.
