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The sky was dyed in seven colors.

In an environment already detached from reality, known as a dungeon, the excessively dense concentration of main strength distorted the distance between the domain, the source element of spells, and the phenomenal realm, the stage where spells manifest. The presence of the domain, which should have been conceptually deep, approaching the phenomenal realm was anything but normal.

If spellcasters who dedicate their lives to spell research were to witness this situation, they would undoubtedly scream in horror, astonishment, and admiration.

For spellcasters, the distance between the phenomenal realm and the domain is a delicate balance—too far or too close, and problems arise.

The waves of spells originating from the domain, controlled and combined to perform miracles, are what spellcasting is all about. If the domain is too far, the spell waves weaken, making it impossible to gather the strength to form spells. If it’s too close, the concepts within the domain reflect too strongly, increasing the difficulty of spellcasting.

But at this moment, those exchanging blows couldn’t care less about such things. They had no choice. One was a renowned figure of the mighty dragon race that once dominated the Bronze Age, and the other was a superhuman advancing toward a noble realm unmatched in this era.

{“I commend you, warrior of the present. But how long can you stand so boldly before the divine power of dragons?”}

“Hmph, what’s so great about dragons? Let’s see more of your dragon tricks.”

{“Arrogant… Fine. I’ll let you taste the profound mystery of spells without holding back.”}

Forgetting when and why they started fighting, the two transcendent beings continued to unleash their fighting spirit, escalating the heat of battle.

As Crow Dragon Haegis gestured toward the ground, the cloud-formed dungeon terrain suddenly rose, revealing an army of bizarre soldiers. Clad in faintly golden bone armor, these formless soldiers, each wielding weapons imbued with subtle power, formed ranks. Sophia’s lips curled up.

{“Spartoi? Let’s see how far the dragon soldiers of this world can go.”}

Sophia crossed her arms, observing how the dragon soldiers would act.

Without hesitation, the dragon soldiers, following the commands input at their creation, began attacking Sophia. She watched calmly, soon letting out a short exclamation of admiration.

The dragon soldiers’ movements were both individually refined, like master swordsmen, and collectively precise, like an elite legion. They moved with intricate coordination, exuding a menacing killing intent toward Sophia.

In a normal situation, even the most boastful hero would find themselves in peril.

But Sophia, without even uncrossing her arms, effortlessly evaded all their attacks. Her movements were as casual as strolling through a garden, yet the dragon soldiers’ weapons couldn’t even touch her clothes, slashing harmlessly through the air.

However, the moment Sophia’s expression changed came soon.

Hearing a sizzling sound, Sophia’s eyes widened slightly.

{“Turning touched objects into gold?”}

Her gaze shifted to the ground where the dragon soldiers’ strikes had passed. Where nameless grass once grew on the cloud soil, something molten and red now pooled. Sophia intuitively recognized the molten metal as pure gold and understood how it had appeared.

There is a spell called Midas’ Blessing. When someone under this spell wields a weapon to damage something, the spell distorts the main strength and concepts around the damaged area, causing it to turn into molten gold. This phenomenon results from conceptual distortion.

However, among modern spellcasters, this spell is nothing more than a legendary rumor. Conceptual distortion and material transformation are among the highest forms of spellcraft, and gold, the result of such distortion, is uniquely stable both conceptually and materially.

Even using alchemical secrets, achieving this is uncertain, let alone deploying it as a curse or blessing through another’s hand. The implications were clear.

Crow Dragon Haegis’s spellcraft had transcended mere phenomena manipulation, reaching a realm where higher dimensions could be toyed with.

{“But what does that matter?”}

That was that, and this was this. They were in the midst of a battle fueled by mutual animosity. No matter how impressive Midas’ Blessing seemed, its manifestation was merely turning attacked areas into molten gold.

It added no profound complexity, unexpected gimmicks, or increased attack power. It didn’t enhance the dragon soldiers’ durability. At best, it created molten gold here and there—a threat to ordinary warriors but meaningless to superhumans like Sophia.

{“Hmph, don’t get cocky. I’ll show you something good soon.”}

But Haegis, as if aware of this, scoffed. Sophia, puzzled, soon realized the source of his confidence.

{“Huh, using infection phenomena for a chain formation?”}

Sophia’s eyes scanned her surroundings. Unseen by ordinary eyes, a chaotic, colorful mist of light intertwined irregularly, exuding oppressive energy.

Sophia’s lips twitched awkwardly, and a bead of cold sweat formed on her temple.

{“Haha… This might be a bit troublesome.”}

In an already dense main strength environment bringing the domain closer, Haegis further induced conceptual distortion. The residual main strength from the distorted concepts intertwined, creating a web. The implications were clear. At this moment, the distorted concepts around Sophia had entangled themselves.

The scars left by the dragon soldiers’ weapons, the molten gold created from them, and the resulting conceptual entanglement. What happens when concepts intertwine?

If water and fire concepts intertwine, spatial continuity loses order, and directions become chaotic. If material and phenomenal concepts intertwine, sharpness becomes sticky, and dullness becomes heat. Light gains weight, and darkness gains momentum.

If plants sprout translucent pink and purple leaves, brass-colored metallic flowers bloom, roots chase sunlight, and branches seek water. If water flows from the sea to mountains, fresh water dries to yield salt, and seawater quenches thirst.

If a single cell becomes as large as a planet, and a star becomes smaller than a speck of dust.

Of course, some of these are extreme assumptions, but conceptually distorting and intertwining concepts opens the door to such bizarre possibilities. When an entire space is enveloped in such distortion and entanglement, the laws within that space can no longer be said to match the outside.

People call such areas “Secret Realms,” and their masters “Secret Kings.”

{“From now on, this space is entirely under my control. I can now exert power exceeding my prime by 120%. I’ll let you taste the profound mysteries of supreme spellcraft.”}

{“You’ve turned the entire area into a Secret Realm, elevating yourself to a Secret King! Do you even know what you’ve done?”}

Sophia scolded Haegis. The world has constancy; minor conceptual distortions are restored over time. But transforming an entire area into a Secret Realm through complex means is different.

Once formed, a Secret Realm never naturally dissipates, not even by the Secret King themselves. By becoming a Secret King, one becomes the axis of conceptual distortion, detached from normal laws.

Thus, the only way to dissolve a Secret Realm is the death of the Secret King. Therefore, for Sophia to escape, she must kill Haegis, who has become the Secret King.

The dragon with a chicken’s beak had now sacrificed its own freedom for this battle with Sophia.

In response to Sophia’s scolding, Haegis curled the beak-like mouth’s corners, revealing a grin.

{“Of course, do you think I’m a fool who acts without knowing what I’m doing? It doesn’t matter anyway. This is, after all, just a dungeon.”}

A brief mutter. But Sophia could read the unspoken words.

This was not the city of the Bronze Age giants but merely a dungeon opened in the present, a recreation of ancient records through dungeon phenomena. Crow Dragon Haegis clearly understood this.

{“Our era has already perished. Now, we are but fragments of the past, indulging in a small miracle.”}

{“Hmm, not a wrong statement.”}

{“Sigh.”}

Lucas-Kukunis, who had been quietly listening, added a comment and quickly shrunk under Sophia’s glare.

{“Why would I fear becoming part of a Secret Realm now? My fate is no different anyway. So…”}

Discarding unnecessary thoughts, Haegis unleashed a sudden spell attack on Sophia.

{“Ugh!?”}

Of course, Sophia had no intention of taking it lying down. She had already sensed the main strength Haegis was secretly gathering during their conversation. The moment she detected the tremors of main strength released from Haegis’s spell socket, she raised her longsword.

{“You’re caught.”}

{“What?”}

A reverse spell formula triggered by the target’s reaction unfolded. The spell that followed defied Sophia’s expectations.

A blinding wind that obscured the five senses.

As the colorful wind subsided, Sophia’s expression turned incredulous.

Outwardly, nothing had changed. This was still the Bronze Age dungeon, a giant’s floating city on clouds, with Haegis’s golden Secret Realm spread out. The dragon soldiers still aimed their swords, and the sharp energies and main strength flows felt no different.

But Sophia muttered with a strange expression.

{“Hoho, this chicken-headed lizard has some tricks. An illusion that even deceives Qi Sense?”}

Outwardly, everything looked the same as before the spell. Visually and sensorily, the scene felt real. If Sophia weren’t somewhat versed in spells and hadn’t opened her mind’s eye through mastering Heart Sword and Mind-In-Action, even she might have been fooled.

As the illusion began to move, so did the reality hidden within. It wasn’t just the dragon soldiers moving.

The first layer was a physical and mental illusion combined. Behind it, the second layer was the real dragon soldiers moving. Behind these two similar veils, the Secret King, the chicken-headed dragon spellcaster, was crafting new spells in the folds of time.

{“Troublesome.”}

The gap between illusion and reality was minuscule. Differences in sword length, targeting trajectories—mere finger-width discrepancies. But in a master’s battle, such nuances could be decisive.

Though Sophia could see through the illusion with her mind’s eye, it wasn’t the same as completely dispelling it.

{“No choice.”}

Sophia sighed deeply and raised her longsword to her chest. In the next moment.

A flash of reflected light filled the world with countless sword images.

A single swing can draw one trajectory, but the possibilities branching from it are infinite.

With one swing, Sophia could destroy one dragon soldier. But now, she was simultaneously realizing infinite possibilities. The same swordplay she used earlier to stop the giants’ legion was now unfolding.

The difference was that while cutting down the giants was straightforward, eliminating the dragon soldiers required more finesse.

Each strike was delivered with full intent. Cutting beyond form, beyond pulsating phenomena, even beyond the mysteries of spells, to sever the essential concepts. Realizing countless trajectories through infinite possibilities. The mental strain was undoubtedly significant.

Even Sophia couldn’t sustain such consumption for long. So, she needed a decisive move.

After obliterating hundreds of dragon soldiers in one strike, Sophia leaped into the air.

{“Useless!”}

Watching the spell triggered by the dragon soldiers’ destruction, Sophia clicked her tongue, confident in her approach.

A calm mind is called purity, while a restless one is called recklessness. The human path lies in governing the mind’s movements, achieving balance.

The Immovable King’s teaching is to rein in the reckless mind and dwell in purity. Thus, there is no form, no emptiness, no life, no death—only the clear arising of true existence.

A flash of light filled the Secret Realm. The illusions and sorceries deceiving human senses were shattered like pottery. The Immovable King Wisdom Technique revealed its majesty.

 

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