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The moment I crossed the Dimension Door, I realized.

This place is neither the Underworld nor the real world, but something completely different.

A rift connecting each of our worlds, or perhaps a passage.

It was a very dangerous place that could easily turn into a dimension maze, preventing us from ever returning to our original world.

While it might seem overly perilous, the truth is, the power of Ionia, which simply flings open the door without relying on such passages, is just too abnormal. Normally, utilizing such passages is standard when moving across dimensions.

It’s an odd sensation. In a space devoid of up or down, left or right, being pulled by an unknown force feels almost like endlessly falling or endlessly rising.

But right now, that wasn’t what was important.

In the pitch-black darkness, I caught sight of the Undying Legion Commander hovering just ahead of me.

“I won’t let you get away.”

Despite being in a place without gravity or ground to stand on, I bent my waist as far as I could in mid-air and then propelled myself rapidly towards him with a strong push.

[That damned creature…!!]

As if he had noticed me chasing him through the Dimension Door, the Undying Legion Commander hastily drew upon Dark Magic. A curse, sickly and weakening, layered over me like hundreds of strands.

But magic was useless against me. As I swung my spear through the void, all the spells were torn apart. Some fragments of the shredded curse clung to my body, but on my robust physique, they had no impact and simply dissipated.

However, casting hundreds of curses was merely a stalling tactic for the Undying Legion Commander. Around him, five dark orbs of energy formed as he gathered as much Dark Magic as he could. They coalesced into beams of darkness that shot directly towards me.

[Die!]

Each beam had the power of a 7th circle spell, capable of collapsing city walls and piercing gate doors. Facing such a barrage, I calmly reflected.

“Weak.”

Had it been the Undying Legion Commander from the past war, he would have unleashed spells of disaster level 8th circle instead of just 7th. No matter how specialized in necromancy he was, he was still a formidable being worthy of the title ‘Commander’.

However, the revived Undying Legion Commander was not at that level. He was still a powerful Dark Sorcerer who could feel like a calamity to an ordinary person, but he no longer felt like an absolute powerhouse like the commanders of that era. He was not at the Grand Master level, that much was clear.

It seemed he had not fully revived. Thinking that, I gripped Ezetus’ spear tightly and raised it forward. The rapidly spinning spear formed a circular defense like a shield, splitting and repelling all the beams.

Boom! Bang!

The scattered beams that had been shattered became lodged in various places within the dimensional passage. At that moment, I felt an odd sensation coursing through my entire body. To put it metaphorically, it felt like I was suddenly swept away in a strong current after diving deep underwater.

[Cough! The dimension passage is taking damage…!]

As the beams lodged into the passage started to tear it apart, all sorts of different worlds began to appear beyond the fissures. From worlds bathed in divine light to those filled with the horrific evil and hellfire, and others overflowing with nature and spirits or brimming only with ice and death.

The Undying Legion Commander, panicked, spoke hurriedly.

[Stop! This place is too dangerous! Let’s get out first and fight outside! If we keep this up, the passage will collapse and we’ll both become lost in the dimension maze! We won’t be able to return to our original dimension!]

‘You want to fight outside?’

At a glance, it sounded like a reasonable suggestion. Falling through that fissure might hurl us into some unknown, bizarre world.

However, instead of replying, I lunged my spear straight for his head.

The Dark Magic shield shattered in an instant as he lifted his arms in a panic. Crack! The spear tip lodged more than halfway into the reformed left arm bone of the Undying Legion Commander.

“No! You will die here-!”

I gripped the spear tightly and twisted as hard as I could. Crunch! The Undying Legion’s left arm broke and fell away into the fissure.

[You damned creature! Are you trying to take us both down…!!]

I had no intention of dying. And while I had said I would kill him, I didn’t plan on killing the Undying Legion Commander just yet. It was a fact he didn’t need to know, but I needed to learn what schemes he had employed against Ella and how to safely extract her.

And of course, I had no intention of believing the treacherous words of a Dark Sorcerer.

Even if fighting here was dangerous, who knows what he might plan while moving through the passage? He could easily cross first and quickly close the exit. After all, wasn’t I already prepared for some degree of risk when I crossed the Dimension Door?

I decided to trust my instincts.

As I stayed as close as possible to the Undying Legion Commander, I thrust and swung my spear like a madman. In a place where there’s no gravity or direction, once you latch on, it’s hard to let go. Dark Magic swirled around me, and beams struck my back. They hit me. Close-range fights are my specialty. If I take one hit, I can strike twice more in return.

[Graaaahhh!]

“Whaaa-!!”

Red trails and dark beams illuminated the darkness of the dimension. I swung my spear and sliced through bones. The beams continuously hammered my body, but my sturdy armor and robust physique could withstand 7th circle Dark Magic without breaking a sweat. Clearly, the Undying Legion Commander was the one taking the losses.

However, even though I was gaining the upper hand, I was not pleased with this situation.

‘He’s become more tenacious.’

Years ago, the Undying Legion Commander boasted a resilience like a cockroach that couldn’t be killed no matter how many times you struck it down. But that was only possible because he hid his main body, only acting through clones. The Undying Legion Commander’s true body was a living elf, easily killed with a spear.

However, the current Undying Legion Commander was entirely undead. Even if I broke his bones, he regenerated in no time.

Was the source of this regeneration the souls he absorbed from the Underworld? Every time I struck down the Undying Legion Commander, I could see the souls that entered the passage trying to merge with him. Of course, they were all obliterated by Ezetus’ spear, but still.

Then, his regeneration was not infinite. However, the fact that I had no clear way to kill him was undeniably bothersome.

‘Then I will keep stabbing until he dies.’

I thrust and stabbed at his head, neck, heart, solar plexus, and various vital spots over and over. I had no way of knowing if it was effective. But I thought that if I kept this up, he must eventually die one day.

After stabbing his vital areas about five times, the Undying Legion Commander could no longer contain his anger.

[You bastard…! Enough already!!]

His eyes emitted a blue glow. At that moment, immense Dark Magic erupted explosively between us.

I stopped attacking, curled up, and crossed my arms to defend myself.

Boom!!

“Cough…!”

The arms of my armor cracked and splintered from the explosion, and the shock jostled my insides. If I had taken that explosion head-on without any defense, it would have been dangerous. However, the condition of the Undying Legion Commander, who had received that explosion with no defense at all, looked far worse.

[Ugh, urghh…!]

His robe was completely torn to shreds, and his upper body was gaping open around the chest area. His lower half was nowhere to be seen. Yet despite that, the Undying Legion Commander did not die and began to form hand signs.

He was taking time to cast a spell!

I was about to leap at him once more, but the explosion had pushed me too far back. Realizing I would be too late, I threw my spear. A red trail cut through the darkness as it flew. Yet before the spear tip could reach the Undying Legion Commander, he managed to cast his spell just a split second faster.

[To give up on all the souls in this passage! Damn it…! Dimension Leap!]

At that instant, the Undying Legion Commander’s body split into dozens of copies and surged forward. He was moving so fast that my eyes couldn’t keep up, creating afterimages.

I rushed to chase the quickly disappearing back of the Undying Legion Commander, but it was a speed I couldn’t dare to match. Just as I was soaring after the barely visible trace of his presence…

‘His presence… vanished.’

The Undying Legion Commander had finally crossed the Dimension Door.

I instinctively felt that there was now no way to chase him. As soon as he crossed, what he would do first was obvious. He would eliminate the exit he had created! If I kept flying, the exit leading outside would already be closed.

In the darkness, I felt a brief sense of frustration.

As abandoned souls without a master surged towards me as prey, I obliterated them one by one with Ezetus while lost in thought.

Should I be trapped forever in a passage with no entrance or exit?

I gazed at the torn dimensional passage due to the intense battle. Just like when I entered the treasury, should I perhaps rip through space with Ezetus and see what’s inside?

If I did so, I could escape this passage, but what dimension lay beyond it remained uncertain. I might fall back into the original dimension like a miracle, or I could also stumble into a completely unknown new dimension.

But if I stayed like this, I would only be left alone in the maze of the dimensions.

Even if it was somewhat dangerous, if there was a method, I had to try anything.

That was when I solidified my resolve.

“…Hmm?”

From beyond the dimensional rift, something gray was flying toward me.

A massive being with an overwhelming presence was soaring through the dimension. No, was it a spirit? The gray creature with its wings spread wide was flying through the dimensional rift with incredible ease.

At first, I thought it was just an illusion. Perhaps an unknown spirit passing by. But that entity was flying straight toward me, precisely aiming at me.

On guard just in case it was an enemy, I raised my spear.

However, I couldn’t help but be taken aback when I heard the voice coming from that being.

[Instructor Ion!]

That was the voice of Titania.

 

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