Worlds Collide (3)
Everyone has those childhood fantasies at least once.
What if the sun came closer to the earth? That was one of them.
Dalen had those thoughts too. As a child, he imagined it might just make things a bit warmer.
Perhaps it was because he had those thoughts during a particularly cold winter. The kind where the pipes froze and he shivered uncontrollably.
Rumble…
As he grew older, he realized such a thing was impossible. And if it did happen, it would mean the end of the world.
Of course, he never imagined he would witness such a catastrophe firsthand.
Just like he never expected to be dropped into a fantasy continent straight out of a game.
Ssshhh…
The moisture in the air evaporated instantly. His mouth felt dry, his eyes gritty.
The heat that settled on his skin was far beyond the air of a sauna. For an ordinary person, it would have been hot enough to cook their lungs and throat.
But Dalen’s tough skin was unaffected. The environment around him, however, was not so fortunate.
Crackle… Whoosh!
A small patch of grass at his feet dried up in an instant, smoke rising before it burst into flames.
Even the plants, which had survived the sulfuric seas and toxic air, couldn’t withstand this.
“No wonder there’s no snow on the snowy mountains. It all evaporated.”
The blackened peaks that had risen through the sea of lava were likely scorched for the same reason.
The relentless black lightning from the sky played a part, but the true culprit for the vanished snow and charred ground was undoubtedly the sun.
Rumble…
The dark sun blazed down from the sky, black lightning swirling like clouds. Between the scorched valleys, red lava flowed like rivers.
The souls of those sacrificed wandered above this hellscape, screaming.
It was a scene befitting the great hell of a malevolent god.
“Opening a domain won’t be enough.”
The master of this hell said, twirling an axe in his left hand.
“You can’t defeat a god with shadows alone. If you plan to take down a malevolent god, keep that in mind.”
Dalen nodded. He knew it too.
Defeating the god’s physical form was merely a temporary measure.
As long as the great hell remained, another malevolent god or a high-ranking demon could assume its power at any time.
“Only another world can destroy and consume a world. Move your world. You can do it now.”
Dalen smiled. The effort had taken its toll, and his smile was half-ashen.
”…”
Without a word, Dalen turned away. He walked slowly to the edge of the island.
Standing at the brink, he looked up.
The black sun, drawing ever closer, cast shifting shadows across his face.
Dalen’s words were true. He could move his domain.
When he grasped the fragment of the seventh hierarchy in the Red Dragon War’s crimson sky, he realized he had the right to move worlds.
But the instinctive knowledge that the collision of worlds would leave permanent scars on the realm beyond his imagination made him hesitate.
He also worried about the aftermath of such a clash, fearing it might endanger his companions.
But now was not the time for hesitation.
Exhale—
A light breath.
He raised his sword.
Gripping the hilt firmly with both hands, the sword’s tip reached toward the sky, crumpling the space like fabric.
───━━━
The process of one world tearing into another. This was the third time he had witnessed such an invasion.
The ‘Land of the Dead’ partially descended by Temomron through the body of an avatar.
The ‘Red Dragon War’ that the Dragon God had unfolded around the main base over several months.
And now, the black sun piercing through the labyrinth’s depths before his eyes.
Upon reaching divinity, he gained the right, and after witnessing it three times, he grasped the method.
All that remained was his own will. As he exhaled, the holy sword cleaved through the heated air.
──━━│││
The world split once more.
Forcing open a gap, alien laws and orders poured in.
┃┃││││┃┃
The ground shook violently with each collision.
The floor of the black valley cracked open, revealing the depths of the abyss below.
Though the labyrinth’s boundaries were collapsing again, Dalen paid it no mind. Nor did Dalen.
In the midst of the collision that erased the labyrinth’s original scenery, their eyes were fixed solely on each other’s sword tips.
「Domain Descent.」
「The Light of Beginnings on the Snowy Mountain」
It began with a pillar of light.
Similar to the light that filled the monitor at the start of the game, the pillar of light had stood at the center of Dalen’s domain since he ascended to the sixth hierarchy.
The black mountains and valleys, akin to a hellscape, began to vanish rapidly around the pillar of light that pierced the sky.
Rumble…
The eternal snow pushed away the black soil.
Newly risen peaks toppled the existing mountain ranges.
「The Sea of Thunder that Swallowed Hell」
A sea of multicolored lightning pushed against the black sun.
「The Closed Sky of the Snowy Mountain」
Below, crimson clouds tore into the black lightning clouds.
「The Frost Guardian Above the Sky」
The icy chill swirling around the peaks clashed head-on with the overflowing lava.
Amidst the deafening explosions of extreme heat and cold colliding, the wandering souls beneath the black sun coalesced into the form of a giant beast.
[I’ll handle that. Focus on the warrior.]
「The Cliff Where the Reborn Dragon Rests」
A whisper left by the passing crimson dragon.
The soul conglomerate, too, transformed into a dragon upon spotting her.
A crimson orb formed at the maw of the adversary. It soon became a beam that cleaved the sky.
The soul dragon opened its decaying maw wide. A black breath, condensed with curses and malice, met the crimson beam.
━━━╋╋╋╋━━━
The sky warped.
The entire world was distorting.
Overturned mountain ranges. Freezing lava. Pristine eternal snow mixed with parched earth. Lightning and flames devoured each other, screaming in agony.
In the collision of two worlds, the original scenery of the labyrinth was effectively erased.
The only thing left intact was the ground beneath Dalen and Dalen. A narrow, pillar-like rock island about a hundred paces in diameter.
“Just the two of us now.”
“Yeah.”
Dalen spoke first, and Dalen shrugged.
In the next moment, both figures vanished from their spots.
Thud, thud, thud──!!
The sound of air being torn apart.
Blurred afterimages swept across the narrow rock island.
Like poorly captured camera shots, the two warriors appeared and disappeared in flashes.
Only the deep footprints and sword marks on the solid stone floor testified to their movements, which transcended physical limits.
Clang—!
Swords clashed. The overwhelming force caused the blades to repel rather than entangle. They didn’t resist the recoil. Instead, they drew arcs, aiming for the side with an upward slash.
Thud!
A crude hand axe blocked it. It was Dalen’s axe. Though a crack ran through the axe blade, the advance of the holy sword halted. Squeezing through the gap was the blue sword light of the sword Dyrandal.
「Thunder Spear」
The royal knight’s sword intertwined with the yellow spear of lightning. The downward slash was blocked by the shaft of the electric spear. Twisting to deflect and thrusting the sword tip. The spear spun in hand, deflecting and thrusting again.
With the holy sword and hand axe entangled, only their opposite hands moved, targeting vital points, as shockwaves erupted from their exchanges.
The end of the exchange was a flash. The thunder spear exploded, releasing a concentrated bolt of lightning.
Boom—!
The belated sound of thunder. The two figures, suspended in mid-air, flew backward.
As soon as the distance widened, incantations and spells followed. Even before finding a foothold, a symphony of spells clashed.
「Wind Blade: Ballad」
Thousands of blades of wind surged like waves.
「Spring’s Resonance」
「Clear Wave’s Cleave」
In response, a massive tidal wave emerged from the void.
「Red Flame God’s Step: Remaining Wall」
Dozens of footsteps struck the air, spewing lava.
「Red Flame Pillar」
「Three Forces Reversal」
Hundreds of pillars of fire burst forth, breaking through the wall of footprints in the air.
Flame met flame, each trying to consume the other, while lightning and lightning intertwined, and cold clashed fiercely.
The holy sword and the royal sword, naturally released to form seals, continued exchanging blows in the air without pause.
The axe that had left Dallain’s hand was now holding back the relics that had burst forth from the rift in space.
“Spell Armor: Quadruple Layer”
“Azure Thunder Armor”
“White Wind Armor”
“Flame Armor”
“River Burst Armor”
In a moment of relentless spellcasting, Dallain enveloped himself in a protective layer, using a simple hand gesture to weave together four different spells. Despite the complexity, it required no incantation, just a brief gesture. Yet, that brief moment was enough to disrupt the delicate balance.
“Black Thunder”
Boom!
A bolt of lightning, faster than the thunder, shattered Dallain’s head. The newly formed spell armor was torn apart like paper. The remnants of the shattered spell scattered, and Dallain’s eyebrow twitched. The fragments of magic were real, but the contents of the shattered head were not.
“Return to the Abyss”
“What are you looking at?”
A voice, laced with laughter, whispered from behind. A black lightning bolt shot towards the direction of the voice.
“Black Thunder”
“Nameless Blade”
The black lightning struck another head, which exploded—it was a decoy. Another bolt tore an arm to shreds, but it was another fake. As the chest collapsed and was pierced, the body burst as if struck by a giant’s fist. Thousands of black lightning bolts rained down, tearing and burning hundreds of illusions.
“The Sky of Ash at the End”
“Infinite Dispersal”
Yet, just as the black lightning seemed endless, so too did the decoys, crafted with the art of transcending space, appear limitless. In this realm, where the laws of reality were bent, there were no limits.
“Yes! That’s it!”
Dallain shouted with laughter, his face now ashen up to his eyes. His red eyes, losing color like scales peeling away, reflected Dallain’s form, now right in front of him.
“Do you see now? Those with divine power don’t bend the world’s laws—they rewrite them from scratch!”
”······.”
Unlike the excited Dallain, Dallain remained silent, not out of choice but necessity. Even with near-infinite decoys, breaking through the endless waves of black lightning was no easy feat. His body was covered in countless scars, torn and burned, with white steam of dragon’s blood rising from them.
Hiss—
His fist moved through the white smoke. A simple punch, ending in a faint flash. It was the same strike that had erased the high priest of a cult in a hidden chamber of the labyrinth city long ago, the strike that had felled countless foes, including the demon Golakap, and subdued transcendents like Daltalion.
“Thunder Strike”
Dallain, now almost entirely gray, laughed low and extended his fist. A black flash gathered in his hand. The white flash and black flash collided, and with the thunderous sound that followed, the rocky island beneath them crumbled to dust.
Boom—!
The two worlds, locked in a relentless struggle, wavered and began to fall into the abyss below the collapsed labyrinth.
Akasha shivered, causing the tray in his hands to fall to the floor.
Crash!
The teacups and teapot shattered, and Lucia, who had been intently studying the map on the table, turned her head in surprise.
“Akasha, are you okay?”
“Uh, I… I…”
The young man with silver-blue hair stammered, his usual composure gone, leaving Lucia puzzled. Was he nervous about the upcoming battle? He hadn’t shown any signs of it earlier.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, someone lightly knocked on the doorframe. It was Felber, the tower master of Elgaia’s Magic Tower.
“Akasha. There you are.”
“Tower Master.”
“Sir Lucia, I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?”
“No, Tower Master. Please, go ahead.”
The elderly magician took a deep breath, as if to steady himself, and spoke slowly.
“If it’s alright, may I borrow Akasha for a moment?”