600. Face-Off
I recognized the colossal creature in the distance in an instant. Of course I would. It had chased me down across a hundred miles and nearly ripped me apart. It was taller than an [Ancient Centinel] was long, and its body was thick— bloated and rotund, like it was a walking island. Tendrils fell from its face by the hundreds, and it carried its weight with four stubby clawed legs.
It was [The Great Agarus]. A Level 225 Primordial Demon that wanted to kill me.I should have been stricken with fear the moment I saw it. Even now, it was trying to kill me. A purple beam of light that could destroy mountains barely missed me, and I now floated staring back at its hundreds of beady black eyes.
But I didn’t panic. I remained calm, instead glancing over to [The World Of My Mind] waiting right ahead of me. I could escape into my pocket space— slip away from the Netherworld entirely. So I knew I was safe.
And not just that, but [The Great Agarus] was the least of my worries. There was an army of Demons converging on my location too. But more alarmingly…
I glanced up and towards a towering figure in the other direction of [The Great Agarus]. A creature that stood even taller than the Level 225 Primordial Demon. With seven serpent-like heads, and a wolf-like body, it was the largest creature I had ever seen. And it was also the highest-leveled being in all of the Nexeus.
It was the Beast.
And it dwarfed [The Great Agarus] in size. The Beast had to have been at least twice as long as the other Primordial Demon was tall. But at their size, comparing them didn’t even matter. Not for me. I slowly glanced between the two giant Demons.
They were both coming here, drawn on by the final act of defiance by the Deathsquad Hunters. They had all been slaughtered by me, my clones, and Haec. However, their leader, Venas, had created a beacon that attracted every wild Demon within dozens of miles— maybe even hundreds of miles— to our location.
Now, there was only one thing left for me to do.
“Run—”
I started as I flew forward, trying to get to the safety of my pocket space. But [The Great Agarus] roared once again and unleashed a second beam of purple light my way. I clicked my tongue as I barely swerved down in time to escape the attack.
This time, I watched with wide eyes as the blast barely missed [The World Of My Mind]. Haec had been standing at the entrance of the rift to my pocket space, and he ducked down as the purple beam whizzed by, ripping apart a faraway mountain range.
I sucked in a deep breath as Haec turned to me.
“Salvos! We have got to go!”
He screamed, and I paused for a moment. I gritted my teeth as I glanced back towards [The Great Agarus]. It ignored the swathes of wild Demons gathered around as its gaze was focused on me. It didn’t even notice the Beast lumbering in the distance either.
Its gaze was focused solely on me. And I remembered the last time I tried to flee from the Level 225 Primordial Demon by escaping into [The World Of My Mind].
[The Great Agarus] had completely destroyed the pocket space.
I wasn’t safe. Not even there. If I fled into it now, I would be endangering not just myself, but Haec and his friends too. I pursed my lips as I looked back towards [The Great Agarus].
It opened its mouth again, but this time, I flew up into the sky. Haec called after me, raising a hand.
“Salvos, what are you—”
However, my clones stopped him. They converged around the entrance to [The World Of My Mind], keeping Haec from escaping. They gave him a reassuring nod as he paused. And I continued to fly higher with a smile.
“You’re mad at me, aren’t you? You don’t even care about Venas’ stupid Grand Skill. You just want me dead because I have a Corrupted Title.”
I stared at [The Great Agarus] as its eyes flashed. It unhinged its jaw wider, and a dark sphere began to coalesce at its mouth. I recognized the attack it was about to unleash. And I shook my head.
“But I’m just a Primeval Demon. You’re a Primordial Demon. I’m not nearly strong enough to take you on… yet.”
[The Great Agarus] screeched. The dark sphere shot forward as space itself warped around me. I bared my teeth and spread my arms wide.
“So why don’t you pick on someone your own level, huh? Now you see me, now you don’t!”
I exclaimed as I raised a hand, before an iridescent aura covered me. But it wasn’t an aura of invulnerability, nor was it divinity. It was a coalescing of fractal petals that obfuscated space itself. It was the corruption.
My [Protection of Corruption].
It gave me an armor that would protect me from most attacks. However, this was the magic of a Primordial Demon. My [Protection of Corruption] couldn’t possibly repel it. Which was why that was not the purpose it served.
I recalled how I escaped from [The Great Agarus] nearly a day or so ago. I had used my [Protection of Corruption] to… mask my presence. Because the Primordial Demon couldn’t see me. It couldn’t perceive the corruption.
And that was what I did now to escape.
I watched as the dark sphere flew straight towards me like a vortex. But it moved slow— slow enough for me to move out of the way. Normally, it would pull me straight into its center. However, thanks to [Protection of Corruption], I was fine.
I dove straight down, heading back to the sliver of shredded space waiting for me below that was [The World Of My Mind]. Behind me, the dark sphere shot past me, ripping apart the nearby landscape as it flew straight for…
I glanced back at the distance— past the sea of charging wild Demons being swept up by the vortex— straight towards a lumbering figure with seven heads.
I stared at the Beast as it continued to mindlessly walk forward. And a moment later, it stepped right into the path of the dark sphere.
I watched as a powerful explosion blasted out right as I entered [The World Of My Mind]. I crashed and rolled on the hard, glass-like surface, before the rift slammed shut behind me. All at once, I watched as a blinding light engulfed the distant horizon. I placed a hand on the ground, and the light dimmed.
The world around us began to darken. Haec rushed to my side as he steadied me, trying to help me to my feet. But I brushed him off.
“Give me a moment— I need to concentrate.”
He blinked, and I twisted my hands on the ground. The world around us brightened for a moment, before shifting. Bertrugil, Taburas, and Aemula ran up to my side as well.
“What’s going on?”
Bertrugil asked with narrowed eyes. Taburas just gasped.
“Everything is… moving.”
She whispered as she swept her gaze over our surroundings. Aemula frowned.
“This wasn’t what happened earlier. Everything just went dark.”
“It’s because I’m moving us between the folds of the Netherworld. Watch—”
I spoke as the Netherworld seemed to spin around us, glowing and dimming at the same time. My pocket space carried us over hundreds of wild Demons, and they never once noticed us. Because we were in our own little enclosed space, even as we traversed the Netherworld.
I learned this from my dad. I wasn’t as good as him at doing this, but it was much more efficient than leaving the Netherworld entirely, before returning to a different spot. That was what my clones did earlier to transport Haec, Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula to the Deathsquad Hunters.
With that method, it was easier to travel, but it was far more taxing to me since we’d be entering the fold between the planes. With this method, I was simply folding the Netherworld itself and moving through it.
I shook my head as I looked up through the tinted glass-like walls of [The World Of My Mind]. I cast my gaze towards the horizon as the exploding vortex began to fade away. And from the crater, emerged ten serpent-like heads.
The heads of the Beast. They had multiplied, and now, they no longer wore the mindless expression they did before. Each face wore a different expression of anger. Its wrath was palpable, even from where I stood.
The Beast swept its gaze over the landscape, before it finally looked towards [The Great Agarus]. The two Primordial Demons faced each other, letting out horrible shrieks.
And I grinned at what I was about to see.
“The strongest being in all the Nexeus… show me what you’ve got.”
600. Face-Off
I recognized the colossal creature in the distance in an instant. Of course I would. It had chased me down across a hundred miles and nearly ripped me apart. It was taller than an [Ancient Centinel] was long, and its body was thick— bloated and rotund, like it was a walking island. Tendrils fell from its face by the hundreds, and it carried its weight with four stubby clawed legs.
It was [The Great Agarus]. A Level 225 Primordial Demon that wanted to kill me.I should have been stricken with fear the moment I saw it. Even now, it was trying to kill me. A purple beam of light that could destroy mountains barely missed me, and I now floated staring back at its hundreds of beady black eyes.
But I didn’t panic. I remained calm, instead glancing over to [The World Of My Mind] waiting right ahead of me. I could escape into my pocket space— slip away from the Netherworld entirely. So I knew I was safe.
And not just that, but [The Great Agarus] was the least of my worries. There was an army of Demons converging on my location too. But more alarmingly…
I glanced up and towards a towering figure in the other direction of [The Great Agarus]. A creature that stood even taller than the Level 225 Primordial Demon. With seven serpent-like heads, and a wolf-like body, it was the largest creature I had ever seen. And it was also the highest-leveled being in all of the Nexeus.
It was the Beast.
And it dwarfed [The Great Agarus] in size. The Beast had to have been at least twice as long as the other Primordial Demon was tall. But at their size, comparing them didn’t even matter. Not for me. I slowly glanced between the two giant Demons.
They were both coming here, drawn on by the final act of defiance by the Deathsquad Hunters. They had all been slaughtered by me, my clones, and Haec. However, their leader, Venas, had created a beacon that attracted every wild Demon within dozens of miles— maybe even hundreds of miles— to our location.
Now, there was only one thing left for me to do.
“Run—”
I started as I flew forward, trying to get to the safety of my pocket space. But [The Great Agarus] roared once again and unleashed a second beam of purple light my way. I clicked my tongue as I barely swerved down in time to escape the attack.
This time, I watched with wide eyes as the blast barely missed [The World Of My Mind]. Haec had been standing at the entrance of the rift to my pocket space, and he ducked down as the purple beam whizzed by, ripping apart a faraway mountain range.
I sucked in a deep breath as Haec turned to me.
“Salvos! We have got to go!”
He screamed, and I paused for a moment. I gritted my teeth as I glanced back towards [The Great Agarus]. It ignored the swathes of wild Demons gathered around as its gaze was focused on me. It didn’t even notice the Beast lumbering in the distance either.
Its gaze was focused solely on me. And I remembered the last time I tried to flee from the Level 225 Primordial Demon by escaping into [The World Of My Mind].
[The Great Agarus] had completely destroyed the pocket space.
I wasn’t safe. Not even there. If I fled into it now, I would be endangering not just myself, but Haec and his friends too. I pursed my lips as I looked back towards [The Great Agarus].
It opened its mouth again, but this time, I flew up into the sky. Haec called after me, raising a hand.
“Salvos, what are you—”
However, my clones stopped him. They converged around the entrance to [The World Of My Mind], keeping Haec from escaping. They gave him a reassuring nod as he paused. And I continued to fly higher with a smile.
“You’re mad at me, aren’t you? You don’t even care about Venas’ stupid Grand Skill. You just want me dead because I have a Corrupted Title.”
I stared at [The Great Agarus] as its eyes flashed. It unhinged its jaw wider, and a dark sphere began to coalesce at its mouth. I recognized the attack it was about to unleash. And I shook my head.
“But I’m just a Primeval Demon. You’re a Primordial Demon. I’m not nearly strong enough to take you on… yet.”
[The Great Agarus] screeched. The dark sphere shot forward as space itself warped around me. I bared my teeth and spread my arms wide.
“So why don’t you pick on someone your own level, huh? Now you see me, now you don’t!”
I exclaimed as I raised a hand, before an iridescent aura covered me. But it wasn’t an aura of invulnerability, nor was it divinity. It was a coalescing of fractal petals that obfuscated space itself. It was the corruption.
My [Protection of Corruption].
It gave me an armor that would protect me from most attacks. However, this was the magic of a Primordial Demon. My [Protection of Corruption] couldn’t possibly repel it. Which was why that was not the purpose it served.
I recalled how I escaped from [The Great Agarus] nearly a day or so ago. I had used my [Protection of Corruption] to… mask my presence. Because the Primordial Demon couldn’t see me. It couldn’t perceive the corruption.
And that was what I did now to escape.
I watched as the dark sphere flew straight towards me like a vortex. But it moved slow— slow enough for me to move out of the way. Normally, it would pull me straight into its center. However, thanks to [Protection of Corruption], I was fine.
I dove straight down, heading back to the sliver of shredded space waiting for me below that was [The World Of My Mind]. Behind me, the dark sphere shot past me, ripping apart the nearby landscape as it flew straight for…
I glanced back at the distance— past the sea of charging wild Demons being swept up by the vortex— straight towards a lumbering figure with seven heads.
I stared at the Beast as it continued to mindlessly walk forward. And a moment later, it stepped right into the path of the dark sphere.
I watched as a powerful explosion blasted out right as I entered [The World Of My Mind]. I crashed and rolled on the hard, glass-like surface, before the rift slammed shut behind me. All at once, I watched as a blinding light engulfed the distant horizon. I placed a hand on the ground, and the light dimmed.
The world around us began to darken. Haec rushed to my side as he steadied me, trying to help me to my feet. But I brushed him off.
“Give me a moment— I need to concentrate.”
He blinked, and I twisted my hands on the ground. The world around us brightened for a moment, before shifting. Bertrugil, Taburas, and Aemula ran up to my side as well.
“What’s going on?”
Bertrugil asked with narrowed eyes. Taburas just gasped.
“Everything is… moving.”
She whispered as she swept her gaze over our surroundings. Aemula frowned.
“This wasn’t what happened earlier. Everything just went dark.”
“It’s because I’m moving us between the folds of the Netherworld. Watch—”
I spoke as the Netherworld seemed to spin around us, glowing and dimming at the same time. My pocket space carried us over hundreds of wild Demons, and they never once noticed us. Because we were in our own little enclosed space, even as we traversed the Netherworld.
I learned this from my dad. I wasn’t as good as him at doing this, but it was much more efficient than leaving the Netherworld entirely, before returning to a different spot. That was what my clones did earlier to transport Haec, Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula to the Deathsquad Hunters.
With that method, it was easier to travel, but it was far more taxing to me since we’d be entering the fold between the planes. With this method, I was simply folding the Netherworld itself and moving through it.
I shook my head as I looked up through the tinted glass-like walls of [The World Of My Mind]. I cast my gaze towards the horizon as the exploding vortex began to fade away. And from the crater, emerged ten serpent-like heads.
The heads of the Beast. They had multiplied, and now, they no longer wore the mindless expression they did before. Each face wore a different expression of anger. Its wrath was palpable, even from where I stood.
The Beast swept its gaze over the landscape, before it finally looked towards [The Great Agarus]. The two Primordial Demons faced each other, letting out horrible shrieks.
And I grinned at what I was about to see.
“The strongest being in all the Nexeus… show me what you’ve got.”
