Chapter 419: The Dimensional Gap, and the Man Known as Yura.
The variants that have their cores pierced through by [Gladius] released black smoke and disappeared.
There are already no moving variants in the surroundings. Several golden skeletons are still wandering about, but Suu silently stomped on them with Ortlinde Overlord and wiped them off.
"Reinforcements aren't coming, huh."
I turned the viewing camera towards the eerily silent golden palace. This is the end for them… Is probably not the case. Are they waiting for us?
"Touya-san, it's Elze-san and the others."
When I turned around after hearing Yumina's message, Elze's Gerhilde, Sakura's Rossweisse, as well as Ende's Dragoon were coming towards us.
Nn? What happened to Ende's high mobility mode? What the, isn't he pretty beaten up?
When I zoomed in towards the Dragoon, one of its antenna horn was broken, one of its legs is missing the wheels, and there's a hole in its shoulder.
Ah-ah. Rosetta's gonna cry when she sees this. It'll most likely take a lot of effort for repairs.
"Seems like you've been done in pretty badly."
"The opponent was tougher than I thought. Well, we finished him off, at least."
When I opened communications, the same-as-ever aloof voice of Ende's came back. So the person himself is okay, at least. Right then, Elze's voice cut into the chat.
"Isn't it Mel who did it by herself? I saw that as well, you know. I'm looking forward to what Shishou will say later."
"Touya, your fiancées have terrible personalities don't they!?"
"They're wonderful women, what about it?"
Don't bring that to me, you stupid idiot. The sacrifice is enough with you alone.
Leaving the idiot aside, we began heading towards the golden palace.
Although we've been calling it a golden palace, from appearance, it's more of a gold mountain. And it's definitely not made out of gold. With angular protrusions and pillars jutting out here and there irregularly, it gives off a steep and dangerous feeling.
We did find something that looks like an entrance, but its only around 4 meters high, and entering using Frame Gears is not going to be possible.
"Everyone, let's get off for now."
Landing on the ground, I got out of Reginleiv, and stored the frame back into my [Storage]. Everyone else did the same, and Ende also stored his Dragoon back into one of the microscope slide-like things he had.
We climbed up the mountain towards the entrance which is located around the middle. Well, I say climb but all I did was cast [Levitation] on everyone and bringing them up with me using [Fly].
The entrance was cut into the side of the mountain in a beautiful rectangular shape. Its height is about 4m, and its width about 2.5m.
A dull golden glow could be seen from the pathway that extends straight into the mountain from the entrance. How should I say it, this… It's way too suspicious. There are absolutely no signs of the enemy, as if they're expressly putting up a sign that says "There's a trap here, you know".
Well, we'll have to move forward regardless. Still, nothing beats having precautions.
"[Prison]."
I erected a protective barrier around us with myself at the center.
"Alright, let's move in. Ende, check our rear for me."
"Got it."
I walked down the straight path together with everyone. As we walked, our footsteps echoed around us with no other sound present, amplifying the silence in the surroundings.
We don't know where the enemy will strike at us from. While fighting our nervousness, we nevertheless proceeded onward.
"This is pretty long, isn't it."
While looking backwards, Linze muttered. The entrance we entered from has already become so small that we cannot make it out. The path seems to be ever-so-slightly tilting downwards. That means we are currently heading underground.
Since it became dark, Linze casted a [Light] spell for us.
"Does he plan to just collapse the mountain and bury us alive-degozarou ka?"
"Hey, don't say things like that!"
Elze retorted at Yae's words. When I told them that that won't happen since there's the [Prison], everyone looked visibly relieved.
"Nn?"
"Ah."
"Oh?"
Myself and Mel, as well as Ende stopped our feet. So the two of them felt that too, huh.
"What happened?"
Luu asked in a concerned voice. If I stay silent, it'll probably only make her more anxious, so I should explain properly here.
"I felt the space shaking just now. I think the area ahead connects to a separate dimension."
"By 'separate dimension'… Do you mean something like [Hangar]?"
"Right. A place next to your world, yet doesn't exist anywhere… It's what you guys know as the 'Dimensional Gap'."
Ende filled in the rest. The dimensional gap was the place from which the Phrases came to our world, as well as a space in which it is possible to connect to other worlds… Was what I heard from World God-sama.
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"How should I say this; I can't really explain that well, but… There is that school thing that you went to back in your old world, right, Touya-kun? We can look at one classroom as a single world; using that metaphor, I would be something like the principal."
"Huh…"
What's he saying all of a sudden? Well, World God-sama does have the same kind of looks as a certain magic school's principal in a film.
"And, the walls that separate the classrooms and the corridors would be the 'world barrier', and if you climb up a flight of stairs to the next floor, you can go to higher-ranked worlds… Something along those lines. I guess this place would be the rooftop, then? I'm the one with the highest authority in that school, but I don't actually know what's going on in each and
every classroom. You can say that every class is self-study. If an actual school does that it would probably be closed down within a week, but this is only an example, so don't pay much attention to it."
Well, it's a school that has an uncountable number of classrooms and who knows how many floors, after all, so knowing everything is impossible even if you're a god. Plus, those classrooms don't even have teachers-in-charge.
"And so. The ones known as 'Phrases' would be something like the flies and mosquitoes that fly around in the corridor. They aim at the gap created when, say, the classroom door opens, and enters the classroom. And you guys would destroy them."
"Yeah, I can somehow follow that."
"The corridors, obviously, would be the 'dimensional gap'. Normally, when you cross between worlds, you absolutely have to cross through those gaps first. Only the divine can transfer directly between classrooms without passing through the corridors. That would be the [Dimensional Transfer] skill that we use."
I see. So each and every world has a dimensional gap next to it, and the Phrases as well as people like Ende come and go between worlds using that, basically.
Basically it's how like delinquents always hang out in the hallways, isn't it.
"It's troublesome, isn't it."
"Indeed it is. We can't just spray insecticide in the corridors too, since that would kill the good bugs there as well."
Inside my head, the image of Ende falling to the floor with foam coming out of his mouth together with a bunch of Phrases appeared.
Indiscriminate killing is definitely overdoing it, no matter what. While thinking about how nothing in the world ever goes the way one wants, I drank the tea World God-sama poured for me.
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End of recollection.
Right now, it seems that we've stepped into a space similar to that 'dimensional gap'.
"We're being lured in… Aren't we?"
"I wonder? In any case, we can't turn back now."
We continued heading forward. Eventually, the seemingly-endless corridor ended, and we got out into a wide courtyard-like place. The ceiling is too high to be seen with the darkness in this place. This place somehow resembles a temple. The temple of the evil god, or something like that?
"Touya-san, there…!"
"Mu…!"
I looked ahead as I heard Yumina's voice. Directly in front, a dark golden mass, that looks like a cocoon or an egg, sat in silence.
Huge. It's bigger than Frame Gears. Its shape is that of an upright egg, and something like spider's silk is wrapped all around it, extending all the way to the floor and walls around. It looks very much like the pupal stage of an insect.
And on top of that pupa, there stood a single man.
"Yura…"
The man's name came out of Mel's mouth.
The scholarly man, clad in dark gold colored crystals, stared this way with his ice-cold eyes.
"It's been a long time, O [Sovereign]. I did't think I would meet you alive once again. And, it's been a long time to you too. Mochizuki Touya."
"Heeh, so you actually remembered me. You look pretty different from last time too, almost like you became a different person."
The formerly crystalline body has turned into a dark golden metallic substance, signifying his change into a variant. An intelligent-looking mild face covered by dark gold crystals. An ambitious man who became the dependant of the evil god.
"I've thrown away my old existence as a Phrase, and obtained a new body together with new powers. I should call this an evolution, in fact. Aren't you the same? Mochizuki Touya."
"Don't put us together. You and I are different."
Like hell I'll let myself be categorized together with someone like that.
"Is that so? However, you can see it, can't you? The godly aura coming out from this cocoon. The fragments of ultimate power beyond our comprehension!"
Just like Yura said, I've been seeing a sinister divinity in the surroundings since a while ago. It's coming from the weird cocoon/egg hybrid thing in front of us. It's a divinity larger than the one belonging to the NEET god we defeated the last time. Just how much negative human emotions has it absorbed…
I pointed Brunhild in gun mode towards the evil god's cocoon.
"Sorry to interrupt you when you're so giddy, but that's an evil god. I'll have to destroy that whether you like it or not. Since our world doesn't need it."
"You lot aren't the ones who get to decide whether it's needed or not. I am."
When Yura snapped his fingers after saying that, an ear-piercingly loud noise rang out across the courtyard.
The next instant, golden pillars raised up from the floor, which then began to liquefy and turn into the shape of skeletons.
Among them, there are also skeletons wearing powered suits around 3m tall, similar to the "Dverg" made by the dwarves. Those are probably made by referencing Eisengard's golem soldiers. Or rather, so there was an ambush, huh.
One after another, skeletons appeared from the floor and attacked us with the scimitar-like swords they held. However, the scimitars all bounce off before they can reach us with a *gakin*. It's the [Prison] I casted around us.
"That's in the way."
"Wh…!"
Together with the sound of glass breaking, the [Prison] shattered. A laser-like attack came from Yura's fingertips, and pierced through the [Prison].
Damnit, as expected, even if rotten, it's still the power of a god. The golden skeletons would be easy, but [Prison] can't defend against a strong attack from Yura who's a direct dependant, after all.
Once the [Prison] broke, the attacks of the golden skeletons resumed.
I dodged the slash of a skeleton, and used Brunhild in blade mode to thrust through the core inside its ribcage.
Right after that, I switched to gun mode and pulled the trigger while aiming at the chest of another skeleton right behind the one I just defeated.
"Kokonoe Shinmei-ryuu Ougi, Shishi Rentotsu."
The consecutive thrusts unleashed by Yae broke the cores of several skeletons without missing a single one.
Myself, Yae, Hilda, Luu, Elze, Ende, Nei and Rize stood in front of the skeletons, while Yumina, Linze, Suu, Leen, Sakura and Mel stayed at the back and supported us.
"[Prisma Rose]."
The crystal vines stretching out from Mel's hands restrained the golden skeletons in the surroundings, and squeezed tighter just like that, slicing them to pieces. The cores that fell to the ground were mercilessly destroyed by more vines striking the ground like whips. Wow, that's a queen right there. Scary.
Sakura's song-based support magic spreads out. Using ice magic, Linze froze the feet of the skeletons that approached, and Ende as well as Elze broke their cores one after another. Rize and Nei also dispatched their opponents without trouble with the divine swords in their hands. Suu and Leen are doing well on defending against the skeletons' attacks with defense magic.
"Ga."
The powered suit-wearing Dverg-like skeleton came towards us and launched a punch. The fist, which looks between 60 and 70cm wide, flew towards my face in a straight line.
"[Power Rise]."
Using body strengthening magic, I stopped the fist with one hand. I wanted to tear its arm off just like this, but before that, a bullet from Yumina's Colt 1860 Army accurately pierced through the Dverg-like variant's core. *Whistles*. Nice work.
We won't be pushed back no matter how many of these skeletons come at us; however, it's getting a bit annoying.
When fighting against multiple opponents, you first crush the head. As flashily as possible. Grandpa once said to just approach without saying anything and punch them with all your strength, and I think that's pretty accurate, to be honest.
"Ende, take care of this place for a bit."
"Eh?"
Kicking the ground, I casted [Fly] and charged towards Yura, who's still standing on the cocoon. I then swung down Brunhild in blade mode, aiming for the top of his head.
Yura stopped it with an arm that he transformed into a sword. Tch, got blocked. Looking at me, Yura had a smirk like he was looking down on me on his face.
"I thought you would do something like this."
"Heeh, is that so. That means there's something after this, right?"
I got a bit pissed at his attitude, which screamed "I can see through your shallow thoughts all too easily", and smirked back together with a provocation.
"Correct."
"Eh?"
With Yura at the center, several layers of barrier were erected. That in itself is nothing to be surprised about. Erecting a protective wall or magical barrier to protect ourselves is a trick Ende and I often used too.
What's surprising is the fact that I'm included inside those barriers too. "Just what was he—", as I thought that, everything around us disappeared in a flash of light.
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"Touya, san?"
Even though she's in the middle of fighting, a dumbfounded voice came out of Yumina's mouth.
Touya, who had charged towards the man called Yura on top of the cocoon, was wrapped in a golden light which blurred his figure, before disappearing from this place.
Yumina thought that it might've been Touya's [Teleport]. However, the way he disappeared just now was different from his usual [Teleport]s.
It must've been something done by that variant ruler-class… Yura. He had eliminated the most important obstacle from this place.
Yumina… No, all the fiancées including her were greatly shaken.
They are his fiancées, and his dependants at the same time. As dependants, they can feel Touya's existence no matter where he is in this world. No matter how far away, there's always a definite "link" between Touya and themselves.
However, right now, that "link" was broken. They can't feel it anywhere in this world. The disappearance of his existence from their perception. A deep sense of loss, akin to losing half of their own selves, assaulted the girls.
"Wh, what just happened-degozaru ka!?"
"To, Touya-san!? Touya-san!"
"King-sama…!"
Everyone else was, be it big or small, confused. In this situation, something like that is bad. Even while understanding that in her head, Yumina could not think of a method that would change the current situation. With their attention taken elsewhere, their techniques became dull. Gradually, they started to get pushed back by the golden skeletons.
What should I do. As Yumina gradually began tearing up while thinking that, a *paan* sound of hands clapping together suddenly resounded in her head.
"Alright, stop right there. Everyone calm down-no yo."
"Eh…! Karen onee-sama!?"
She looked around in a panic upon hearing the familiar voice, but her sister's figure was not there. It doesn't seem like Ende's group heard that, too. The voice was only sent to the girls who are Touya's fiancées.
"Touya-kun is fine-no yo. He got isolated for a bit, but he'll be right back so don't worry about it."
Yumina felt her heart settle down when she heard that. This sister of hers is free-spirited and likes to tease others, but she wouldn't lie on something like this. If she said Touya will come back, then he definitely will. Yumina was able to believe in that.
Everyone else also seem to have gotten their strides back, and they scattered the golden skeletons that have pushed in.
"Rather than that, 'over there' is a bit dangerous so it's probably better if you run-nano yo?"
"Eh?"
The same moment Yumina reacted to Karen's voice, the ground suddenly began shaking.
"Earthquake? But, this is…"
"Tch, spatial destruction…!"
While punching away a golden skeleton, Ende muttered angrily.
"It's best if we escape. This entire dimension will collapse before long. We have to get out before it gets us too. Mel, can I ask you to do it?"
"Ee. However, what about Touya-san?"
"He's not going to get taken out by something like that. He'll be back with his own power before you know it."
It's not exactly trust, but Ende didn't doubt for one moment that Touya's fine. His master, the Martial God. Touya is someone above even that, a direct dependant of the World God. He wouldn't die even if you killed him. It's a waste to worry about him, was the predominant thought on his mind.
Besides Ende, Mel spread out her crystal vines and created a circle on the ground around her.
"Everyone, inside here! Quickly!"
While defeating the golden skeletons around, they entered the circle one after another.
The instant the last one, Ende, jumped into the circle, the skeletons outside were blown away by the thorns that extended out from the vines around the area.
Using that window, Mel started her dimensional transfer technique, and everyone disappeared from that place.
Inside the dimension that continued to shake, mixed in among the tremors that's getting progressively louder, was the sound of something cracking open…