Chapter 86

An unknown place.

My body floated in the endless black void for an unknown amount of time, though it felt like about ten minutes. Tia trembled a little at first from anxiety and the influx of memories of being sealed in another dimension, but then relaxed quite a bit, clinging to my head and holding onto my hair as if I would disappear if she let go of it.

I assumed a thoughtful pose and pondered.

Apparently the spirit had somehow learned how to put someone here, in the place where they were essentially born.

It's pretty funny that I don't think of him as a negative character. And he's basically kept his word, as there's no harm done to me by his actions. Except emotionally. And that's if I was alone. But he threw Tia in with me, too, so that issue is partially resolved.

I can't get out of here, though. My teleportation circle appears for a moment, then fades and crumbles like broken glass, then disappears altogether. This happens when a dimension is either blocked by a barrier or separated from the main dimension. Since there are no connections with the outside world, the teleportation circle cannot fulfill its function.

The closest analogy to this is a ventilation system somewhere. The air is the connection that runs through the building, and the hatches and vents are ducts, or portals in this case. And so all I have to do is just wait.

Of course, I could use Ars Almadel Solomonis and blow the hell out of the dimension, but there would be certain consequences I don't like.

If this dimension is similar to the one where Tia was sealed, then by blowing it up, I could basically end up anywhere. That is, it is quite possible that I will find myself in a world outside the jurisdiction of Akasha and Root. Or where Zelretch or its analogs don't exist at all. That is, I would be completely isolated from my world.

Not a very good prospect, to say the least. I can only hope that Zelretch will appear and solve the issue, since the 2nd magic ignores connections and creates them on its own.

- I sighed, rubbing my temples, "And where is that bastard when you need him so badly?

- Why so rude, colleague?

I turned my head in the direction of the voice I heard, so sharply that I even felt my neck twist.

Seeing only the shoes of the person who appeared, I instantly created a Gae Bolg Alternative and activated it. The bright blood-red glow of the spear eclipsed the nearby darkness and snapped out of its place behind my back, aiming for the heart of the arrival.

But was there any result? Nope. None at all.

The overgrown mosquito simply opened the portal in front of him, into which the Noble Phantasm of the Godkiller flew, and smirked evidently, shaking off his palms.

- Wow, how aggressive. What did I do to deserve such a greeting? Didn't you have fun on this adventure?

- Absolutely. Only the morgue and funerals are more fun," I replied with a stoic expression, and then took a deep breath, "Okay, forget it. Tell me, Zelretch, what kind of crap do you have planned with me as your entertainment? What's the point of making a god out of me?

- Oh, is that what you mean? Let's call it... an experiment," he began, rubbing his chin, "I wanted to confirm something, and it worked out just fine.

- You realize you didn't really answer, right? - I said with a twitch of my eyebrow, "What was the experiment? What did you want to confirm? And why me?

- No need to worry, you'll find out. Later. But I can assure you it's all for your own good. And for my amusement, of course," he smiled provocatively, which made me want to smash his face in with a sledgehammer. Zelretch was too annoyed with me and used me for whatever he was doing, as if I were his guinea pig. And when I was about to create Excalibur to charge him between the eyes, he continued - By the way, don't you want to know how long you've been here?

The funny thing is, I'm inclined to partially believe him. Zelretch doesn't tend to do things for no reason or with the intent to harm. To study, to tease, or to teach? Yes, but not to harm. Besides, what does he have in mind?

- Hmm? About ten minutes or so. Why? - I raised an eyebrow, brushing aside the attempt to hit him. Mostly because it wouldn't reach him anyway - And why did you arrive so soon anyway? Was this planned as well?

- I hasten to surprise you, Romany, but I didn't arrive so soon, and it hasn't been ten minutes.

- What?

- When you're outside, you'll see for yourself," he said cryptically and irritatingly, then added, "You might need Beast II's help if you want to intervene.

And at those words I fell into a familiar hole, where a kaleidoscope of different colors and their shades shimmered.

"If you want to," huh? A great way to hint that I have a choice when I really don't. I just don't believe he didn't mean my non-interference in... in anything.

And he said my sense of timing was wrong. That may be true, but how much, Zelretch didn't elaborate. What's waiting for me outside?

-0-

I was thrown out near the capital, about a couple of kilometers away, which was lit up by the setting sun, where I had landed, having just arrived in this world. And if it looked like a "capital city" that time, now... well....

- Run! Run for your lives!

- Hurry, we're almost there!

- Gods, help us! Please!

Along the road I found myself at, hundreds and hundreds of people were running towards the capital. They were carrying nothing but children or small sacks that didn't look too heavy.

Their faces were red from exertion and sweat was running down their temples and cheeks. Their shoes and the bottoms of their clothes were stained with dust and dirt, and their backs were wet enough to squeeze a bucket of liquid out of each of them. But most importantly, genuine panic and fear settled in their eyes.

Some of them rode on horses or wagons, crushing and trampling everything in their path. They didn't care about anything - just as long as they reached the gates of the capital.

As I looked toward the city, I could see thousands of soldiers lining the walls. But even from my position, I could clearly feel the same fear dancing in their eyes. The tension in the atmosphere both here and there was so pressing on the consciousness that some of those running simply lost consciousness and fell, accepting the fate of being crushed by the panicking crowd.

At the very end, rising into the air and hiding myself from view, I looked where the soldiers were looking and where the people were running from. And the picture that met my gaze looked not so much intimidating as overwhelming.

Thousands of thousands of all sorts of animals, birds, and anything that could breathe and move were running headlong after the crowd. And definitely not to play or anything like that.

Claws, fangs, beaks, wings, scales, assorted offshoots. All of them were covered in fresh still dripping blood, and scraps of torn flesh and broken bones swayed in the wind and splattered all the same blood around. All of this created a disgusting stench that just getting it into your nose made your mouth taste of iron.

This huge horde, which reeked of death and blood, carried only forward, killing everything in its path. Those who were not fast enough, and those who were not healthy enough, were torn alive, gagged and gnawed on, still conscious and feeling every bit of pain. They screamed and begged for a quick death, but to no avail.

There were even Enths in the horde that released their roots on those they could reach, and right on the spot turned those caught into a mess, turning them into a red mist. This was also true of the dragons, which caught the poor with their jaws and claws, blowing and overturning wagons, and spewing torrents of flame.

Tiny, seemingly harmless birds flocked together and pecked at the flesh of humans and half-humans alike. Snakes coiled around their victims and crawled down their throats. Insects covered the poor creatures from head to toe, biting and stinging in the process. Live plants braided around their bodies and buried them in the ground, denying them the opportunity to take their last breath.

Seeing all of this, I was able to summarize what was happening in one appropriate word: apocalypse. The real one, when nature, or rather the spirit of life, decided to cleanse the earth of those who only exploit and destroy it.

In the distance, very far from my location, I clearly felt bursts of divinity. Its aggressiveness, intensity, and power told me directly that the local gods there were most likely fighting the spirit itself.

As I understand it, while I was in that dimension, the ring I gave Anma didn't work. Which means the spirit was able to break it and absorb it.

In addition, when I applied Strengthening to my eyes, I could see modern soldiers dressed in green military uniforms and carrying rifles. And they were quickly transmitting something over the communication station. Calling for reinforcements, I guess.

I clucked my tongue and tucked Tia into my pocket, not in a very good condition for obvious reasons.

Perhaps I should intervene. But for now, I don't want to do that. What kind of indifferent and cold bastard am I? Quite possibly. But that's not my world or my problem. I'm not willing to step over myself for a world I don't care about.

So far.

-0-

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