The more Max ran, the clearer it beca that the situation was hopeless. The tunnel ahead stretched endlessly, yet every ti he looked back, he could feel the oppressive presence of the giant ant closing the distance. Its monstrous body moved with terrifying speed, crushing stone and earth beneath its weight. The entire den trembled as if it might collapse at any mont.
Each step Max took echoed with the sound of thunder as red and blue lightning flared wildly around his body. His breathing grew heavy, and sparks flew from the soles of his boots as he pushed his speed beyond its limits.
Yet no matter how fast he moved, the creature's shadow lood closer. Its screeches rattled the air, sharp and shrill, cutting through the chaos like blades scraping against tal.
He could feel the difference between them—the sheer, overwhelming power that separated his strength from the creature's Divine Rank might. Every flicker of its aura felt like a hamr pressing down on his soul. "Its speed… it's too much," he muttered between breaths, his eyes narrowing. "At this rate, it'll catch before I reach the next chamber."
For a brief mont, his mind raced through his options. Fighting was suicide. Running wouldn't work. The only path left was one that most wouldn't dare to take.
"In that case…" Max whispered under his breath. His eyes glowed faintly, and the air around him began to ripple. He channeled his energy inward, focusing all the power of his Third Level Concept of Space—Spatial Distortion—into his right fist. The air trembled violently around his hand as faint silver cracks spread through the surrounding space.
The sound of distorted energy filled the tunnel. It was low at first, like the deep hum of shifting pressure, then it escalated into a roar as the very fabric of the tunnel began to bend and twist.
"Space Distortion—Smash Portal!" Max shouted, his voice echoing through the trembling corridor.
He swung his fist forward.
Bang!
A deafening explosion followed as his punch struck the air itself. The space in front of him shattered like glass, fragnts of reality breaking apart in a spiral of silver light. Beyond the cracks, a swirling void opened, darker than anything in existence. The air around it was drawn inward, forming a vortex that howled like a raging storm.
For a mont, Max stared into the abyss. It was pure darkness, an endless expanse that looked as though it led to nothingness. Yet he didn't hesitate. The thunderous screech of the pursuing ant reached his ears again, closer than ever. He could almost feel its breath on his back.
Without a second thought, Max leapt into the void.
The mont his body passed through, the portal snapped shut behind him. The shattered fragnts of space knit themselves back together, sealing completely before the giant ant could reach it.
The beast slamd into the spot where the portal had been, its enormous claws scraping against solid stone as it roared in fury. The impact sent cracks spreading across the tunnel walls, but the void was gone.
On the other side, Max's figure shot out of the portal with uncontrollable force. He collided hard against a wall, the sound echoing loudly through the new chamber he found himself in.
He coughed slightly, wincing as he stood up and brushed dust from his clothes. "That landing could have been better," he muttered, his tone tired but relieved.
Activating his Three Dinsional Body, Max imdiately scanned the area around him. The perception waves spread in all directions, filling the chamber with invisible ripples. His mind quickly mapped out the surroundings. It was quiet. No movent, no energy signatures, no trace of the giant ant.
He exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing. "Looks like I made it." A faint smirk crossed his face. "Barely."
What he had just used was sothing he had created through years of experintation—a spatial escape technique of his own design. He called it Smash Portal. The idea behind it was simple in theory but nearly impossible in execution: to punch through the boundaries of space itself and force a direct passage between two separate points.
The Third Level Concept of Space, Spatial Distortion, allowed him to twist and manipulate space around him. By condensing that power to its absolute limit and channeling it into a single strike, he could montarily break the barrier between two spatial layers, creating a wormhole that acted as a bridge.
The only flaw was control. The technique was still in its early stages, and Max had not yet mastered the ability to determine exactly where the other end of the portal would open. It could lead anywhere—a few ters away, another chamber, or even a completely different region of the secret domain. That uncertainty made it dangerous to use in battle.
But in that desperate mont, danger had been preferable to death.
He took another deep breath, steadying himself. The atmosphere here was different. He could still sll the faint tallic scent of the ant hive, but it was weaker, suggesting he had traveled far from where he had been.
Max glanced around cautiously, still alert for any potential threats. "At least I'm not bug food," he said quietly, his tone carrying a hint of dry humor.
He flexed his right hand, feeling the faint sting in his knuckles from the distortion backlash. The technique had worked—but it had drained a considerable amount of his energy. "Smash Portal works," he thought, looking at his hand with a faint grin. "But I'll need to refine it. The recoil is rough, and I still can't control the exit point."
Despite the exhaustion in his body, a sense of satisfaction filled him. He had survived a Divine Rank threat and successfully used a spatial technique that most spatial masters only dread of achieving.
Now, he just needed to figure out where he had landed. He was sure that he was still in the den of the Devouring Ants as he looked at the small cave like structure he was in.
"Running into a Divine Rank ant of all the other ants… what bad luck," Max muttered quietly, his voice echoing faintly through the empty stone walls of the cave. His boots scraped lightly against the ground as he walked forward, brushing the dust off his clothes.
There was only one way forward—a single tunnel leading deeper into the unknown. Without hesitation, Max began to move. His figure blurred with blue lightning as he activated his movent technique. Sparks of azure light trailed behind him, flickering across the narrow walls like fragnts of a storm.
The tunnel twisted and turned, narrowing in so places before opening slightly again. He ran smoothly, keeping his senses stretched to their limits. His Three Dinsional Body was active, scanning ahead for any hint of movent or energy fluctuation.
It was through that expanded perception that he soon detected several strong presences ahead—four, maybe five human energy signatures, surrounded by a large cluster of aggressive, chaotic ones.
He slowed slightly, focusing his awareness. The chaotic energy patterns were unmistakable. They belonged to the Devouring Ants. And from how concentrated they were, it wasn't a small group. It was a swarm.
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