Pantheon triggered teleportation, trying to break free from the Astral Beast.
But instead of escaping safely, they were thrown into a spinning waves of colors.
Space twisted around them—red, blue, and gold—colors stretched and snapped like frayed threads caught in a never-ending loop.
(Brat, this is bad! Sothing's gone wrong—I can't control the space!) Pantheon's voice roared through the distortion.
But Asher was already unconscious. His body floated limply, head tilted back.
Only an SSS Rank could survive this much space distortion —and even then, barely.
(Damn it. If this keeps up, we'll be separated… Thrown who knows where,)
Desperate, the ancient dragon flew toward Asher's drifting body.
The dragon coiled tightly, its thick, plated scales sealing around Asher like armor.
Spatial winds twisted and hurled them like a leaf caught in a hurricane. Pantheon gritted his fangs, clinging tight as the world spun faster.
Then suddenly—silence.
They were thrown out like discarded debris, flung through a rift and into a new dinsion.
THUD!
They landed hard, crashing into strange ground under a red sky.
Pantheon stirred within the wreckage, its armored body still wrapped around Asher.
The ancient dragon looked around the area.
They were no longer in space… or anywhere remotely close to it.
Around them, mountains of bone rose against the horizon.
Skulls of dragons, piles of shattered human remains, twisted husks of monsters, creatures no one had words for. The bones layered across the ground like sand, piled high like dunes, stretching far beyond the eye could see.
(What kind of place is this?") Pantheon muttered, after sensing sothing wrong with the air.
It was thick—tainted with bloodlust.
Not the kind ford in battle, but the result of a one-sided massacre.
Pantheon had seen many things. He had walked through cursed worlds, faced horrors that could drive lesser beings mad.
But this place…
This place felt like it had been built by rage and loss.
And it was watching them.
(We need to get out of here fast, ) Pantheon growled, voice low amid the bones.
He gathered the last of his remaining energy and focused it into a point.
But nothing happened.
(This place rejects teleportation… That's not a good sign at all. )
(Brat, wake up—we're in danger!") Pantheon shouted through the armor, his voice shaking Asher's body.
No response.
Pantheon shut his eyes briefly and reached out to sense what was wrong with his partner.
There was no damage to the body, but Asher's soul's presence was getting weaker—flickering like a dying fla. It wasn't gone, but it wasn't stable either. Probably, a backlash from the failed teleportation.
(I won't let you die) Pantheon growled.
The problem was he didn't know how to heal Asher's soul. Forcing him awake now could break the fragile pieces still holding on.
(If only teleportation worked, I could find a soul expert at the center of the universe to help.)
Just as the ancient dragon was thinking of a way out, a strong presence lood in the distance.
He raised his guard and turned toward the source.
Pantheon spotted only a distant dot. Then, a sudden tap on his back made him freeze.
(How?)
He didn't even dare to move. The presence behind him was so strong that a single mistake could put both his and Asher's lives in danger.
"Interesting. A dragon? You're pretty strong," the mysterious figure said.
"Not as powerful as you," Pantheon replied.
The figure stayed silent and suddenly appeared before the ancient dragon. Its speed was so fast, it looked like he just materialized out of thin air.
Death and Destruction
Those were the only two words Pantheon could think of when he saw the figure's appearance.
Its face was a terrifying skull with a mouth stretched wide from ear to ear. Its body was a mix of black and gold, like black marble with veins of golden energy running through it.
Calling it scary didn't co close—it was pure evil made flesh.
"Tell both of your nas," the skull figure demanded.
Pantheon, still low on energy, chose to play it safe for now.
(My na is Pantheon, and the other one is my friend, Asher.)
"Pantheon... Asher..." The skull figure touched his chin and smiled as if they had sparked his interest.
(May I ask your na, Senior?) the dragon asked, his tone very respectful.
Fighting now would be suicide. And even at full strength, he doubted he could beat the being before him.
"?" The skull figure pointed at its own head. "My na is R..."
It paused, then added, "I've been in this place so long that my mories have started fading. You can just call R. It's the only letter of my real na I can rember. Weird, right?"
(Not at all, Senior,) Pantheon shook his head, trying to flatter the other party.
"Hahaha, I like you. Strong and smart. Looks like the one inside you is in trouble, right? Soul problem?"
(How did you know, Senior?) Pantheon was shocked. No one should see through Asher while protected by the ancient dragon armor. But R did it effortlessly.
"Don't be so surprised. I'm an expert in souls," R said with a knowing smile.
Suddenly, golden light surrounded him. When it faded, a very handso man stood in his place—white hair flowing and golden eyes glowing with intensity.
(You're an angel?)
"The na sounds familiar, but I'm not really sure. Like I said, I've been in this place so long that my mories aren't very reliable anymore."
Pantheon was confused. R's words sounded honest, but they didn't explain how he managed to control both intense positive and negative energies simultaneously.
"Release your friend. I'll try to heal him,"
The ancient dragon hesitated.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt your friend. I noticed so damage in his soul that's keeping him from waking up. I can fix it ."
(Fine,) Pantheon agreed. If R intended to harm them, there was no need for petty little tricks like this.
Asher's body lay on the bone-covered ground, looking as if he were simply asleep.
R knelt down and placed a hand on Asher's forehead. Golden light flowed through Asher's body, tracing his veins and lighting him from within.
It made Pantheon uneasy, but he held back, unwilling to interfere.
"Interesting... " R mused aloud.
(What's wrong with him?)
"Was he created by soone?"
(You an his parents?)
R shook his head. "Your friend is an artificial being. What's more surprising is that he was made using Divine Creation. Normally, sothing like that would fade over ti. But he sohow developed a will of his own and beca independent…"
He paused, then added, "I also see traces of Void Energy in his soul. That's how he broke free from his divine origin. Whoever did this is very powerful and skilled at controlling that elent."
Pantheon was taken aback. For soone who claid to have lost most of his mories, R's understanding of Divine and Void Energy was far too precise.
And what about Asher having Void Energy?
Then it hit him—maybe Index had sothing to do with this. She was the only one who made contact with him inside that godforsaken place, after all.
Pantheon was suspicious of her from the start. Now it seed he was right—She wasn't just an ordinary magician trapped in the Void.
In the first place, beings trapped in places like that were there for a reason.
They were either too powerful, had committed a heinous cri, or their very existence could upset the balance of the universe.
Right now, Pantheon had a strong feeling that R was one of those beings.
But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was Asher's condition.
(Can you save him?)
"I can. I just need to increase the Void Energy in his body."
(But where are we going to find it? It only exists in the Void.)
"That's not exactly the case."
R's appearance changed again. His white hair faded into a deep black, and his golden eyes were swallowed by darkness.
What replaced them weren't just eyes—they were endless voids, hollow and bottomless.
When Pantheon looked into them, it felt like the abyss was staring back at him.
"Don't be afraid. This is all that's left of my Void Energy. I have just enough to heal him, but after that, I'm done. I can't regenerate this energy like usual."
(I trust you, then.)
R nodded and began injecting void energy into Asher's soul to supplent what Index had presumably placed there first. He wasn't altering anything, just adding more of it.
Slowly, the void energy within R started to fade, until it completely vanished.
"That was the last drop. Amazing. To think he actually siphoned it all."
(Is he okay now?) Pantheon inquired quietly, watching Asher's chest rise and fall.
"He should be fine, but when he'll wake up—that's uncertain. You can check his soul if you want."
Pantheon did exactly that. Nothing seed wrong.
(Senior, thank you for saving my friend. How can I repay you?)
R waved him off. "No need for that. I don't need that asly Void Energy anyway."
(Thank you again. So, can I ask—where exactly are we?)
R morphed back to his angel form before answering.
"This place... it's my prison. I did many bad things when I was still immature. Though, I can't really rember the details anymore."
Just as expected, R was very dangerous.
Still, Pantheon kept up the act. (Senior, I've done things I regret too. It's only natural for people like us who chase power. and beco peak existence)
"You're not wrong. But, you know, it gets pretty lonely at the top."
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