Chapter 534: Beyond the Gate
Bell Tower Observation Deck
Sloklens Region
Gledea Continent
June 12th
531st Divine Year
"Five! You were late five whole days, Arthur! Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Well...I lost track of time?"
"...really, dude?"
Rachel deadpanned Arthur who just chuckled in response to her words. The boy seemed to have zero remorse for being late and it made the girl sigh in exasperation.
She ran a hand through her brown hair and turned her gaze to look down at the city streets below as she continued.
"You were late, and now you’re off to somewhere else again."
"Sorry, bout that. I know I promised but there’s an event I’m not allowed to miss so I gotta go."
Arthur spoke of the reason why he was going to have to leave in the next five minutes; the Annual Gozonian Interstellar Summit.
The Summit was beginning on the 15th and Alvey’s group (which included him) were to be present to check in on today, the 12th.
"When are you gonna come back?"
"I dunno. Didn’t ask."
Rachel silently facepalmed when she heard Arthur’s nonchalant reply, showing just how unbothered he was about everything.
She shook her head and decided not to ask any more questions regarding where he was going, instead focusing on the view before her. From their position, they could see a mountain range and the setting sun peeking through the gaps made for a picturesque scene.
It made this place a popular date spot for civilians on the days it was opened to the public.
’Well, not like Arthur would care about this if he knew. I wonder if he even thinks about those kinds of things?’
Rachel was wondering how Arthur’s love life was as she watched his side profile when he suddenly called her name with an uncharacteristically serious voice.
"Rachel."
"Hmm?"
She raised a brow in question, wondering what crazy thing he was about to spout. Arthur didn’t let her down, dropping a bombshell that she never saw coming.
"You want to become an Artificial Divine, right?"
"..."
Rachel was silent, but that silence was all Arthur needed as a reply. He turned towards her and raised his hand to touch the side of her face, removing a leaf stuck on her cheek as he spoke.
"Don’t."
"...why?"
In the past few months since the day Arthur had last come over to her house, Rachel had done a little digging on the boy’s activities on Gledea.
His mercenary records just had a streak of completed missions, but the only problem was that he sometimes disappeared for weeks at a time.
There were also no records about these disappearances of his, and seeing this, Rachel’s mind drew parallels with how the records of a soldier she knew also vanished when he joined a Covert Unit in the army.
She began theorizing if Arthur was in a Covert Unit as well, given the boy’s powerful Divinity and Gravity manipulation were cards the Aramisians would never ignore.
With this, she guessed he had connections to higher-ups which allowed him to find out things about the Artificial Divine Experiments.
’Maybe he even knows more than I do?
She asked herself this and Arthur just silently poked her forehead with his index finger while replying to her.
"I understand you may have a desire for power, but it’s pointless if you aren’t around to use it.
"Are you saying I’d die shortly after?"
"No, you wouldn’t die shortly after."
Arthur gave a sincere response to her question. Thanks to Ger, he knew exactly what the results would be.
The process the Aramisians used to make people into Fake Divines would simply give them extra Racial Factors.
Their souls would be overcharged, and every time they tapped into that false divinity, their soul’s lifespans would drain away. Eventually, there’d be nothing left.
Arthur had no doubt the Aramisian Higher Ups knew this, even if those they turned didn’t.
"Not shortly?"
Rachel caught the emphasis in his words and grasped what he was implying. But even so...
"Arthur, have you ever thought about how far people would go, even knowing it might cost them everything?
How some would chase power, driven by hunger so deep that they’d trade their very lives just to taste victory, even if it was fleeting?"
"..."
Arthur understood the weight behind her words, but he couldn’t relate.
He’d never faced such a desperate choice, and he never wanted to. That’s why he strived to grow stronger, faster—so he’d never be forced into a corner where sacrifice was the only option.
Heaving a sigh, Arthur turned placed a hand on the balcony and leapt over, sitting on the railing as he spoke.
"I really hope you’ll listen to my advice. For your own sake."
"..."
"I also hope that the next time we meet, we won’t be trying to kill each other."
"Wait...what?"
Arthur’s statement caused her to let out a dumbfounded noise. She couldn’t understand what he was talking about and why he said this.
However, before she could even voice out any more words, Arthur leapt off the balcony and down towards the ground.
When Rachel hurriedly looked over the balcony, she was greeted with the usual view of a bustling city, however...
’He’s not there...’
Rachel was sure Arthur wasn’t in the crowd on the floor; he’d disappeared.
◇ ◇ ◇
Gozonian Interstellar Outpost
Rhigor Continent
June 12th
531st Divine Year
Alvey and McEnda walked down a long hallway, with hundreds of Demons on each side bowing their heads to the two as they passed.
Sigesi and Evan followed him, alongside a few of their other Aides.
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, they entered a large hall with a dome-shaped ceiling, and there in the centre of the hall lay a massive Dimensional Rift.
’Fucking hell, this shit is huge!’
Such a thought crossed Evan’s mind as he saw the rift which had a size that couldn’t be compared to any other rift he’d ever seen.
The rift was no longer a chaotic tear in space but had been harnessed, and converted into a functional Dimensional Gate. The transformation was evident in the sleek, mechanical apparatus that clung to the edges of the rift, with cables and conduits running across the floor like a network of veins, pulsating with raw energy.
Dozens of demons were stationed around the gate, with technicians moving around, monitoring gauges, adjusting dials and checking the gate’s stability.
Meanwhile, cargo was being ferried out of the gate by hulking demonic labourers, the items varying in size from small crates to massive containers, each one marked with the insignia of the military.
As Alvey and McEnda stepped into the hall, all eyes turned towards them and everyone saluted, except for one lone demon.
"Barron."
"You two are still here? And here I thought you’d be the first to go."
The two Generals shook hands with the Demon Naval Admiral, Barron Agriker. After this, they turned towards the gate which was being adjusted to allow Transcendents to pass.
"What kept you so long?"
"There was an issue on the Umhiz Ocean. Some Aramisian Pirates I had to wipe out so I told the others to go on ahead.
What about you guys? Where’s Arthur?"
Alvey was about to answer that question when the lights on the hall’s ceiling suddenly turned a dull red. Alarms started blaring out and a loud cracking sound rang out in the ears of all those present.
"Detecting forced spatial activity!"
"Anti-Spatial Barriers 1-5 have been breached!!"
"Barrier 6 has been breached?!"
"Barrier 7 is down!!"
"Attack!!"
Demons began scurrying around with urgency and Barron narrowed his eyes when he heard the words they spoke.
The Outpost where the Dimensional Gate was located was the most protected place on Aramis, so who would dare to breach it, especially when not only one, but two of the Four-Star Generals were present?
Just then, Alvey sighed softly and then spoke with a magic-infused voice.
[All Units, Stand Down.]
"?!"
"But General Sargon?!"
[Stand. Down.]
Alvey repeated his words with extra pressure in his voice and all the Demons, from low to High Rank all obeyed despite their desire to discover the source of the threat.
Suddenly, the space beside Alvey tore open and spatial energy burst out from the tear, reforming into a circular portal from which a familiar face stepped in.
"Hey, Alvey. I think I broke something."
Arthur spoke as he entered the hall, looking around to see the flashing red lights and the armed demons.
"Yeah, I definitely broke something."
The Cosmic Gate behind him closed up and all the Demons present gave him incredulous gazes as they quickly figured he was the one responsible for the barrier breaches.
The absurd amount of spatial power they sensed from the Cosmic Gate was a dead giveaway.
[Master, shouldn’t you be saving that thing?]
’Don’t worry. I’ve got enough energy for a trip back home and two more universe hops.
This artifact had energy for three round trips and one outbound trip. What I’m using now is for that last outbound trip.
Leaving aside how much it recharged from being in space for the past 2 weeks, the energy in that thing is enough to go to a different Universe. You think Intra-planetary teleportations would put a dent in it?’
Arthur replied to Celestia, adding that he was using more Gates to get a feel for creating his own. With his spatial comprehension past 40% and him being Semi-Transcendent; creating Spatial Gates was in the realm of possibility for him.
Meanwhile, Alvey had the Demon technicians analyse the damage to the Anti-Spatial barriers.
"Dude, you sure know how to make an Entrance."
"Haha! I didn’t expect you guys would be right in front of a Dimensional Gate. I just locked onto Alvey’s coordinates and beamed myself right next to him.
It was only when I noticed that I passed through some sort of barrier that I realised I might’ve broken something."
Arthur responded to Evan with a light laugh, however, the Demons who heard his words were NOT laughing.
’Those barriers were created by Peak Ranked Demons!!! How did you break through 7 of them??!!??!!’
Little did they know that Arthur wielded a Cosmic Artifact that could allow him to break the barrier of an entire Universe and enter it at will. A Half-Deity’s barrier was useless before the Cosmic Teleporter.
Their trip was delayed due to Arthur’s little stunt, but eventually, Alvey had someone send word to Cruz on Plomux before he and the others (except Barron) stepped into the Dimensional Gate which had been started up.
As they stepped into the Dimensional Gate, they were instantly enveloped in a sensation of intense pressure, as if the very fabric of space was folding around them—which it was.
There was a momentary disorienting feeling, as if their bodies and souls were being pulled through something. Just as quickly as the sensation began, it ended, and they emerged on the other side.
The transition from the chaotic vortex to the solid ground was jarring, but the sight that greeted them was one of order and discipline. Rows upon rows of demons stood at attention, their forms rigid and their gazes fixed forward.
As Alvey and McEnda exited the gate, the demons saluted sharply, their reverence unmistakable.
[Generals.]
The demons intoned in unison; their voices filled with respect as they greeted the group with salutes.
As the first group completed their salutes, a second group of demons approached, their demeanour subtly different. Their eyes were filled with a different kind of respect as they bowed deeply before McEnda.
"Welcome back, Young Lord. The Mistress has been awaiting you."
It shouldn’t be forgotten, but McEnda was part of a renowned Archdemon Bloodline; one of the few Demon Noble Households to hold a Zeroth Rank since the inception of Gozon’s Nobility.
As for Arthur, when he looked around and noticed the weak gravity and energy levels, his brows raised as he questioned.
"This is Gozon?"
He had an expression of...disappointment, on his face and seeing it, McEnda just laughed.
"This is one of our planet’s moons. No way we’d have a Dimensional Gate leading straight into our world."
The man spoke of one of the Planet’s Security measures against words they invaded, having their Dimensional Rifts placed on their many moons, except a select few.
As McEnda stepped forward, the demons around him parted, creating a clear path. With a simple snap of his finger, the dome-shaped ceiling above them shimmered, then slowly turned transparent, unveiling a breath-taking sight beyond.
What lay before them was a colossal planet, so massive that its curvature stretched beyond their field of vision, dwarfing even the enormous planets within Aramis’ star system. Those planets, giants in their own right, spanned over 80 billion square kilometres, but this one was incomprehensibly larger.
Arthur’s gaze was immediately drawn to the clouds of cosmic energy swirling over the planet’s surface. They danced like ethereal storms, casting an invisible glow across vast stretches of the planet.
Pointing at this giant, McEnda spoke.
"That, is Prime World Gozon."
