Chapter 367 - 365:Tear in reality.
The flight to the so-called Abyssal Chasms was nothing but a blur of motion.
One moment we were within the skies of the City of Ages; the next, we were tearing through the abyssal atmosphere like an arrow shot from a bow, that is, if arrows moved at the speed of light.
It didn’t take long for our approach to slow down. Even then, that was saying something. If it still took us this long to arrive at those absurd speeds, it showed clearly how distant this place was from our previous location.
"There. Those are the Abyssal Chasms," Salazar spoke up as we finally arrived.
I looked out. Before us stretched... nothing.
"Huh? Where are the chasms you were talking about?" I couldn’t help asking in confusion.
"You’re looking at one," he replied.
"What?"
"That... is an Abyssal Chasm. One of many."
I turned back toward the vast emptiness before me. I couldn’t see the edge of anything. No borders. No boundaries. Just a gaping, bottomless tear in the earth.
I spread out my perception, and my eyes widened in sheer incredulity.
Under normal circumstances, my senses in the Abyss, unrestrained, could cover enough ground to survey all of Terra. And yet...
"What the fuck?" I couldn’t help cussing out loud. "Why the fuck does everything here have to be on such an absurd scale?"
I was completely stumped. I still couldn’t sense the end of this thing. First it was the Raukhar forests, which were far beyond the reach of my perception. Now, this?
"Does everything need to be this ridiculously huge?" I muttered. It was starting to get ridiculous.
"You sound surprised. Have you never seen anything like this before?" Salazar’s question snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Barring the Raukhar forests I wiped out earlier? No. And even then, I thought those were an exception."
"Hmm? But the Ashen Plains were on the same scale as well. In fact, most places of any worth in the Abyss are on such a scale and beyond."
"What?" Now this had to be bullshit. There was no way things were always this grand. I wasn’t even buying the part about the Ashen Plains.
"You... you sound like you’ve never left the confines of your home world before."
"Well, no shit. This is the first time I’m stepping foot off Terra."
The man was struck speechless by my words.
"How... how can you be this absurdly powerful if you haven’t explored the wider universe yet? How could you already comprehend this many supreme laws without having traveled the cosmos?" He spiraled into a thoughtful daze. I could practically see the gears spinning in his head as he tried to make sense of what I’d just told him.
"But... it actually makes sense. Yes. That’s why you were ignorant enough to challenge the Steel Mountains. I see," he mused silently. "You haven’t experienced the sheer grandiosity of the wider universe. That’s why you were so confident in taking on the Steel Mountains. No wonder. No wonder! If even these puny chasms and the Raukhar forests are overwhelming for you to comprehend, then I’m even more certain you aren’t ready for the Steel Mountains yet." He nodded to himself.
"Oi! What are you babbling about?" I growled, getting irritated.
"Oh! Don’t mind me. It just makes sense now why you’re this terrifying yet so ignorant. You haven’t experienced the absurdity that exists out there." He shook his head. "Though that still doesn’t explain how you were able to come into contact with so many laws. It shouldn’t be possible for a single world to allow such a clear path toward comprehending the concepts you wield."
His eyes sparkled with intense fascination as they locked onto me. "Truly, the more I learn, the more I want to know. You are quite the fascinating individual."
I took a cautious step back.
"Oi! Salazar. I’m warning you. If you make any suspicious moves, I don’t mind tossing you into this empty expanse. I don’t swing that way," I warned.
"Ehh? What are you talking about?"
"Just keep your distance."
"You’re weird," he laughed. "Anyway, enough talk. Tell you what? I’m putting off your exploration of the Steel Mountains for now."
"What? No!"
"Hear me out first."
"Hmmph. I’m listening."
"You see this chasm that just stunned you? Imagine this exact same thing, but a million times larger. Could be even more."
"Wha—"
"That’s how much territory the Steel Mountains occupy. That’s what you’re trying to challenge."
"This..."
It wasn’t until this exact moment that the true scale of the Steel Mountains hit me. Something a million times larger than the infinite expanse before my eyes?
I focused back on the chasm in front of me, a single pit among many. I spread my senses out again, just to double-check.
And...
"You can’t be serious."
"I am. That is why I told you it was an impossible task. Unless those monsters within the inner reaches band together, conquering the entire mountain range is impossible."
I fell silent.
"Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I won’t approve," Salazar added. "I’m just saying you should venture beyond your world first. Experience the true grandiosity of the wider universe. The next time you step into the Abyss, if you still feel up to the challenge, I shall not only approve of it, I will accompany you on the campaign."
I sank deep into thought. A part of me still wanted to head straight into that hellhole and brute-force my way through it. But as my eyes landed on the sheer emptiness stretching out before me, I had to rein those thoughts in.
I liked challenges. This was probably one of the biggest in existence. But if I couldn’t even begin to grasp the scale of the battlefield, then...
"Alright, Salazar. You win," I conceded. Not out of fear, never that, but out of pure rationality. I needed experience, and that would only come with exposure.
A sudden surge of anticipation welled up from deep within my chest. I was suddenly eager to finish up my business here, get back to Terra, settle old scores, and step out into the wider cosmos.
"See? Now that is a look I love to see."
Salazar’s words made me raise a hand to my face. Another crazed smile had plastered itself across my lips without me realizing it.
"Heh! What can I say? You’ve finally stoked my interest properly."
"Hahaha... no need to thank me. It’s the least I could do."
"Prick."
The rest of the journey passed in silence. We didn’t move as fast as before, as Salazar was busy studying the surrounding region, trying to get a read on the realm that had manifested.
"Aha! Finally! I’ve got it!" he suddenly exclaimed in pure excitement. "This way!"
The platform swerved, blasting off into the distance. The world blurred around us as we closed in on the location.
A massive, crimson-red portal slowly materialized on the horizon. It looked like a bleeding wound carved into the very fabric of reality, oozing baleful energy into the sky. The concentration of entropy around the area was so dense that I could visibly see reality falling into disorder, rapidly degrading into a state of permanent ruin.
[Ding!]
[Your understanding of the [SUPREME LAW] has deepened...]
[Your understanding of the [SUPREME LAW] has deepened...]
...
Without me even doing anything, my Chaotic Comprehension activated on its own, drilling deep insights regarding the application of the law straight into my mind.
"Ahhh... what a beautiful sight," Salazar’s intoxicated voice drifted over as he guided the platform forward. "Welcome, gentlemen, to the abode of a Peak Law Manifestation powerhouse."
He spread his arms wide, practically embracing the sheer disarray surrounding us.
"Ahhh... finally. Something truly worthy of my exploration. This is going to be fun," he muttered aloud.
Looking at that bleeding, wound-like tear in space, feeling the dreadful energies pouring out of it, and sensing the subtle tingling of my bullshit radar, I couldn’t help but agree.
"This... just might be fun indeed."
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A/N: Well, would you look at that? He found it. He really found it. Anybody else surprised? I sure as am not. But either way..
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Thanks for reading..