Chapter 221: Wasn’t Enough
The hours dragged by at an agonizing pace.
For Priam, every minute felt like endless torture.
The image of his parents never left his mind.
And even worse...
With the seven years that had passed in the outside universe during the Grand Competition, the twins had already been born.
He now had two young siblings in his family whose names—and even genders—he didn’t know.
With every passing second, the chances of them all being brutally slaughtered only grew higher.
...
...
...
Suddenly, the space in front of him distorted once again.
Priam shot to his feet the instant Mishnar stepped out of the spatial rift.
"I got it," she said, waving a hand.
A translucent crystal floated into his hands.
"You’ve probably used something similar when you came to the Divine Plane. Just insert it into the core of my Flying Ship, and it’ll automatically navigate to the destination. To return, simply activate it again, and it’ll bring you back to the point where you departed."
"How long will it take?" Priam asked, consumed by urgency.
"About two days. However, my Flying Ship was acquired from the Inner Sect, so its speed is extraordinary. That group of ten fugitives is probably using an average vessel. Even though you’re twenty hours behind them, the ship’s performance should let you arrive at almost the same time... perhaps only a few hours apart," she replied seriously.
Then she made a quick gesture through the air.
The space around Priam distorted once more.
Two seconds later, he found himself in an open field, standing before an enormous spatial teleportation array.
"I’m sending you to the western region, to a quiet city with very little traffic. Launch the ship from there. Once you’ve completed your mission and returned, inject your Ether into your disciple emblem, and I’ll come meet you."
"Unfortunately, all I can do is wish you luck. There’s an unbreakable rule that applies to every Sage-level existence: it’s strictly forbidden to enter the Mortal Plane and set foot on a planet or celestial body unless you’ve been invited by its rightful owner. Anyone who dares to do so is considered to be attempting theft. It’s the greatest taboo among Sages. The owner of that world will sense your presence immediately and can mark you through the world’s laws. After that, it’s only a matter of time before you’re found."
"Your enemies are experienced veterans that only Sages can deal with easily. I could even summon some Level 9 disciples to help you, but—"
"No need," he interrupted seriously. "I fight better alone, and in this battle they’d only get in my way."
His words caught Mishnar by surprise.
Priam ran toward the center of the teleportation array.
Before the light enveloped him, he looked at Mishnar and said,
"Tell Shione, Lumiere, and Flaris that I’ll figure something out."
Mishnar merely snorted and flicked her fingers.
The scoring bracelet on Priam’s wrist came loose and flew straight into her hand.
The competition’s final results still hadn’t been announced publicly, but with the bracelet in her possession, Priam’s faction could claim its resources and prepare properly while waiting for his return.
The next instant, the teleportation array erupted with light.
Priam clenched his fists, his heart burning with anxiety.
He had to make it in time...
He had to.
A minute later, sunlight washed over him.
He emerged in the middle of the plaza of an unfamiliar city.
Without wasting a single millisecond, Priam dashed out of the teleportation array and pulled the golden Flying Ship from his spatial ring.
The moment the massive, gleaming vessel materialized in the air, the nearby mages widened their eyes in shock.
A relic of that level was rarely ever seen in a place like this.
Priam leaped onto the deck.
Inside, the space had been expanded by magic, making it a hundred times larger than it appeared from the outside—a structure more spacious than ten houses put together.
He sprinted to the core at the bow and inserted the crystal.
The very next second, the entire vessel trembled as colorful runes lit up across its hull.
Five seconds later, the ship shot into the heavens, piercing through space.
***
The days of travel were nonstop agony.
Priam paced back and forth through the ship’s vast hall, his mind racing as he searched for a safe solution.
He didn’t have enough points to buy anything from the System.
That left only one option:
Focus on increasing his own strength.
He refined the best Power Runes he possibly could.
Even so, he knew his chances of victory were desperately slim.
He wouldn’t be facing mindless Corrupted Beasts.
His enemies would be ten Level 9 Master Mages—battle-hardened veterans with centuries of warfare behind them, armed to the teeth and masters of coordinated combat tactics.
Even if he brought disciples from the sect, Priam was certain the odds would still be low.
This wasn’t a battle of life and death.
It was a battle to save his family.
The enemies would arrive first, and they would almost certainly use his family as hostages.
There was no easy or safe solution.
But...
If it really came down to his last option...
Then it would be better if he faced it alone.
***
Almost two days later, Priam finally felt the Flying Ship slow down abruptly.
He rushed to the bow, watching as a planet gradually came into view.
It was indeed the planet inhabited by the Pyrix race—the temporary home of his clan.
The ship began its approach at reduced speed...
"?"
Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted from the planet, expanding at a terrifying speed.
’What the hell...?!’
The light shot forward like a divine flash, instantly engulfing the entire Flying Ship.
It happened so fast that Priam didn’t have even a single second to react.
Wrapped in that overwhelming radiance, he felt like an insect frozen inside a block of ice.
No matter how much he tensed his muscles or circulated his Ether, he couldn’t break free from the strange force.
This was no longer simple physical or magical power.
It was the pure manifestation of absolute Dominion, something impossible to break through ordinary means.
The fabric of space twisted violently.
Priam felt as though his entire body was about to be torn apart.
When the spatial distortion finally came to an end, he found himself standing in the middle of a colossal plaza.
The Flying Ship had been shackled to the ground by runic chains.
Taking a deep breath, he leaped off the deck and landed firmly on the ground.
"He’s here! Activate the attack formation immediately! Don’t let him escape!"
A sharp shout echoed across the area, and the air itself ignited.
A colossal barrier of light rose into the sky, sealing off every possible escape route.
Still dizzy from the spatial transfer, Priam’s senses were slow to recover.
By the time he realized what was happening, he was already completely trapped inside an impenetrable runic dome.
And outside it...
A massive crowd was waiting.
The moment Priam recognized their robes and features—the members of the Pyrix race—his heart sank.
He had known the odds were against him.
But reality was even worse.
The enemy had already been waiting for him in a perfectly prepared ambush.
*SWOOSH!*
The space beside him distorted again, and a spatial corridor opened.
The silhouette of a high-level Mage began emerging from the portal.
Without hesitating for even a fraction of a second—and without waiting for the enemy to step through completely—Priam activated his Elemental Physique at full power.
[Activate Power Rune?] [Yes / No]
He activated the Yin Enchantment Rune in that same instant.
He bet everything on a single, overwhelming strike!
"Sky-Rending Wind!"
**KBOOOOM!!**
A colossal explosion shook the entire planet.
Every living being on that world felt as though the heavens themselves were collapsing upon them.
A storm of dust and destruction engulfed every inch inside the dome.
Priam stared into the haze with a cold, focused expression.
However...
Just as expected, the tactic he had used to kill a Super Genius before wasn’t enough against a veteran Level 9 Master Mage.
The man was sent flying like a spinning top.
Although he had been caught completely off guard by such a savage attack the instant he stepped out of the portal, various items on his body and robes activated automatically, protecting him.
In other words...
He hadn’t suffered any serious injuries.