★61
ASTERI'S POV
I did not rely on strength or force; instead, I strained thought itself. By accelerating comprehension to its absolute extreme, I began to ascend cognitively, tearing upward through existence by understanding it faster than it could restrain me.
Time started collapsing inward. Microseconds folded into nanoseconds, nanoseconds into picoseconds, then femtoseconds, attoseconds, zeptoseconds, and finally yoctoseconds, the smallest measurable fragments of temporal reality.
With every contraction, my cognition did not merely speed up; it expanded in density, each thought carrying more structure, more recursion, more meaning than the last.
In the first microsecond, my awareness shattered 100 dimensional layers, each one a complete spatial framework stacked atop the other. The next microsecond saw 1,000 more collapse, then 10,000, each dimensional shell breaking from being fully comprehended and rendered obsolete.
As time slipped into nanoseconds, the scale exploded. Ten million dimensions unraveled per tick, then a hundred million, then a billion. Each one reduced to an understood pattern and discarded instantly.
At picosecond resolution, the prison began to fail structurally. My mind tore through 10¹² dimensions per cognitive beat, then 10¹³, 10¹⁴. Each layer revealed itself as a variation of the same constrained logic, endlessly repeated to simulate infinity.
Femtoseconds followed, bringing 10¹⁷, 10¹⁸, and 10¹⁹ dimensions undone in flashes of absolute clarity. Attoseconds escalated it further—10²², 10²³, 10²⁴, numbers so vast they ceased to feel numerical and instead became states of collapse.
By the zeptosecond scale, dimensional destruction became effortless. I erased 10²⁷, 10²⁸, 10²⁹ dimensional layers in single, infinitely sharp moments of thought.
At yoctoseconds, the prison could no longer meaningfully respond. I tore through 10³², 10³³, 10³⁴ dimensions in what barely qualified as an instant. In less than three yoctoseconds, over 1.1 × 10³⁴ dimensional layers ceased to exist. Completely invalidated.
It was then that I saw the truth. The prison was never truly infinite. It was a construct masquerading as one, a countably infinite sequence indexed by ω, the first transfinite ordinal. An endless ladder, yes, but one still bound by order, still enumerable, still finite in nature to a mind that could grasp recursion in full.
With a single recursive convergence, the entire ω-sequence collapsed into a single cognitive point. Dimensions from 3D all the way to ω-D recompressed into one bounded breath of awareness.
Panicking, the generator unleashed its final defense: the Ω-layer, an unbounded storm of non-enumerable, higher-order dimension, true ∞D meant to overwhelm perception itself. But it was too late.
The Ω-layer did not shatter by force. It simply dissolved because I understood it.
Every non-enumerable branch, every higher-order divergence, was recursively resolved and flattened into coherence. Infinity itself became trivial beneath thought that could weigh and outpace it. And still, I did not stop.
I drifted beyond layered infinities, past hierarchies designed to adapt endlessly, until even the concept of "infinite dimension" lost all meaning. The prison's architecture, built to ascend forever, fractured completely, unable to match a mind whose thoughts now outweighed dimensionality as a concept.
When the prison finally collapsed, a dark aura spilled from my body. It devoured the surrounding darkness and void energy alike, consuming the veil that had hidden the exit. With nothing left to bind me, a mind faster than infinity did not break free. It simply walked out.
The moment I stepped out, I locked onto his location before I shut my 'Asteri mind' down and moved. With zero time lag and spatial displacement, I was already behind him, arm stretched forward, fingers closing in on his head.
A magic circle flared into existence at his back and detonated instantly.
I twisted away at the last possible moment, the blast grazing past me as he seized the coffin instead.
"Not only did you record the fastest escape time, one minute and eleven seconds. You also destroyed Matryoshka."
He said calmly, eyes settling on the now-empty coffin.
I didn't respond. A portal opened behind me, leading straight to my main world in Paradis. The little kiryu's magic resonated with it, and she materialised at my side in a flash of light.
The instant she appeared, she clung to me, trembling.
"Take care of Athena, Glace."
I summoned my sixth clone. A calm man stepped forward, long white hair flowing down his back, a single frozen flower resting along one strand. His eyes remained closed. He wore a white and pale blue haori, etched with delicate icy patterns that shimmered faintly.
"There's no need to worry. Come, Lady Athena."
He said softly.
The little kiryu hesitated, gripping me tighter, unwilling to let go. But I gently pried her hands away. I couldn't keep her here, not when I was about to face him head-on.
"It's all right. I'll be with you in a second, ok?"
I reassured her, and for reasons even I couldn't explain, she trusted me.
Glace formed a floating, bed-like construct of ice that carried her toward the portal. Together, they stepped through, the gateway beginning to close behind them.
My attacker wasn't about to allow that. He lunged forward, moving with lethal intent, but I was already prepared.
Invoking the Space–Time Art, I hurled him back to his original position and layered ten consecutive Temporal Stops on top of it. The effects compounded instantly, triggering Temporal Paralysis.
His body locked in place, awareness intact but utterly helpless, forced to watch as the portal sealed itself shut. By the time the distortion faded, it was already too late.
'It'll take time before I can use Temporal Twist again.'
I exhaled slowly.
"It's safe to assume you orchestrated all of this. That leaves me with only one option."
My eyes closed as I reached into Babylon, drawing forth a silver blade that gleamed with quiet finality.
"I'll neutralise you."
<>
I thought before muttering something to himself.
"Babylon, huh? A Star, is it. So am I. I'm..."
Without waiting for his introduction, I used Space-Time Art once more, appearing in front of him, my sword inches away from his opponent's head.
He smiled nonchalantly, not making any more to defend himself as if knowing I couldn't fully utilize Space-Time Art at the moment. At that moment, a crushing pressure surged behind me.
'Don't get distracted. Striking him is all I—'
I tired to focus but it's too late.
The impact came without warning. I was ripped off my footing and hurled skyward, the force tearing through me. I killed the momentum mid-flight and forced myself upright, boots skidding through the air as I steadied my stance, my severed arm hanging uselessly at my side.
'Sixty percent… and I still took this much damage? What in the abyss was that…'
My eyes widened, fear, shock, disbelief bleeding together.
Before me stood a black wyvern. Its colossal wings unfurled, blotting out the sky, and when it roared, the world answered. Seas churned, continents cracked, storms erupted from every horizon as natural disasters cascaded across the planet in response to its cry.
"Defeat him, and I'll be your opponent."
He said calmly, his voice carrying through the chaos.
'Good thing it's a wyvern, not a dragon. I won't hold back. Still, what's this unusual feeling? The atmosphere and my...I'll have to confirm first.'
My silvery sword was cloaked in white particles as I leapt towards the beast.
"Ah, I almost forgot."
The man snapped his fingers. The world shifted, drenched in amethyst. The white particles scattered like ash, and my body froze mid-air.
'Anti-magic? To suppress even my magic? Who is this thing?'
Before I could finish the thought, the wyvern moved. It was faster than every opponent I had faced in recent memory, hurling waves of lightning that tore through the sky.
"You're fast."
I said calmly, eyes tracking its motion.
"But still a snail to me."
I grinned and surged forward, spreading my palm.
"Ultra Ray!"
Nothing happened. The ray didn't materialise.
"…Babylon."
Still nothing. To be able to prevent Babylon from manifesting. That's no Dark God's play.
The beast was already upon me. Lightning crashed down in a violent explosion, engulfing my position. When the storm cleared, my clothes were scorched, but my armour remained untouched.
'It didn't work…'
The wyvern vanished. A chill crawled up my spine. I turned just in time to see an enormous amethyst fireball slam into me. I couldn't evade it, but this time, I felt no damage.
"No way can it's breath not scathe him but some natural attack does."
The man muttered in disbelief.
The silver sword faded from my hand on its own.
'A Special-Class weapon… forcibly deactivated with Anathema?'
Unheard of. But no time to dwell on it.
I clenched my grip as Enta's aura flowed through me. The blade reformed, jet black, formless and unnervingly calm. His eyes widened, not expecting my trump card.
"Kill him now, Drac!"
He roared.
The wyvern obeyed instantly, conjuring a black fireball and firing it straight at me. I swung once. The slash pierced the heavens, splitting the fireball apart. The delayed arc severed its left wing, and the creature bellowed in agony as dark flames scattered across the sky.
"Dark worked."
I said lightly, resting the sword on my shoulder.
"But I missed."
"Awaken."
At his command, the wyvern responded. Thick black mist poured from its wounds, devouring its severed wing before engulfing its entire body.
In seconds, its form dissolved completely, melting into darkness until only a swirling haze remained.
"You're dead."
...
...
...
Back to the Cardinal World.
Elaine left the island, her steps light but her thoughts heavy. The forest around her was quiet, its air thick with the scent of rain and moss.
As she wandered deeper among the towering trees, something caught her eye, a faint glimmer of white against the green.
There, lying motionless on the forest floor, was a boy. His long white hair fanned out beneath him like spilled moonlight, and though his eyes were closed as if in peaceful sleep, his body told another story, wounds marked his skin, his aura faint and flickering.
Elaine's breath hitched. She hurried to his side, kneeling beside him as her hands hovered uncertainly over his chest.
"Hey, what happened?"
But he couldn't respond. She raised her arms, a soft glow emanating from her hands, and healed him instantly. Slowly, the boy stirred, blinking as the world sharpened around him.
His large golden eyes finally settled on her face, taking in every detail, still hazy from sleep and lingering pain. His lips trembled as he tried to form words, voice barely a whisper.
"S..sister...?"
"I'm not. What are you doing down here all alone by yourself? And who hurt you?"
Unable to recall anything, the boy began to cry, small sobs shaking his frame. Elaine wrapped her arms around him, holding him close despite being slightly taller.
From a distance, their closeness, the way he rested against her, and the quiet comfort in their embrace could almost make one think they were siblings.
"What's your name?"
She asked gently. He hesitated, his small hands fidgeting as his golden eyes blinked up at her.
"It's… A… Ata."
He murmured, voice trembling.
"Ata-chan, my name is Elaine. You don't seem to remember anything, so I'll be looking after you, alright?"
She offered a soft smile, her aura calm and reassuring. He nodded timidly.
"If perhaps one day you remember everything, I'll take you home if you want. Deal?"
"Um…"
He whispered, uncertainty lingering in his gaze.
Elaine guided him back to the Star Realm, where he was bathed, dressed in fresh clothes, and fed. She wasted no time introducing him to the other children. Almost immediately, his Kid's Aura flared brightly, curious and potent.
Day by day, Ata's little mind was kept busy, learning the ways of life in the Kid's Realm under the guidance of Issei and his crew. They played every game imaginable—tag, hide and seek, hopscotch, and more.
With a flick of her magic, Elaine recreated the exact playing grounds the otherworldly kids were familiar with, adding enchantments to make the games more fun and immersive.
Laughter and joy filled the air, but beneath it all, a hellish battle waited on the horizon, set to challenge the Angelic Devil.
To be continued...