As Dean's power grew, so did the pressure from the established factions. They couldn't tolerate an independent faction that was growing stronger by the day. A council was formed, consisting of representatives from all three factions, with the express purpose of dealing with the Unbound threat.
Rias warned Dean of their decision. "They're going to vote on whether to eliminate you," she said gravely. "Officially or unofficially, the consensus is that you've become too dangerous to allow to continue."
"When?" Dean asked.
"Three days. There's a summit scheduled at the Underworld. All the major faction leaders will be there."
Dean knew what he had to do. He couldn't wait for them to make their move. He had to take the initiative.
"Takeshi," he said to the old hermit. "You taught me about soul forging, about tempering the soul through hardship. But there must be a way to accelerate the process. A ritual or technique that could push me to the next level."
Takeshi was quiet for a long moment. "There is," he finally said. "But it's dangerous. Very dangerous. It's called the Ritual of Ascension, and it involves exposing your soul to the raw power of the Dimensional Gap. If you survive, you'll transcend your human limitations entirely. If you don't, you'll be destroyed."
"I'm doing it," Dean said immediately.
"At least think about it," Takeshi urged. "There might be another way."
"There isn't," Dean said. "The factions won't stop until I'm dead or they are. I need to be strong enough to make them choose the latter."
Takeshi led Dean to the soul forge, the cave where he'd undergone his first major breakthrough. But this time, it would be different. This time, Dean would open himself completely to the power of the Dimensional Gap.
"The ritual will take twelve hours," Takeshi explained. "You'll need to maintain perfect focus the entire time. If your concentration wavers even once, the backlash will kill you."
"I understand," Dean said.
He entered the soul forge and sat in the center of the rune array. Takeshi began the ritual, chanting ancient words of power that opened a gateway to the Dimensional Gap. Raw magical energy began to flow into the cave, more power than Dean had ever experienced.
It was agony beyond description. Every cell in his body burned, his soul was torn apart and reformed again and again. Dean screamed, but he didn't stop. He held onto his consciousness, his will, his determination to become strong enough to protect everything he cared about.
Hours passed. Dean lost track of time, lost track of his body. There was only the pain, the power, and his absolute refusal to surrender.
And then, something shifted. The pain transformed into something else, something that wasn't quite pleasure but was somehow transcendent. Dean felt his soul expanding, growing beyond the limits of his human body. He was becoming something more, something that existed partially in the human world and partially in the Dimensional Gap itself.
When Takeshi finally closed the gateway, Dean collapsed, unconscious.
He woke twelve hours later, transformed. His body glowed with power, his presence felt like a physical weight in the world. When he looked at his hands, he could see the dimensional fabric flowing beneath his skin, visible only to those who knew how to look.
"Welcome," Takeshi said, "to true power."
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