Chapter 129: Save You
The dimensional energy pouring from Nyx continued to rise until it became almost impossible to breathe.
The entire aircraft trembled beneath the overwhelming pressure as every remaining light flickered uncontrollably before shattering one by one. A deafening hum filled the cabin, vibrating through the walls, the floor, and even the air itself, while the very fabric of air twisted around Nyx as though reality could no longer withstand the power she was unleashing. Her hair danced wildly in the violent currents of energy, and her glowing eyes reflected countless shifting symbols that no human language could ever hope to understand.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Space fractured, not metaphorically.
Literally.
Massive cracks spread through the air itself like shattered glass before an enormous pair of ancient gates slowly emerged from within the distortion. They almost towered over the aircraft, impossibly large despite the confined space, their weathered surfaces covered in colossal runes that pulsed with an eerie crimson glow. The gates looked older than civilization itself, as though they had existed long before humanity had ever taken its first breath.
A heavy groan echoed throughout the cabin.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMM...
The ancient doors began to open.
As though something on the other side had been waiting an eternity for them to move.
The darkness beyond wasn't empty it looked like it moved. Countless shapes shifted beneath the crimson haze, hundreds, probably thousands.
No...far more than that.
Pairs of glowing eyes appeared one after another, staring back through the opening with quiet curiosity. Massive silhouettes walked through distant storms, while winged creatures circled an unseen sky, and monstrous shadows crawled across landscapes too vast for the human mind to comprehend.
Some of the creatures were larger than mountains. Others seemed no bigger than ordinary animals. Yet every single one radiated a presence capable of making seasoned warriors instinctively step backward.
A suffocating, aura flooded into the aircraft. Fah-jin unconsciously lowered her weapon. For the first time in a very long while...fear touched everyone's heart.
Even the Boss.
His grin faded ever so slightly as his eyes remained fixed upon the impossible world beyond the gates.
"...Fascinating..."
It was no longer mockery, it was genuine caution.
Nyx raised a trembling hand toward the opening, her breathing uneven from the tremendous strain of maintaining such an enormous portal.
"You have one chance," she said quietly. "Once you go through... I don't know if I'll be able to bring you back."
Daito never looked away from the Boss.
"One chance," he repeated calmly.
"That's all I need."
The Boss suddenly exploded into motion, twisting violently inside Daito's grasp as he attempted to tear himself free.
"No..."
His calm demeanor vanished.
"You've lost your mind!"
Every muscle in his body strained against Daito's hold, but Daito refused to yield. His damaged shoulder screamed in agony, his ribs burned with every breath, and blood continued to drip steadily onto the aircraft floor.
Still... he tightened his grip. With one powerful step, he began dragging the Boss toward the waiting portal.
Skreetch!
The Boss planted his feet against the floor. Metal groaned beneath the force.
He clawed at the walls. He drove his heels into the aircraft. Anything to stop himself from moving forward.
"Daito!"
His voice echoed through the cabin.
"You idiot!"
"You have no idea what's in there!"
Daito answered without hesitation.
"I don't need to."
Another step then another. The portal loomed directly before them, its ancient darkness swallowing every ray of light around it.
The monstrous eyes beyond continued watching in silence and waiting.
Daito drew one final breath.
Then he charged.
"DAITOOOOOO!!"
Nyx's voice rang through the aircraft.
Fah-jin instinctively reached forward.
But it was already too late.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The dimensional gate swallowed both men whole. Their figures disappeared into the ancient darkness.
A violent surge of energy rippled outward before the enormous doors slammed shut.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The cabin shook violently as the portal vanished, and the unbearable pressure disappeared.
Silence.
The empty space where Daito had stood moments earlier was all that remained.
Nyx slowly lowered her trembling hand, staring at the place where the gate had closed. Her breathing was uneven, and tears threatened to form in the corners of her eyes, though she stubbornly blinked them away.
"...Come back," she whispered.
Fah-jin silently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, neither woman spoke again.
* * *
Far beyond reality... Far beyond Playmore... Far beyond everything humanity believed it understood... Two figures fell from the sky.
The air itself felt wrong.
It was unnaturally heavy, pressing against their bodies like an invisible ocean. Every breath carried the scent of ancient blood, scorched earth, and something so old that time itself seemed insignificant beside it.
The crimson sky stretched endlessly overhead, there was no sun, nor moon. Only distant storms, and scorched earth flashing silently across an endless horizon.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Both men slammed into the ground. Sand exploded upward in towering waves as the impact carved enormous craters into the barren wasteland.
Daito rolled across the rough terrain, each collision sending fresh pain through his battered body before he finally forced himself to a stop. Not far away, the Boss rose from his own crater, brushing sand from his clothes as his sharp eyes immediately scanned the unfamiliar world around him.
Neither man spoke.
For several long moments...they simply looked. An endless desert stretched farther than either could see.
Gigantic black rock formations erupted from the earth like the broken fangs of some forgotten giants, casting long shadows across crimson sands stained by countless ancient battles.
Monster carcasses lay scattered throughout the wasteland. Some were so enormous that they resembled mountain ranges rather than living creatures.
Others looked disturbingly fresh, their impossible bodies only beginning to decay. Towering skeletons pierced the desert floor, their bones rising hundreds of meters into the air like monuments to extinct titans.
Deep claw marks stretched across the landscape for kilometers, as though something unimaginably large had once dragged its talons through the earth itself.
There was no sign of civilization, no sign of life. Only the lingering presence of death. For the first time since arriving in Playmore... The Boss looked genuinely uneasy.
He slowly turned in a full circle before muttering beneath his breath,
"...Where the hell are we?"
Daito wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand before slowly rising to his feet. Every muscle in his body protested the movement, but he ignored the pain as he stepped forward, the crimson wind whipping through his hair while his unwavering gaze settled upon the man standing before him.
His voice was calm, cold and absolute.
"Somewhere..."
He slowly cracked his neck.
CRACK... CRACK...
"...where nobody can save you."
The desert wind howled between them.
Fwoosh.....
For a heartbeat, neither man moved.
Then...far across the endless wasteland... the sand shifted.
At first, it was almost imperceptible. A ripple, then another. Then the entire desert began to tremble.
RUMMMMMMMMMBLE...
Something enormous moved beneath the surface. Not walking.
Swimming.
Its passage beneath the sand created waves that rolled across the desert toward them, swallowing ancient skeletons and black stone alike as though they weighed nothing.
Both Daito and the Boss felt it, but neither looked away from the other. Because in that forsaken world, where monsters ruled and even the sky seemed hungry...their battle would decide the fate of Playmore. And perhaps...the fate of far more than that.
To Be Continued...