Shit!

Leo cursed, ducking fast as a group of Koukars flew over his head. The closer he got to the eastside point of the Supercluster, the more Voidlings tried to stand in his way. None of them noticed him of course, but it definitely made the trip harder when he had to stop every few seconds.

Aside from the increased number of monsters, the scenery around him also changed. At first, it was unnoticeable, but the longer he walked, the smaller the plants around him became. The same thing happened to the Essence Shards; now, there were barely any around him. Hell, even the tiny water stream lost some of its shine.

We must be close.

'You said that five minutes ago,' Nyx reminded, her voice as dry as a desert.

True, but at least now I can see further than just a few meters. If it continues like that, soon we will have a clear view of the rest of the trench.

With the disappearance of most Essence Shards, the dark fog blocking their sight also faded to some degree. The black walls of the Supercluster still produced quite a bit, but it was nothing in comparison to what they had to deal with about half an hour ago.

'I just wish we could go a bit faster,' the feline grumbled. 'Keeping this form for so long is getting uncomfortable.'

Leo chuckled. Think of it as training. Though you're right, it's a bit uncomfortable for me too. I'm kinda surprised Stealth Shroud hasn't failed even once. I swear my focus slipped at least a few times.

'At this point, I'm not even sure if I'm against it failing. I just want to walk with my own legs.'

Hopefully, I'm not wrong, and we are really close. I will try to go faster on the way back.

'Do you even remember the path we used?' Nyx asked, doubt coloring her voice.

He grimaced. Maybe? Not really? It's not like we have to use the same path. We've already passed more tunnels on the way. I'm sure one of them can get us outside faster.

'For some reason, I don't believe that.'

Hey! Just because I didn't memorize the way, didn't mean you couldn't try to do it. Don't blame it all on me; we're both in this mess.

'I just want to get out,' she whined. 'I'm bored, uncomfortable, and want to eat something.'

Well, well, well. Look how the tables have turned. He muttered sarcastically. Weren't you the one who told me to stay focused not even an hour ago?

This time, Nyx didn't grace him with an answer. Leo smirked and continued walking. That was what she got for trying to one-up him. He had way too much experience in dealing with such bullshit thanks to Lily. The feline was way too young to beat him at his own game.

Don't worry, we're definitely close now...

----------------------------------------

They weren't close. It took another half an hour — Leo checked — killing one more group of Voidlings that blocked their path and another whiny rant from Nyx before the dark fog lost most of its density. From there, it was only a matter of time before the end of the trench revealed itself and, with it, the Void Gates.

Gotta give it to her. He commented, scanning the three giant structures before him. Lily didn't lie when she said you can't miss them. Just what in the seven hells will come out of those things?

Compared to the Void Gate in Wolford, the ones before him were at least thrice as large. Two of them stayed glued to the opposite walls of the trench, while the third was literally part of the ground.

Together, the gates formed a colossal U-shaped figure crafted from material so dark it absorbed all remaining light around it. Only the thousands of violet symbols engraved into it and the swirling masses of light inside the gates made the place discernible to the eye. Though, night vision was sure helpful too.

'Definitely nothing good,' Nyx stated the obvious. 'Check the timers, and let's get out of here. I don't like this place. The Essence here is... vile.'

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Leo nodded in agreement. He felt that too, and despite the constant flow of power that entered his body here, it almost made him puke. Whatever the Supercluster was doing to those gates, it definitely wasn't normal.

Identify.

Dimensional Gateway of the Void:

Or simply called a Void Gate by the population of the Void and the survivors. Dimensional Gateways are used to travel between the vast realms of hiding inside the Void. In contrast, Planetary Gateways can be used to journey to one of the planets of the currently cursed Universe.

During every Outbreak, hundreds of Gateways grow on every planet. They are made out of living material from the Void and cannot be destroyed by anything weaker than an A-ranked User. Upon destruction, a Gateway will attempt to grow back in another place.

Current Status:

This Gateway is still charging and won't activate for another: 13 days, 2 hours, and 12 minutes.

A quick check confirmed that the other gates showed the same or similar timer. Less than two weeks was how much time they had to prepare for the inevitable. Seeing it with his own eyes made it more real than hearing it from Lily. Maybe if those were Planetary Gateways, it wouldn't be such an issue, but who knew what the Void had in store on the other side of those portals.

'Leo... Now that I think of it. Did you ever tell the humans in Wolford about that Gate?' Nyx asked suddenly, bringing him back to reality.

I... I'm not sure. He winced at his own hesitation. I think I talked about it with Dylan when I initially met him. No idea if he ever told Holden about it because I most likely didn't.

'Shit.'

Shit indeed. Leo nodded, dismissing the gateway's description. Five days had passed since I left Wolford. That should give us another four before the gate there activates. However, we still need to wait for the explosives... Fuck. At best, we will have three or two days to prepare everyone there.

'If we destroy the Graveyard, they should be able to handle one planetary gate, right? It's small, and nothing too strong can come through it in the beginning. They can use it as another source of experience.'

I know. He sighed. I'm more worried about the survivors who might come from the other side. If they aren't friendly, we will have a war in Wolford and London.

'Of course, you would go straight for the worst possible scenario,' Nyx grumbled. 'The chances of this happening are very small.'

But not nonexistent. Leo pointed out. I told you this before. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. It's better to be prepared for the worst than hope for the best.

'Alright... So what do you want to do? We are nowhere close to A-rank to destroy those things.'

I have a few ideas, but first, I'm gonna need to talk it through with Lily and then make a call. If the merchant can't help us here, then nobody can.

'Does that mean we're not killing anything on the way back?' The feline grumbled, her displeasure filling their link.

Sorry. He shrugged, knowing she didn't really mind it too much. I promise we will go hunting as soon as I talk with Naz'Tor. I want to gather a nice supply of Crystalized Essence anyway.

'I will hold you to that. Now go.'

With a nod, Leo walked away, going as fast as Stealth Shroud allowed.

----------------------------------------

Even though he tried to be quick about it, the way back was anything but simple. He had chosen to go into one of the tunnels close to the Void Gates and use it to get out. Unfortunately, the entire place was one big labyrinth with paths often leading back to the bottom of the trench.

The only good thing that came out of his wandering for hours was the discovery of the nest of the World Eater line. The entrance was protected by a Guarding Rock Eater, a monster that Leo honestly didn't expect to meet again.

Along with Nyx, he considered killing the level twenty-two beast, but in the end, they left it alone for the time being. They didn't need a horde of evolved Rock Eaters on their heel when they still hadn't found the exit. Not when time was already chasing them.

And so, their journey continued until finally, rays of sunlight entering through a tunnel's entrance hit Leo's eyes. He sped up right away, dropping Stealth Shroud as even Nyx uncoiled from his body and reformed next to him.

Freedom at la-

"And so the demon leaves its home, ready to spread its vile curse on the world again," a male voice spoke up the moment he left the tunnel. "Thank you, my Lord, for showing me the way. I shall cleanse this earth of the Void’s taint in your name."

In an instant, Leo and Nyx spun around, facing a man dressed in full blood-red armor with two pairs of golden wings protruding from his back. Glowing amber eyes glared at them from behind a helmet, even as the man smiled.

"Commander," the figure addressed a woman standing behind him with five more people. "Take care of the shadow abomination. I shall deal with the source."

"Yes, sir!" The commander saluted and drew a sword from her waist.

As this happened, Leo glanced at his companion with a wry grin. Well, you got what you wanted. Think you can handle them?

Nyx scoffed. They are all barely level twenty-five. It's you who should be careful.

He narrowed his eyes at the enemy leader, who also unsheathed two short swords, their blades as bloody as his armor.

Yeah, I know...

Winged Messenger | LVL: 33