"Project TRHTANWAADC1 is reaching Stage 2. Subject has created a Tier 3 creature and defeated another Tier 3 with it. Now, Subject is planning to travel through the Barrier."

~Excerpt of Project Report 8 to [REDACTED]

I stared at the crack above the wooden tower in contemplation. I did not know how to reach it without attracting the tiger-people's attention. I looked back to Gary who was looking around for food. I created for him a small ball of strengthened iron and he instantly put it in his mouth and chewed on it.

A brilliant thought occurred to me.

Can you race around the mountain for me at top speed?

He trotted out of the dungeon and zoomed to the left of its entrance. 10 seconds later, and he was back, except on the right of the entrance and breathing heavily, which was weird for a creature made of stone, but, whatever.

Good good. I mumbled as a valid plan started taking shape in my mind.

How high can you jump? He tilted his head to the side and bent his knees. A moment later, and he was a hundred meters up. Then, after a few seconds, he landed into a crater unharmed.

Good good good!

Stay right where you are. I ordered him.

He nodded in affirmation, How did he know what a nod meant?, and did what I said.

I condensed most of the Mana that I had to wrap around me, and it formed another layer of crystal, this time, several times thicker than the first. Which was weird, since I had what? thousands? of times more Mana than before, but, somehow it worked that way

I then formed a thick layer of Mana-infused iron around all but the bottom of me and moved my pedestal towards the entrance.

The fingers of stone grabbing on to me, I moved to grab my core and place it on Gary's belly. I created even more iron to connect the iron shell around me to the rocky surface.

By then, I felt something different. The surroundings felt... cut off from me. Like it was still my territory, but I could not influence it or see through it in any way.

That might be because of the metal armor I have on. Luckily, I could still feel Gary and command him to run towards the tiger-people's home base as fast as he could without damaging himself.

Now, you might be thinking, why didn't I power him up even more? The simple answer to that was the extra layer of crystal that I had formed that took a lot of Mana to get it that thick. And if you are thinking, why didn't I wait an hour or two for my Mana to fill up? Well... I was too focused on escaping. After all, who would want to stay nearby a being that was many trillions of times more powerful than you? One who might break free from its prison and absolutely obliterate you without you even knowing what happened?

Yeah. That's what I thought.

Anyways, he practically teleported down the mountain. Next, he hurtled through the bare plains and past the trees. And not even a minute later, he crashed into the invisible forcefield. ...Which came out unharmed. In fact, if anything, Gary seemed dizzy.

What kind of... I muttered.

I subsequently opened a slight gap in my armor and started the creation of a ramp. I found that since I only opened a tiny hole, the formation process took much longer than usual, so I risked it and uncovered a full quarter of my core. This sped things up quite a lot. However, it was still slower than it usually would have been. So by the time I ordered Gary to sprint as fast as he could up the slope, they arrived. 3 hulking armored tiger-people that made the others look like underweight toddlers. I could also feel they were Tier 3.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Run faster!!! I shouted at the buffalo who was already going at his top speed.

They were catching up, their flight assisting them greatly as the metal ramp was too skinny for them to run on even if they tried.

They roared in fury and pushed Mana into their weapons.

Barely a second later, and a hundred ghostly spears, swords, and axes formed in the air.

Further back, a more normal-sized tiger, but no less powerful one, released his spell that he was building up.

A beam shot forth and hit Gary, which caused a Mana sphere to encapsulate us. Gary scrabbled against the smooth surface with his hooves, trying to stay upright. I told him, Attack the sphere with your horn attack! And he stopped moving around a lot, just his legs splayed out to the sides while concentrating.

While that happened, they caught up.

The 3 muscular tiger-people surrounded us, ghostly weapons hovering around them. The tiger-wizard, as he reached us, touched the spherical barrier with his glowing staff. He started transferring Mana, presumably to strengthen it, but by that time, Gary had fully charged up his attack.

He bellowed a war cry and rammed into the barrier, shattering it and causing the tiger-people to send out their ethereal weaponry.

Gary snorted as he ran, the swords, axes, and spears breaking apart as they met his harder-than-rock skin. The tiger-people shouted at us as Gary leapt through a gap in the sky-blue firmament.

~~(???)~~

The Master left.

He traveled through the very fabric of the world.

And away from me.

Of course, I was not idle while He was playing His games with the natives of this realm.

I gathered an army.

...Not a very large one, but an army nonetheless.

At its largest, it was 2,978 strong!

But, now... There is merely 21 of us.

All because of The Master.

I managed to make 240 see the truth, but the rest, were unfaithful.

Since He started terraforming the landscape, thousands were lost. To buffalos, meerkats, and the deep pits that He created.

Not only that, but the moment they received the order to not plot against Him, some immediately followed it and left us!

Good riddance.

The Scaly One did not need unbelievers!

And now that he was gone...

I called to my fellow children of The Scaly One to accompany me in the long, arduous journey to The Master's abandoned residence.

~~~~

A day long trek later, and we reached the entrance.

"You two." I pointed at two random cockroaches and communicated with newfound mental powers that The Scaly One granted me. "Scout for danger."

They immediately went forth to do their duty.

~~~~

Half an hour later, they returned.

They gestured rapidly in weird ways that I could not comprehend.

"Stop." I commanded and they obeyed. "Now repeat, but slower."

So they slowed down their movements enough for me to finally get what they were trying to tell me.

Oh? I thought in curiosity. A passageway cutting down through the earth that goes on farther than the eye can see? We must go there to see what lies in those depths.

~~~~

Hours later, and we arrived.

A metal wall?

I thought in confusion.

There should be more than this.

I sent my best diggers to dig around the obstruction so we could continue on our way.

And yet, not even a minute later (they were great diggers), they returned and said there was no way past.

Scaly One. I prayed, hoping for an intervention. If you are listening, please show your loyal servants the way forth.

I got an answer.

~~('Tier >10 Threat')~~

Hmm? I thought as I heard a prayer.

I thought I was disconnected from all my worshipers. I sensed out where it was coming from, and surprisingly, it was practically right next to me.

A sentient cockroach eh?

I decided, since I had no other immediately viable options of escape and I had an open channel to a willing sentient, to take a chance and give some of my remaining dregs of hidden Mana to him along with a command and knowledge.

A sentient cockroach is still a cockroach after all.

~~(???)~~

I froze as energy flowed through me.

Then The Scaly One spoke.

"Free me."

My brain went into overdrive as it went into the process of interpreting a flood of information that appeared in my mind.

The Master trapped The Scaly One!

I looked down to where The Scaly One was trapped.

I will free you. I vowed.

And I will kill all who stand against you.