My next destination was Vortire, a shadowy and enigmatic planet said to be the domain of vampires. I had yet to cross paths with such creatures, and curiosity, coupled with the planet’s proximity, made it an appealing choice. Any conquest of Smalland would have to wait; for now, Vortire beckoned.

Leaving Earth’s atmosphere was effortless. Though I could have used the Island to transport myself directly into Vortire’s domain, I preferred an astral journey, traveling through the endless expanse of space unaided. The void of the cosmos was an indifferent, silent vastness, yet it welcomed my intrusion as though I belonged.

As I pierced through the thinning atmosphere, a faint unease flickered—memories of humanity's fear of suffocation and death in the void. I dismissed it quickly, manipulating the fabric of space around me to shield my form, bending time itself to hasten the journey.

The Earth’s core had endowed me with regenerative and adaptive abilities, a gift both profound and unnecessary for such mundane tasks. But these powers alone would never suffice to challenge the god.

The journey took longer than anticipated. Vortire lay far beyond the imagined bounds of Earth’s solar system—its distance measured in light-decades, not mere planetary orbits. Propelling myself at the threshold of light-speed, I dared not surpass it for fear of destabilizing the fragile threads of space-time. "Either I will arrive in moments or decades hence," I mused, silently cursing my inexperience with the manipulation of time at such scales.

Eventually, I reached the outskirts of Vortire’s shadowy sphere. A pulsing core confirmed the planet’s vibrancy, its energy radiating outward like an ancient heartbeat. I descended, my arrival soft yet deliberate, and found myself within a cavernous chamber deep beneath the surface.

Adjusting the space around me, I emerged into a sprawling city—a network of gothic towers, narrow alleys, and shadow-cloaked streets teeming with life. The faint glow of torches and the eerie luminescence of magic lit the darkened world. Yet, despite the city's majesty, its inhabitants held no interest for me. My focus was drawn elsewhere, to a distinct energy signature that reverberated through the planet like a beacon.

I followed the trail, arriving at the gates of an imposing castle. Without hesitation, I unleashed my power, reducing the fortress to rubble in a single calculated strike. The air filled with the sound of splintering stone and anguished screams as chaos erupted around me. A few of the planet’s denizens, either too foolish or too desperate, dared to attack. They fell swiftly, their resistance amounting to little more than an annoyance.

Amidst the carnage, a familiar figure emerged. Mr. Sera, my former teacher, stood at the center of the chaos, his face a mixture of disbelief and fury.

"You? Alive?" he asked, his voice taut with disbelief.

"Yeah," I replied with a smirk, stepping forward. "Got a problem with that?"

Without waiting for a response, I struck out, aiming to end him with a single blow. Yet, to my astonishment, the space between us refused to yield. My attack dissipated, as though repelled by an invisible force.

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"You shouldn’t be here," Sera muttered, his tone heavy with disapproval. "Seems Martin truly lacked the strength for this. No matter. Lucas must already know, and he will deal with you accordingly."

"Don’t waste your concern on Martin," I said, watching his expression shift as he pieced together the implications.

"You..." Sera faltered, his disbelief growing. "That energy spike... Did Lucas send you?" His voice grew sharper. "Of course. It all fits now. You’re his puppet, aren't you? His contingency plan."

I shrugged off his words, uninterested in his misplaced theories. "Lucas is irrelevant. You, on the other hand, are in my way."

With a flick of his wrist, Sera conjured a spatial barrier, enclosing us within a shimmering, ever-shifting dome. "You won’t find this as easy as the others," he warned, his voice steady and resolute.

I laughed, my voice echoing in the confined arena. "Your methods won’t work here," I said simply, manipulating time itself to slip through his defenses.

Though his powers, drawn from Vortire’s core, surpassed my spatial abilities, they crumbled before the relentless march of time. In a single decisive moment—barely a fraction of a second—I ended his life.

"Too easy," I remarked as the atmospheric shockwave reverberated outward, signaling the absorption of his core’s energy.

Vortire’s energy coursed through me, granting heightened spatial mastery. Standing amidst the wreckage, I felt a pang of guilt—not for Sera, but for the destruction I had wrought upon the city above. With a gesture, I restored the space, ensuring the sun's light would never pierce the shadows the vampires so desperately needed to survive.

Now standing atop Vortire’s vast, shadowed expanse, I teleported myself to Dragora, the fabled realm of dragons. The journey, instantaneous this time, brought me to the edge of a world brimming with primal energy.

As I materialized, an overwhelming presence greeted me. Before me loomed a dragon of unimaginable scale, its massive form rivaling the moon’s size. Beside it stood six individuals, their figures dwarfed by its colossal frame. To my surprise, among them were familiar faces—Chloe, Abella, and others who had once been my classmates.

"We’ve been expecting you," the dragon rumbled, its voice resonating across the void.

"Have you now? Congratulations," I replied, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

Abella stepped forward, her voice laced with bitterness. "I warned you all not to trust Lucas. And now? This is what comes of it. He betrayed us, as I said he would."

The void of space should have swallowed her words, but in this strange domain, sound carried effortlessly. "Let’s end this quickly," I said, unleashing a wave of power. One by one, the opposition fell, until only the dragon remained.

In an instant, I was back where I started, the dragon’s deep voice echoing: "As long as I, Dragora, endure, this moment will repeat. Each strike against me loops us to its inception."

"You’ve tethered time to yourself," I muttered, intrigued. "Clever."

Expanding my spatial influence, I halted time itself, trapping all but Dragora and me in frozen stillness.

"Do you think this will work?" the dragon asked, its voice unimpressed.

"Not at all," I replied, summoning countless weapons into existence, their forms shimmering like gates to infinity.

"This ends here," I said, my tone final. "Not through force, but choice." I offered the dragon a chance for sanctuary, a life beyond the system's oppressive reach. "Dragons existed before the system; you can exist beyond it, free of its chains."

Dragora pondered my words, its immense form radiating contemplation. At last, it conceded, and I teleported it and its planet to safety. Time resumed its flow, and I swiftly ended the remaining opposition, claiming Chloe’s core in the aftermath.

"Now," I murmured, my gaze narrowing, "onward to Lucas."

But before I could depart, a haunting voice called out behind me: "No need, you monster."