Scott stared at the figure standing in the bloody pool, its slender form vaguely human-like but shifting, almost formless, like living sludge. A mud dweller, huh? he thought. But this one looks different from the others I’ve seen. His expression remained impassive as he studied the strange champion. The Chains of the Abyss had loosened but stayed dormant, awaiting his command.

“Isn’t this enough for you?” the mud dweller suddenly demanded. “Why won’t you let me back in? What more do you want? Will those two make you accept me again?”

“That guy is dangerous,” Orion’s voice echoed through the party channel.

“I know. Best not to drag this out,” Scott replied.

He took a step forward, and immediately darkness surged from beneath his feet, expanding to engulf everything ahead. The mud dweller's voice rang out again.

“Who said you could defile my territory with your vile essence? Begone!”

The champion's irritated voice boomed across the shadowed expanse. An overwhelming pressure shattered a section of the creeping darkness that had enveloped him.

“How dare you?” the mud dweller hissed, his voice laced with venom. “How dare you defile my territory with that thing?”

Scott raised an eyebrow. It was the first time someone had dispersed his shadows so effortlessly since Ethan. Yet his face betrayed no emotion.

“I suspend all laws within my domain,” Scott declared.

Portals opened all around them, unleashing a chorus of baleful screeches and shrieks. From within these rifts, twisted eldritch beings emerged, each one more grotesque than the last, their bloodlust directed at the floating mud dweller. They moved swiftly across the darkness, converging on the champion, who now hovered a few feet off the ground.

As the creatures approached the hundred-meter radius of untouched space, an immense force descended upon them, instantly crushing their forms to dust. Undeterred by fear, more summons charged forward, driven by Scott’s will, only to meet the same fate—obliterated by the oppressive force surrounding the mud dweller.

“How dare you!” the mud dweller snarled again. “I will make you—”

A massive fist erupted from one of the portals, swinging toward the hovering champion. But with a sickening crack, the fist buckled, its bones snapping at unnatural angles. Blood and miasmic gases spewed from the twisted limb as it retreated back into the portal with a wail.

The mud dweller, still hovering, moved forward, and the clear zone moved with it, dispersing the darkness. Chains stirred in response, and the champion halted. At that moment, three distinct whistling sounds cut through the air. Three projectiles tore through the force field and struck the mud dweller, embedding into its murky form without causing any visible damage.

“Is that it?” the mud dweller scoffed. “Was that all you could—”

The creature froze, noticing a ticking sound. The chrome projectiles began to swell, their sheen replaced by a sinister red hue. Seconds later, a devastating explosion engulfed the area.

The clear zone vanished, darkness reclaiming the battlefield. The Chains of the Abyss shot forth, wrapping around the mud dweller, whose body flickered between its amorphous sludge form and a charred, hardened shell. Soul-churning screams erupted from the bound creature as blackened flames licked its form, though they left no visible damage.

Scott emerged from the shadows behind the creature, war hammer in hand.

“You think this is enough to stop me?” the mud dweller roared, its body swelling as it writhed in agony. “No one shall dwell over my—”

Scott’s hammer came down, smashing into the creature’s head with a thunderous impact. Fissures spider-webbed across the hardened shell of the mud dweller.

The chains loosened and slipped away, releasing the creature. Scott melded back into the shadows just as more projectiles struck the mud dweller’s fractured exterior. The ticking sound returned, followed by a sharp click.

Another explosion rocked the air, and the mud dweller’s remains shattered, scattering into oblivion.

The darkness coalesced beneath Scott’s feet as he returned to his original position. The war hammer and chains shrank back into their dormant forms.

“For someone with the ability to manipulate gravitational forces, that was a lot easier than I expected,” Orion remarked with a rueful smile before glancing at Scott. “You didn’t use the Confessions this time, or the Authority of Madness. Why?”

Scott cast a brief look at the mage before turning his gaze away. “Which direction is the undulation the strongest? Or has it weakened?”

Orion chuckled softly, shaking his head. “This is why the throne never bothered you with mundane tasks,” he said, pointing straight ahead. “We’re still on track. The ripples are getting stronger, actually. I can’t wait to see what’s waiting for us. Ready to move on?”

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Barely seconds after the words left Orion’s mouth, a system notification flashed in front of them.

You have slain a former Territorial Lord! You have yet to attain the minimum number of kills to be named in the territorial ranking!

This thing again… Scott frowned at the unexpected message. So, that guy was just a poser. He’s like Orion—made the rankings, but probably got kicked off. Scott recalled the massacre they’d witnessed earlier and couldn't help but wonder if the mud dweller had slaughtered all those champions in a bid to reenter the list.

Why didn’t it use the ability it trapped those other guys with? Was it too tired, or did it underestimate us? Scott’s gaze drifted to Orion, who scrutinized the system message just as intently.

No use overthinking it. Whatever the reason the mud dweller held back, it no longer mattered. What mattered was surviving long enough to escape this cursed place. Scott exhaled slowly, steadying himself.

Your devotee has devoted a territory to you! By virtue of your allegiance to the Mad Throne, your territory shall be known as the 18th Order of the Mad Throne! Congratulations! You are now a Territorial Lord! Current number of territories in your control: 1!

Scott blinked several times, eyes fixed on the flashing blue window. Thoughts and questions raced through his mind, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from the system prompt.

Warning! You have yet to attain a placement in the territorial ranking. To maintain control over your territory, you must achieve a placement! Failure to place on the territorial ranking will result in immediate forfeiture of your territory and all associated benefits! Note: To enjoy the benefits of being a Territorial Lord, you must first achieve a placement on the ranking!

This is going to be troublesome. Scott massaged his temples, already dreading the unpleasant notifications that awaited him.

Shifting his attention from the system alerts, he turned toward Orion, who was gathering samples from the shattered remains of the mud dweller. This guy never misses an opportunity to feed his hunger for knowledge, Scott mused, taking a step forward. “I’m going ahead. Join me when you’re done with... whatever that is.”

Orion’s amused chuckle sounded behind him. “Just give me a second. I won’t take long.”

Scott said nothing more, walking onward. That mud dweller had an annoying ability, but it wasn’t all that strong. I wonder how powerful the other Territorial Lords are. He glanced across the vast, desolate expanse. Will this place become someone’s territory soon? What’s the point of being a Territorial Lord in a wasteland like this? It’d just be an endless cycle of battles. Far better to find a gateway to a timeline—

His thoughts trailed off as a sudden realization hit him.

Scott spun around and headed back toward Orion, who was still engrossed in collecting samples. “Orion, we have a serious problem.”

Orion looked up, noting the concern etched on Scott’s face. “We always have problems. How serious can it be this time?” he asked with a smile.

Wasting no time, Scott explained his reasoning to Orion, detailing his new title as a Territorial Lord and the system’s warnings. Orion’s smile had long since faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

“In essence, there's a high probability that whoever controls a territory also controls all the exits within it, effectively preventing anyone not allied with them from entering or leaving,” Orion muttered after a long pause.

“That’s the conclusion I came to as well. For all we know, we could reach a point where we can't advance any further because crossing into new areas might be considered invading someone’s territory.”

“Even worse, there's a real chance that the path forward—or even the path back—is rapidly shrinking,” Orion added with a rueful smile. “This is definitely a serious problem, but we don’t have enough data yet to make an informed decision. Knowing your luck, it’s only a matter of time before whoever controls the next territory reveals themselves to us.”

Scott frowned, feeling like Orion had taken a jab at him, but he couldn’t argue. If anything, saying he had bad luck was an understatement. The silence stretched between them until Orion chuckled again.

“Now I think I have a picture of what happened to my clones,” Orion said with an amused grin.

Scott considered the mage’s words, recalling the massacre they’d witnessed earlier. It wasn’t hard to imagine that the newly created clones had fallen victim to the mud dweller’s strange powers.

“I can only imagine how bitter they must have felt,” Orion laughed even harder, tears forming in his eyes. “Being born, getting a glimpse of life’s wonders, and all its inquisitive delights, only to be killed before you could even satisfy a single curiosity!” He doubled over in silent laughter.

Scott stared at him, confused. And this is funny how? he wondered, watching as Orion continued to laugh uncontrollably.

“But that still doesn’t explain why the undulations disappeared,” Scott interjected, tired of the mage’s mirth.

“I have a theory,” Orion said, struggling to suppress his amusement. “After our discussion, I’m certain there was a distortion here. It likely disappeared when our now-deceased friend was demoted.”

“So the exits only reveal themselves when there’s an active Territorial Lord,” Scott said, a new realization dawning on him as he glanced toward the path Orion had indicated earlier. Before he could speak, the mage’s voice came from behind him.

"I already know what you're thinking, and you're probably right. The ripples I've been sensing might be coming from someone else's territory. The real question is whether it's a good idea to keep approaching it. Keep in mind, it could be seen as us challenging the Territorial Lord—or we could just abandon the idea altogether."

Scott turned toward Orion, and the two champions locked eyes. There was no way to know how powerful the champion controlling the next territory might be, and a careless move could cost them everything. But wandering the endless bridge without a destination wasn’t appealing either.

“As always, I don’t mind whichever option you choose,” Orion said with a smirk. “But what’s it going to be?”