A chilling energy filled the air as a dark shadow spread behind Reed's back, looming over them like a doorway to hell. It seemed that the tense truce that had held during their conversation was over, and now it was time to revert to being enemies.
Tesilid tried to think logically as he faced the immense pressure of Reed's power. He knew he couldn't win a fight with his holy sword, but using the demonic sword would undo everything he'd worked for up to this point. That meant...
The best I can do is avoid danger. The battle began the moment he made up his mind, as aura swords clashed in the air. On one side were blades that looked like they were made up of insidious black energy, while the others glowed proudly in contrast, pure beams of light following Tesilid's command. A whirlwind swept through the room as an explosion erupted, disturbing their vision with scattered and torn books that had been ripped from their shelves in a storm of dust. Since the air had gone yellow and hazy with debris, Reed decided to use senses other than sight to find his enemy.
Soon, he detected another presence. Reed was about to stab his enemy with a dozen or so aura blades when Tesilid kicked off from the ground at full speed, evading him. Tesilid flew toward the dungeon gate that was slowly disappearing, just managing to slip inside before it closed entirely. A few of Reed's aura blades followed Tesilid into the gate, slashing at his arms, but it was not enough to stop him. Tesilid vanished into the gate, leaving nothing behind but a bright splash of blood on the stone floor.
Left alone, Reed stood in the center of the room in silence. He glared as the gate closed, though he had no intention of chasing Tesilid into it.
"What a fool," he muttered.
All dungeons that closed and disintegrated ended up in the landfill of the Demon Realm, which was a place even someone as powerful as Reed would need a few months to escape from. He had many other things he had to prepare for, so he didn't have the luxury of time to follow Tesilid.
Waving his aura blades away, Reed looked up at the different constellations on the ceiling and murmured, "Now two people have warned me of my failure. I must work harder."
At that moment, Reed revised his ultimate plan to destroy the world and save a particular person, causing the hidden plotlines of the original story to expand even more.
â
More than ten hours had passed since I set out on the Pilgrim's Path. The snowstorm that had started when I first set off had refused to let up, making the journey much harder. I had no idea how I was going to survive this place for forty daysâI would almost certainly freeze to death the moment I fell asleep at night.
None of the camping equipment in my inventory is going to get me through this. Am I supposed to build an igloo or something? The heavy cross was slowing me down so much that I wasn't making enough progress, and the prospect of finishing was feeling less and less likely.
Fortunately, it turned out I was needlessly worrying because there were safe zones along the path to aid my survival.
Crackle, crackle.
There was a fire and a small but sturdy tent in each of the safe zones, the entire area being about three meters in diameter. It was as if there was a barrier spell cast on the inside of the safe zone, providing some heat and protecting me from the snowstorm.
Thud.
I finally succeeded in carrying the cross into the campsite. Plopping down on the ground with exhaustion, I remarked, "Whew... Ha... Phew... I-I finally made it. I... I thought I was going to die..."
I'd just completed one of the most brutal physical trainings, yet my number one drill instructor wasn't around to compliment my achievement. Although I felt disappointed and lonely, I pushed the emotions aside and worked up the remaining strength in my body to place a kettle over the fire and fill it with snow. The entire dungeon was overflowing with snow, so it made sense to forage my water supply instead of pulling from my limited inventory.
"Ouch, t-that's hot."
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World tells you to be careful not to burn your tongue.â
"Yes, Lord Voice."
I drank the water slowly to warm my body. As I drank, my breath fogged in the air. I looked past it into the sky, my mind kicking back up again now that I finally had a moment to relax. For hours, I had no chance to think about anything else besides staying on the path to avoid getting lost. Now my mind naturally turned to the thing it was most concerned about. Tesilid.
"I wonder if he's doing all right?" I asked, hoping that, at best, the gods might give me some empty words of encouragement, so I was dumbfounded when they actually offered a meaningful reply.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls suggests that you ask him yourself.â
"What? Ask him myself? Oh!" A sudden realization hit me thanks to Lord Scale's message. "That's right! I can talk to him!"
Tesilid and I shared an inventory, which meant we could communicate by writing notes to each other. I immediately dug through the inventory and took out some writing utensils. I noticed the maze map that a colleague had drawn for me during Anaxia's subjugation when I opened my notebook, so I turned the page to a blank one.
"Oh..."
The page that should have been blank was already filled with sentences in handwriting that was much neater than my own.
â¦'m doing fine. How are you?â§
"Tez..."
It seemed that Tesilid was the first to think of using the shared inventory to communicate with one another.
"You're safe. I'm so glad..."
I felt a little bit emotional as I stared at his message. After a moment I managed to snap out of it and continued reading because that wasn't the only thing he had written. It looked as if he had added another note after I failed to reply to his first one.
Reading the final sentence, I gasped.
â¦I'm stuck in the Demon Realm dumpster.â§
"What?! But you said you were fine!"
Shocked beyond belief, I began scribbling away. My handwriting was a nearly illegible scrawl, the messiness conveying the panic I felt.
â¦What happened? Were you sucked in during the dungeon closing after you subjugated Leviathion? How long have you been there?â§
Only when I returned the notebook to the inventory did I realize that I'd asked too many questions without providing any updates about myself. I reached back in to add another message, but the notebook was already gone. It seemed Tesilid had been waiting for my reply all along.
When the notebook appeared again, I hurriedly turned to the last page and found Tesilid's response.
â¦No, it was a different dungeon. I entered a dungeon called the Great Library of Eternity to find out where you were, but had a problem. I'll tell you the details when we meet. I'm doing all right because the inventory has everything I need to survive, so don't worry about me because my safety hasn't been compromised in any way. I'd also like to know how you're doing.â§
Feeling slightly more relieved, I responded with nicer lettering.
â¦I'm in a dungeon called the Pilgrim's Path. I was unconscious for a full day, had to walk for fifteen hours, and now I'm taking a break. I need to complete a forty-day pilgrimage course in order to leave, so it will probably take another sixteen days in the real world.â§
Tesilid didn't waste any time getting back to me again.
â¦That's good to hear. I'll try my best to leave the Demon Realm dumpster by then as well. You must be exhausted from walking for fifteen hours straight, so get some rest. You don't have to reply.â§
"What?" I squawked indignantly. "He wants to stop talking already?"
If it was up to me, we would exchange messages all night! Many thoughts raced in my mind upon reading Tesilid's abrupt suggestion to discontinue the conversation.
Is he really concerned about my stamina? What if he suddenly can't continue because he's in danger? If not...
â¬The Critic for Balance remarks that he doesn't seem to like texting because he's an old man.â
I couldn't help but lash out at that.
"My Tez isn't that old!"
â¬The Critic for Balance says that's what you think.â
â¬The Eye Overseeing All Chaos blinks with a look of sorrow in their eyes.â
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World subtly glances at [The Advocate of Confidentiality], who's still in deep self-reflection, then clears their throat.â
"What? Even you, Lord Voice?"
I sat back down amid the discouraging reactions of the gods, for I didn't have the energy to argue. Instead, I held up the pen and pondered for a while. I didn't want to stop exchanging messages despite what Tesilid said. Soon, I decided I'd sign off with a short statement.
Scratch, scratch.
I waited for the ink to dry before I closed the notebook and placed it back in the inventory. Again, it disappeared in an instant.
Wow, he was quick to check the notebook even though he told me not to reply. I waited nervously for the notebook to reappear, but it took a surprisingly long time for him to respond. I opened the notebook again, excited to read what he wrote this time.
"Huh?"
There was no response. Worse still, the page I'd written my last message had been ripped out of the notebook.
â¬The Critic for Balance snickers and tells you that he pretty much left you on read.â
"Ugh... Seriously?" I said, staring gloomily at the edge of the torn page. "By the way, Lord Balance, your commentary really isn't helpful."
â¬The Critic for Balance remarks that it's just a rational interpretation.â
"Whatever. I'm going to bed now."
Very pointedly ignoring the god who was making fun of me, I dragged myself into the tent to sleep. I was out before my head hit the pillow.