CHAPTER 210: THE RUINS BELOW

Shiao Yi blinked his eyes in disbelief. He couldn’t sense magic like Dominic could, so he had to rely on the man’s instincts, but hearing that only deepened his dread.

A creature that massive... one whose presence could stretch beneath the entire demon world?

How could they possibly fight something like that?

It was far beyond their power. It was far beyond anything living could face.

To destroy such a thing, Shiao Yi thought grimly, they’d need something like the ultimate weapon from his own world, the one that was capable of triggering a planetary nuclear firestorm and doomsday elemental reaction that could burn everything to ash.

The appearance of the creature that Shiao Yi called black slime changed Dominic’s entire understanding of the demon world.

Until now, he had believed that the strange energy filling this world—the one so unlike their own—was just a kind of miasma.

However, now, if he thought of it instead as a different kind of magic, the exact opposite of their own power, everything suddenly made sense.

The demon world was a realm ruled by that black slime. It’s a place filled with dark energy that mirrored their magic like light and darkness. It was a world completely incompatible with the surface above, a world that should never be allowed to spill into the lands of men.

Here, magical beasts roamed freely and the black slime hunted them as prey.

Against the overwhelming force of the black slime, nothing and no one could stand. It was a terrifying existence beyond reason or resistance.

Having faced Tar directly, Dominic now understood something even more unsettling.

He couldn’t tell if the black slime possessed intelligence, self-awareness, or even the capacity for thought.

It didn’t feel like it did.

And yet, that black slime had clearly recognized both him and the Calakmul as prey, it had attacked them with the single-minded purpose of feeding on their magic.

Perhaps the black slime had no will beyond that hunger.

Its only desire was to consume power, to devour the magic that living beings and even magical beast, produced.

While they created and released magic to sustain life, the black slime survived by absorbing that very energy for itself.

And so, the natural order of hunter and hunted was born.

As one of the hunted, Dominic knew they could never allow black slime to reach the surface world. It had to be stopped, no matter the cost. It was a blessing, at least, that the surface and the demon world were separated by strong barriers.

But even so—

If these magical beasts were appearing in the forests above what did that mean?

Were living beings transformed into monsters after being consumed by some lesser fragment of the black slime?

If those beasts were truly part of the black slime, that theory made grim sense.

Or perhaps there was still a passage somewhere, a path through which the black slime could reach the surface world even now.

If that was true, then every one of those openings had to be destroyed.

"Dominic," Shiao Yi said quietly beside him. "We can’t just wander around the surface anymore, can we?"

Dominic’s thoughts were broken by Shiao Yi’s sudden voice beside him.

"There are giant snakes, magical beasts, and who knows when that thing will show up again. This place is way too dangerous."

Shiao Yi’s face was serious as he looked straight at Dominic.

"We should fear the danger that’s certain, not the one that might not exist. I’ll jump over to that wall. I can see it clearly, so teleporting won’t be a problem. If everything’s fine, I’ll come back and get you."

As Shiao Yi placed his foot near the cave’s edge and ready to leap, Dominic caught his arm.

"Don’t go alone. I don’t ever want to be apart from you again. If something unexpected happens, we face it together. Even if that means dying, we die together. Don’t leave me behind."

He couldn’t stand being left alone again—never. His fingers tightened around Shiao Yi’s arm, he determined to not to let him go.

Shiao Yi smiled softly, a warm expression spreading across his face and at the same time determination shone in his dark eyes.

"You’re right. I promised I’d never leave you again. We’ll go and face it together. No matter what happens, as long as it’s the two of us, we’ll make it."

Hearing Shiao Yi’s resolve, Dominic bent down and picked up the sword sheath lying on the ground. He slid the bare blade into it and tucked it into the cord tied around his leather waist wrap.

Shiao Yi gathered his throwing knives, put them into a small bag made from deer hide and hung it from his waist. There was no belt to hold them otherwise.

Both of them were dressed only in simple leather loincloths, nothing more.

Dominic reached out a hand. Shiao Yi stepped forward and threw himself into his arms. Dominic embraced his slender but firm, muscular body tightly. Shiao Yi wrapped his arms around Dominic’s back and clinging to him with all his strength.

Dominic lifted Shiao Yi’s chin and kissed him. The kiss deepened quickly, filled with longing and need.

My beloved Shiao Yi. Forever and wherever we go, I will never let this hand go again.

Dominic wanted to keep kissing Shiao Yi forever, but he knew they couldn’t stay like that. Reluctantly, he pulled his lips away, still feeling the warmth linger between them.

"Let’s go, Shiao Yi."

"Yeah. Let’s go, Dominic."

Then, together, they jumped.

In the next moment, Dominic found himself facing an enormous wall of stone.

He was floating in the air while still holding Shiao Yi in his arms.

It was Shiao Yi’s telekinesis that kept them suspended and Dominic couldn’t help but be amazed once again by his lover’s power.

Even though they were some distance from the wall, the sheer pressure of its presence felt almost physical, as if it were pressing down on them.