CHAPTER 345: HE IS A JERK

I had barely been dragged back when Dante stepped forward.

His clothes fluttered in the wind, though the air had stilled. He stood with his back straight, one hand at his side, the other raised just slightly. The toxic green beam slammed into him and stopped.

He didn’t block it.

He didn’t parry or even react violently.

He simply clenched his raised fist.

The beam shattered like glass breaking in complete silence. It crumbled inward on itself and vanished. All that remained was the faint echo of what had once been a threat.

Then Dante raised both hands to his sides, fingers spread.

He took a slow breath and brought his hands together.

He clapped.

The sound was soft. Gentle. Barely more than a sharp exhale.

But the world changed.

Ripples spread outward from his clap, visible, actual distortions in the air, like waves across the surface of water. They rolled out through the realm, reaching the churning green clouds above. The ripples touched the poison... and space began to squeeze.

The sky folded in.

The clouds churned harder, as if resisting, but the space around them constricted, pressing them inward with increasing speed.

"No!" Hugh’s voice thundered from above. The face twisted with rage and panic.

"You can’t do this! I won’t be sealed! I—"

The rest of the sentence was swallowed as the clouds rapidly shrank. The toxic green mass, once thick enough to block the sky, was being crushed down to a single point. Even the massive hollow face couldn’t hold its shape, its mouth stretched wider in a silent scream before it, too, was crushed inward.

Within seconds, the swirling mass had collapsed into a sphere no larger than an apple.

It floated gently into Dante’s hand.

The sphere pulsed once with sickly green light, then dimmed.

He looked at it, almost bored, and slipped it into his storage ring.

The change was immediate.

The sky cleared.

The storm was gone.

The clouds thinned and disappeared, leaving behind soft, golden sunlight that flooded the place. The wind returned, crisp and clean. The oppressive weight I hadn’t realized was pressing on my chest lifted all at once.

Essence flowed properly again.

I could breathe.

I stared at Dante.

He stood still, silent for a few seconds then turned around to look at me.

"That’s... done," he said.

It felt like he’d just finished folding laundry.

I stared at him, the strange disguise of an old woman, complete with flowing white robes, silver hair tied neatly back, and enough wrinkles to make it convincing. Somehow, even now, the image felt absurd.

I let out a slow breath and muttered, "There was no need to drag me into this mess."

"Then get strong enough so people like me can’t drag you into anything."

I blinked. My jaw tightened, and I debated whether it was worth replying. It wasn’t.

I looked away from the man pretending to be a frail old woman and decided to just move on.

"I think we’re done here."

He waved his hand lazily, and a thin walking stick appeared in it, smooth, carved, and old-looking.

He tapped it lightly against the ground. Then his posture shifted, back hunching slightly to better fit the disguise, as if suddenly remembering he was supposed to be old.

"No," he said. "We’re not."

He glanced around the empty sky, then locked eyes with me.

"There are still a few rats running around this realm. And the order was clear, leave no one alive."

His words hung in the air for a moment.

Then he softened just a bit and continued.

"Alright. I’ve already taken everything important. The evidence, the experiment results, even the dangerous little surprises the Holts left behind. Nothing here should hurt you kids anymore. You can clean up in peace."

He paused, letting the silence sit between us for a few seconds longer.

"For now, keep watch on the portals. If anyone enters, capture them. Don’t let anything slip through."

Then he tilted his head, a faint smirk on his wrinkled face.

"Now, be a good junior and open a portal for me, will you? I need to update the Emperor. I think we can move ahead with the next phase right away. You’ve given me... some very interesting surprises today."

I didn’t say anything.

I just lifted my hand, focused, and opened a glowing violet portal beside him.

He stepped through without another word and vanished from the realm.

I stood alone again, the wind brushing gently past me.

Ash drifted lazily in the air, but my thoughts were louder than the silence around me.

This whole battle... as chaotic and dangerous as it had been, it hadn’t helped me much when it came to leveling.

I was still stuck at level 199. The quest for my next breakthrough was still pending, still locked away from me.

But not everything was wasted.

My skills had grown clearer, more refined. My understanding of the minor laws had deepened during the fighting. I had pushed myself into using multiple skills at once, bending Essence in ways I hadn’t before. In that sense, the battle had been useful.

My summons were in the same situation, every single one of them had reached level 199. None of them had been able to break through either. They didn’t have quests like I did, but I could feel it, something about their progression was tied to mine. As long as I was stuck, they were stuck too.

That thought circled back to the meeting I’d had earlier.

The plan that had been shown to me was still clear in my mind. And honestly, just defending our Masters or killing enemy Masters wasn’t enough.

If I wanted to truly contribute to the Empire in this war then I needed to step into the next rank.

I needed to become a Grandmaster.

And for that, I’d need to hunt.

Abominations.

Twisted, unstable, and overflowing with energy, abominations were the perfect targets. At least for now, that’s what I understood. Killing them was the path forward.

But if I could push through that wall... if I could take that step... then it wouldn’t just be me.

My summons would follow.

And just like that, I’d be adding four Grandmasters to the Empire’s army, including myself. That kind of power shift could turn the tide of a war.

Luckily, I wasn’t alone in this.

I had the Emperor’s permission to go forward with this plan. Not just that, he had assigned the General of the army himself to support me. He would help me find the targets I needed, clear the path, and make sure I had the right opportunities to break through.

All I had to do now... was keep moving.

My wings flared wide, and with a single push, I launched myself into the sky, straight toward the floating ruins. The wind rushed past me as I soared upward, leaving the battlefield behind.

I took my time flying around the forest and the mountains. The damage was massive. Smoke still rose in a few places, but the chaos had finally started to fade.

As I drifted over the ruins, one thought kept circling in my mind.

Once things settled down... I’d claim this realm for myself.

I landed softly near the central ruins and walked through the broken corridors until I reached the heart of the floating island, the core chamber.

The realm core hovered silently in the middle of the room. It pulsed faintly, radiating waves of invisible energy. Spatial ripples shimmered around it, bending the air like heat over desert sand.

I stepped closer.

My wings vanished as I sat down cross-legged in front of the core.

I closed my eyes and focused, letting my thoughts settle as I reached out to the space around me.

And just like that, I began once again to dive into the laws of space.