Chapter 100
[Measuring the rank of the Gate.]
[Measurement is impossible!]
[Entering Irregular Gate :: ‘Gatekeeper of the Void’!]
Flap. The white monsters beat their wings once. The Gate she had opened and entered was clearly meant to be the East Sea Rank 1 Gate, but its level was on a completely different trajectory.
Fishmen with eight eyes were crawling on their legs, and bubbles were writhing everywhere.
“Grandmother!!”
Nari turned her gaze toward the familiar title and then made a face of disgust. Adult goats were clumped together in spheres.
“Wow, insane. I feel... like I'm going to throw up.”
Indeed, those guys were better off when they were young. They were gross now that they were all grown up. And not only were they gross, but their personalities were also terrible. Thinking that, Nari slightly averted her gaze.
“Grandmother!! Why did you lie!!”
Nari’s complexion turned pale as several goats screamed at her. Lie? About what? Before she could even ask, the herd of goats shouted in unison.
“It was a good deed!! You promised to do bad things!! Even now you promised us, but you’re doing good deeds!! Grandmother is a dummy!! So die here!!”
Bang!! The herd of goats began to roll toward Nari. Even as their heads were crushed against the floor and their legs broke and bled, they did not care. Suppressing her nausea, Nari swung the gold scissors and opened a dimensional crack in the air.
“Grandmother is a dummy!! Moron!! Dummy!! Moron!!”
Bang, bang. Shaking her head at the goats that were terrifyingly chasing her even into the dimensional crack, Nari opened another dimensional crack.
This was a place where the Gate from ten years ago had been dragged into the present using Nari’s spirit energy as a medium. In other words, since it was a place where time was distorted, she intended to use them.
Notorious beings that made even Constellations tremble in fear despite not being Constellations themselves. Nari had never seen them before, but if she kept opening dimensional cracks in a misaligned space, they would eventually be discovered.
After opening dimensional cracks several times to flee, she opened one again.
“...!!”
[You have made eye contact with the Hounds of Space and Time!]
“G-Grandmother. Help me. The... these guys.”
The goats flinched and trembled as they made eye contact with someone through the dimensional crack. Seeing the goats stopped in their tracks, unable to do anything, Nari shouted.
“Hey, Pterosaur! Run without even looking back!! Seriously!! If you make eye contact, you'll be recognized as prey!!”
Just like that, Nari turned the carriage and fled at full speed.
The idea she had come up with from the ‘recoil’ her mother mentioned. A similar system existed in the outer universe.
Targeting only those who traveled through time, she succeeded in drawing out those who were holding their breath at the corners of time, waiting for prey. Since she succeeded, now.
“Kyaaaaaaa!!”
“Why do those guys even scream in chorus?”
The sound of something tearing the flesh of the goats was heard from behind, followed by the goats’ screams, but Nari accelerated without looking back.
Soon after, when the sounds of the goats subsided, the sound of someone chanting an incantation was heard from somewhere. Looking up, people wearing yellow hoods were reading from a script.
Noise gradually mixed into that sound until it turned into an ear piercing screech. Even as she plugged both ears, her eardrums vibrated and blood flowed out. It was then.
[The Lord of the Abyss bestows a blessing upon you!]
“...Ah, thank you!”
With the blessing, all the sounds died down, and she could finally take her hands off her ears. That Lord of the Abyss was very favorable toward her, but the feeling was different from The Lord of Chaos.
Rather than whispering ‘always on your side,’ it felt more like a ‘team with a common goal.’
[The Lord of the Abyss rubs his hands together, saying he is excited to see that Chaos bastard’s limbs get smashed for the first time in a long while.]
“...Hm, okay.”
And he was more bellicose and violent than The Lord of Chaos, but... anyway, that made him feel a bit more trustworthy. A more honest feeling, perhaps.
“I thought all Constellations of the outer universe wanted destruction.”
Nari spoke to the Lord of the Abyss while moving the carriage comfortably under the blessing. Since she had entered the Gate as soon as she met him, she hadn't had a chance to talk about this or that.
[The Lord of the Abyss explains that those like him are a very small minority.]
“That’s okay. Just knowing you exist is a relief. I can do my best.”
Just as Nari finished speaking with a smile, Kwaaaang!! A huge pillar of fire erupted beside her.
“Gah, it's hot!!”
Because the flames seemed to be alive, licking out like tongues, Nari felt the heat directly and clutched her shoulder.
For a moment, the carriage shook violently, but it soon regained its balance.
“...It’s okay. I've done this before.”
However, Nari, not panicking, glared up at the pillars of fire. Right, back then Kang Hana was with her. Now she was alone.
“I have to go back.”
Thinking that, Nari held up the golden half scissor.
[Trait :: Little Explorer in Dreams is activated!]
Spirit energy quickly clung to the pillars of fire. Nari, looking at the substances that had moved beyond powder and become closer to sticky black slime, spoke.
“Freeze.”
Crackle!! Just like that, the pillars of fire froze. The sweat running down Nari’s cheeks also froze in place.
The words spoken at the Sanctuary. The words that allowed Nari to feel hope.
[He wags his finger, saying his method of supporting you is different from that Chaos bastard.] Nari’s Constellation wasn’t something she could handle herself. So The Lord of Chaos had split the ‘Authority’ going to Nari into pieces small enough for Nari to handle.
However, the Lord of the Abyss was different. His method was to grant a ‘Blessing’ so that Nari’s mind would not break even if she used the power of a Constellation.
Nari was now able to use power at a much higher level than before.
Therefore, she no longer needed to borrow the power of other Constellations. Her own power, ‘Lucid Dream,’ was enough.
“Maybe it's because he's weakened from the recoil, but I'm glad illusion alone is sufficient.”
As she said those words, Nari slowly stopped the carriage. The stairs placed in midair led long toward a door shaped like hell, and in front of it…
“You came? Our Nari.”
Lude, spinning a broken key around. No, The Lord of Chaos.
His whole body was covered in wounds, and one arm that was not holding the key was dangling without a sleeve, while a strange orange energy swirled around him.
“...What is that?”
To Nari, who asked while narrowing her eyes, The Lord of Chaos showed a grin.
“Ah~ this? Recoil. It just popped out like this after I killed your mother.”
“Shut your mouth!!”
Nari clenched her fists. As she glared with rage, The Lord of Chaos burst into a cackle. After laughing for a long time, he eventually wiped away tears with his finger and spoke.
“Still, I didn't originally intend to go this far, but seeing you after a while made my blood boil. So I got a little excited.”
“After a while?”
“You don't need to know that, anyway Nari.”
With a grunt, The Lord of Chaos stood up. The sleeve of his empty arm fluttered loosely. He pointed toward the top of the stairs with his remaining hand and spoke.
“Do you know what that is?”
Nari looked toward the top of the stairs. A black door carved with suffering people and monsters of unknown form. And a sentence written in a strange language.
Since she could not possibly not know its identity, Nari frowned. Seeing that, The Lord of Chaos laughed.
“It's the Door of Destruction that exists in the outer universe.”
“Door of Destruction?”
“Yes, if you open that, it's the end. Real destruction. Our second in command will suddenly descend to Earth and swallow everything.”
“....”
“And according to the original plan, you were supposed to open it.”
At the last words The Lord of Chaos whispered quietly, Nari caught her breath. The White Rabbit had said that the Constellations of the outer universe were anxious because of the things inside her cave. If that was the case.
“Are you saying... that door is inside my subconscious?”
“No, inside it is this.”
Clink. The Lord of Chaos shook the keychain he was holding in his fingers.
“What, you're saying I'm a keyring?!”
“Ahaha, that's not what I mean. Everyone has a cave in their heart. But not everyone can open it. Most people are in this state.”
Clink. He showed the key attached to the keyring. The key part was cleanly cut off, leaving only the handle.
“This way, you can't open any door. You wouldn't even be able to get out if you were trapped in the deep world. That's why most people don't even realize it.”
“Then you're saying I'm different?”
“Inside you is the key. The key that can open every door through the subconscious. [Fragment of the First Dream].”
Her Exclusive High Tier Skill that was currently undergoing evolution. [Fragment of the First Dream].
Exclusive High Tier Skills were not created by the Constellation. It was a method where the Constellation used a trait the incarnation originally possessed that had connectivity as a link.
“You used dimensional cracks all over the place. You can't do that unless you're a space-traveling Constellation. The reason you can open dimensions so casually is because of that.”
“Wasn't that only possible because you handled the necessary spirit energy with me?”
“No? Even I have to handle quite a bit to use it once, so there's no way. That was your ability. Since you can open every door, slipping through the gaps to move is a piece of cake.”
Clink. He tossed the key upward. With a rattling sound, the keyring fell onto the stairs. The Door of Destruction placed right above it was ominous. The Lord of Chaos spoke with an expression that did not even hold expectation.
“Nari, I'll ask one last time. Do you truly... have no intention of destroying the world? We waited six years to open that door.”
With a grunt, The Lord of Chaos straightened his body and looked at Nari. If Nari said ‘no’ right here, it was certain that he would become her complete enemy.
Nari’s fingers twitched. Even knowing that he was using her, it was hard to resist. It seemed to be because the years she had relied on him for a long time were significant.
Nari recalled her mother’s end. She always had to walk the right path. Nari spoke with her head held high.
“I don't.”
“Yes, yes. I thought so. Ha... Since I truly have the years I spent with you and your mother, I tried not to use this method if possible.”
The Lord of Chaos held out one hand. Black spirit energy was budding from his hand. The Constellation in charge of the highest level of the mental system.
Since it was certain she would forcibly accept if she were hit by that, Nari held up the golden scissors.
[Trait :: Little Explorer in Dreams is activated!]
Spirit energy writhed and hovered around her, but The Lord of Chaos quickly scattered it.
[Warning! Someone is intruding into the user's dream!]
[The rank of the intruder is high! Control of the dream is being seized!]
“You know this kind of thing doesn't work. I'll take your spirit energy and eat it well. Nari.”
The Lord of Chaos laughed and exercised control over Nari’s dream. Just as the spirit energy fluctuated wildly and her vision was clouded by a haze.
Stab. Nari ran to The Lord of Chaos and thrust the golden half scissor into his stomach. An attack barely attempted with her eyes squeezed shut. Seeing that, The Lord of Chaos laughed.
“Ahahaha, haha!! Haha!! Nari, you know you can't cause me harm with a measly pair of scissors like this, right?!”
“Shut... up! I know too!”
Nari, who was resisting with the blessing of the Lord of the Abyss, stepped back a few paces while clutching her head.
Looking at the staggering Nari, The Lord of Chaos laughed slowly. And it was just as he reached out his hand to pull Nari’s scissors out.
[Exclusive High Tier Skill :: Sniping is activated!]
“Huh?”
Clang!! A hole appeared in the Gate. And before he could even investigate the identity of that hole, a black half scissor fired immediately was lodged in The Lord of Chaos’s body.
‘Nice...!’
Nari cheered inwardly. She was truly glad that Jeong Suho had understood the task she requested perfectly.
The half scissors lodged in the same body emitted a hum and glowed.
[Activating set effect of ‘Golden Half Scissor of Good Dreams’ and ‘Black Half Scissor of Nightmares’!]
[‘Sleep Paralysis’ is in progress!]