Chapter 393
Episode 393 – Integration (3)
Gate...
Gate? What does that mean...?
Arthur’s consciousness, which had been momentarily severed, abruptly returned, flooding his vision with clarity.
Everything before him was bathed in a deep red, as if he had stepped into a thick crimson mist.
Then, his mind began to blur again.
At that moment—
[Arthur!!]
“Gah!”
[Don’t lose your grip on your consciousness!]
He immediately realized it was Reto who had pulled him back from the brink.
Reto’s voice snapped him back into clarity.
As his awareness returned, unfamiliar information flowed naturally into his mind.
The current situation he faced—He had to close the gate.
He had to stay alert.
And—Integration had been successfully achieved.
“This is...”
Information and intent, not his own, drifting freely through his mind.
They clearly belonged to Reto.
In this integrated state, he could feel emotions and thoughts being shared with Reto in real time.
It felt like they had become one.
Worry...?
Even Reto’s emotions—his concern for Arthur—were conveyed.
It was unfamiliar.
As Arthur focused momentarily on that strange sensation, Reto’s sharp voice rang out—
[Snap out of it! Look ahead!]
“Guh!”
Reto’s voice echoed in his skull as if shouting right next to him.
And then—One word flooded into his consciousness:
Gate...
Reto’s mind was filled entirely with the image of the gate.
Arthur jerked his head up and looked ahead. In that instant, his eyes flew wide open.
Gate...?
Only now did he realize something was wrong. It wasn’t the red vortex. A real gate was standing before him. Arthur’s gaze slowly traveled upward.
Perhaps due to his shared vision with Reto after Integration,
he could now see the true form of the red vortex, hidden from the material world.
It was a gate.
A massive gate, too enormous to take in with a single glance.
Now he understood why both the Shadow King and Reto had called it a “gate.”
That enormous gate—
Kreeeeak—Clunk!
—was slowly opening, inch by inch, like it was testing the waters.
[The task is simple. Close the open gate.]
“And that’s it?”
[If it can be destroyed, we should try.]
A crimson mist filled his vision. At its center stood the giant gate. It was about thirty paces away.
Elton was nowhere to be seen, and the entire space felt fundamentally different.
“Don’t tell me... is this the Spirit Realm?”
[If it were, you’d already be shredded to pieces. This is the Rift. But it’s closer to the Spirit Realm than anywhere else.]
Just then, something stirred from the slight opening in the gate.
No—it was Reto who sensed it.
Something Arthur couldn’t detect.
Something was beyond that gate.
“What’s beyond there?”
[I don’t know. But we’ll find out soon.]
“Damn... should’ve just had dinner instead.”
[Do you regret it?]
“Does regretting it fix anything?”
Chances were high that one of the forgotten beings was behind this.
If Arthur had known he’d be facing one, he wouldn’t have acted so rashly.
But now that he’d come this far, there was no turning back.
“I just dropped by the World Tree for a casual visit... how did it come to this...”
Arthur began walking.
One step. Two steps.
As he neared the massive gate, he didn’t forget to assess his body.
This was Integration with full consciousness intact.
He could feel a foreign presence filling every part of his body, from fingertips to toes.
Reto.
His body felt like it had been calibrated to Reto. He would need to monitor for any changes. With the 'wall' now broken, Reto could intervene in his physical body at any moment.
That was the tradeoff of Integration.
He could fight with the undead’s combat sense, but he also risked losing control of his body.
And the pain was a bonus.
Fortunately, it wouldn’t last long.
“How long does Integration last?”
[It depends on how fast the wall regenerates. Not long, from what I know.]
As soon as the wall began regenerating, Reto would take a massive hit and fall into deep sleep. Integration would forcibly end.
Which meant—they had to finish before the wall regenerated.
Shff—
Twenty paces now.
At some point, the presence from the gate had disappeared.
A suffocating silence.
Arthur, wearing a tense expression, stared at the slight crack in the gate and took another step.
He moved quietly, suppressing his presence as much as possible.
Just as Reto had instructed.
Then, after five more steps—
—Hmph. So I’ve been discovered?
Yin
A strange voice came from beyond the gate. A scraping, unpleasant voice like metal being grated.
[Run!]
At Reto’s shout, Arthur clenched his teeth and charged forward.
Bang!
His integrated body was extremely powerful—at the level of a burst strike.
He shot forward like lightning, reaching the gate in an instant and lowering his stance to try and push it closed.
But—
He didn’t reach it.
—As if I’d let you!
Fwoooooosh!
From the gate erupted a storm-like wind, packed with searing heat that seemed capable of melting anything.
Arthur was flung backward by the hot, blade-like wind.
“AAAAAGHHH!”
He screamed, collapsing to the ground. His entire body was seared by the unbearable heat.
A stinging, acrid scent of burning flesh filled the air.
His skin was grotesquely charred, melting away to the bone.
Though his body began regenerating immediately, the pain didn’t fade.
“Sh-Shit! Dammit!”
Wincing through the agony, Arthur looked toward the gate again.
Back to thirty paces.
BOOM! THUD!
Realizing it had been discovered, massive shocks began resounding behind the gate.
It was no longer just testing the waters—the gate had begun opening, slowly but relentlessly.
[Hurry! The longer this takes, the stronger the heat will become!]
“You think I don’t know that?!”
The more the gate opened, the hotter the air grew. And as it opened, the boundary between the Spirit Realm and this space weakened.
The presence beyond became more tangible. His half-burned body had now fully regenerated. Arthur lowered his stance, glaring into the gate’s crack.
Amid the wind, he glimpsed flames.
There was only one Absolute who wielded such insane heat. The Demon of Flame—Melkor.
His destructive flames carried death itself, and when combined with gales, they brought chaos to the world simply by appearing.
Arthur was convinced it was Melkor. He began strategizing.
Quickly reaching a decision, he relaxed his stance and walked slowly forward.
Flames within the wind licked painfully at his skin, but he did not stop.
—So much for a stealthy approach. And I thought I was being careful. A rat got in, huh?
“Stealth? Please. We’ve known for a while.”
—What nonsense.
“Why are you here? Your contractor should be in Demtor, right?”
At Arthur’s question, the storm-like heat slightly waned.
An emotional reaction. That confirmed it for Arthur.
So Clark’s contractor is Melkor after all.
To reach 6-star rank, one needed the help of an Absolute.
Clark had recently achieved that.
Of all the Absolutes who might take interest in him, only Melkor—the Demon of Flame—fit.
Clark was a grand mage who specialized in destructive fire magic.
Arthur’s calculated provocation hit the mark.
While the flames weakened, he swiftly closed the distance.
Twenty steps away.
—Who are you? How do you know me?
“Curious? Then answer my question first. How did you find this place?”
—Arrogant bastard. Open the gate first. Then I’ll tell you how.
“Let me guess—Clark told you. Right?”
Silence fell beyond the gate.
No response, but Arthur didn’t need one. The reaction told him enough.
This situation clearly stemmed from something related to Demtor.
Now it was time to stall while getting closer to the gate.
—You’ve surprised me. Intriguing.
“Now you’re curious about me, huh?”
—Yes.
In that instant—
FWOOSH!
“GRRAAAAGH!”
Arthur crumpled under the pain as a scorching gust struck him again.
—Did you think I wouldn’t notice you creeping closer? I’ll figure out who you are once I open the gate. So—
Melkor’s destructive flames surged toward Arthur. Arthur, grimacing, dropped to the ground and crossed his arms in front of him to block the heat.
—Stay alive until then.
“Y-You bastard—!”
Arthur’s eyes began to shift to a deep, smoky gray.
Flash—!
His body turned gray.
Enchant: Steel.
The energy of steel coated Arthur’s regenerated body.
His skin no longer melted. It now glowed a fierce red.
Thud—
Ten steps to go.
Leaving scorched footprints behind him, Arthur trudged forward through the blistering wind.
“Grrraaagh!”
The brutal flame-gale.
Arthur pressed through it.
His skin sizzled, burned, regrew, and burned again.
Dead flesh shed as fresh blood circulated, only to be scorched again.
Destruction and regeneration, again and again, eating away at Arthur’s sanity.
[Not much farther!]
His body, now dyed red like molten metal, moved forward.
His eyes, glinting gray between crossed arms, flickered like steel.
Finally—
Arthur stood before the gate.
He placed both palms against it and began to push.
“GRRRAAAAHHH! GRRRRAAAHHH!”
Under his desperate screams, the gate began to slowly close with a heavy groan.
It’s closing...
Arthur bore the pain as he pushed. In the unbearable agony, he entered a state of thoughtlessness.
It felt like an eternity, though only a short time passed.
It looked like he would succeed.
But—
That hope was shattered by a formless force pulling Reto out of his consciousness.
“No—don’t.”
[Hurry! The wall is starting to regenerate!]
His mental barrier had begun to reform to protect him.
Integration was ending.
Only a few steps left.
He wanted to push more—but the presence beyond the gate began resisting.
—You think I’ll let you shut the gate I worked so hard to find?
“You... you piece of...!”
—Impressive that a mere creature like you held on this long. Who the hell are you? Why are you even there?
Arthur couldn’t even hear the questions.
The gate wasn’t closing.
If Integration ended now, Arthur would be incinerated to ash.
At that moment—
Tap—
Two hands landed on the backs of his own. He had no time to question who it was.
“GRRAAAAGH!!”
“HRAAAAAAHH!!”
With a shared cry, their joined hands pushed against the gate.
Arthur whispered coldly to the being beyond.
“You can’t beat me.”
—Arrogant...
“So stay locked up inside!!!”
BOOOOOOOM!
The massive gate slammed shut. As it closed, the red mist faded, returning the space to familiarity.
The Rift of the Spirit Realm.
Before him now was a red vortex—shrunken to the size of a fist.
The very place where Arthur had first stood.
And standing there—
“Elton?”
Elton stood wrapped in bright red flames.
The fire gently embraced him, as if protecting him. He turned his head, looked at Arthur, and gave a bitter smile.
“I thought I’d become numb to heat...”
“...You...”
“It’s damn hot.”
With those words, Elton collapsed to the ground.