Chapter 74
Chapter 74. Ten Seconds
[Ten.]
'Cheat Device Miss, the countdown's already started?'
[Without the support of a Primal Essence, your self can endure the power of Infinity for ten seconds at most.]
'And beyond ten seconds?'
[Self dissolves — fuses completely with "Infinity."]
'Alright, I'll aim to finish this within ten seconds.'
He tilted his head and shifted his focus back to that mass of pitch-black darkness about to take form.
"Right, I nearly forgot about Anya."
Luo Nan suddenly turned — and with a light tap on the forehead of the girl who had already been frozen solid, every color drained from her body.
In an instant, those beautiful eyes found their gold once more, and the chestnut high ponytail sent its strands flying again.
"You are...... Luo Nan?"
The girl felt as though a chunk of her memory had gone missing. They'd clearly just been fleeing together a moment ago — how had Luo Nan suddenly turned into this?
Especially those eyes of his, swirling with iridescent colors that left her somewhat entranced.
Anya instinctively raised a bare hand, wanting to touch Luo Nan's cheek.
She wanted to give him everything she had.
She wanted to dissolve herself...... completely into his body.
"You...... can you...... be with me......"
The girl drifted slowly toward him, a haze of intoxication gradually spreading through those golden eyes.
At this moment in Anya's eyes, the figure of Luo Nan von Medillion was her one and only — the entirety of the reason for her existence.
"Be with me...... become one......"
"Become one? What's gotten into you?"
Luo Nan was startled by her behavior. This besotted expression was something he could hardly imagine appearing on the "Chosen Hero" Anya Sivans.
All he could see was Anya — eyes hazy, cheeks flushed, lips slightly parted, murmuring softly and breathing lightly — her manner exactly like a young bride who, upon seeing her beloved, cannot contain her eagerness to accompany him to the heights of bliss.
[Nine.]
'No...... Cheat Device Miss, what's wrong with Anya? Did my Kingly Domineering Aura subdue her, and now she's in heat?'
[Ordinary people cannot comprehend what you are right now, and so they will instinctively submit before you.]
'Is that how this submitting works?!'
Although he was very fond of beautiful girls being captivated by his charm, if the person in question was that Anya Sivans, Luo Nan felt goosebumps rising all over his skin.
He was afraid she'd wake up and draw her sword to cut him down!
'Hey hey hey, Cheat Device Miss — will Anya stay in this state permanently?'
[She will not. Once you move away from her, she will forget all of this.]
'Including my current appearance?'
[Including your current state.]
'That's a relief.'
Luo Nan was worried that Anya Sivans might develop some sort of feelings for him that she shouldn't — feelings born from this unexpected incident.
He, Luo Nan, couldn't bear that burden!
The love of a protagonist was simply too heavy!
Besides, he still needed Anya to go save the world while he lay back and took it easy in the Duke Manor.
If some kind of unexpected situation arose between himself and Anya, wouldn't he end up becoming the "beloved" in 'Revive, My Beloved'?
'Cheat Device Miss, the battle between me and "Nature's" Projection should have a pretty wide area of effect, right? Is there any way to keep it from affecting Anya?'
[Naturally — combat that exceeds the tier of engagement the Material Plane can accommodate will automatically be expelled by the world into an "Dimensional Rift Space."]
'Dimensional Rift Space? What's that?'
[Dimensional Rift Space.]
'Then how do I enter the Dimensional Rift Space......'
[Eight.]
[When you deploy your power, you will know naturally.]
[Now, good luck, Luo Nan.]
"@&#......"
A greasy, indescribable gurgling sound broke through Luo Nan's thoughts. He turned to look back at that mass of blackness — no, it was no longer the formless black it had been. It was......
An inverted, faceless black humanoid figure.
The inverted figure had its arms crossed over its chest, its entire body bound by chains that extended backward, connecting to an incomparably massive dark-golden disc.
Through his current vision, Luo Nan could see upon that dark-golden disc the howling, bound souls of countless frenzied believers!
Furthermore, on the chest of the inverted figure, a blood-golden "Eye" suddenly snapped open — locking gazes with Luo Nan in a three-eyed stare.
"Are you the Abyssal Great Lord "Nature" — Saoken?" Luo Nan asked.
"Luo Nan von Medillion...... No...... you should now be called...... Infinity." The gurgling waves translated into meaning Luo Nan could understand, surging in from all directions.
"Infinity...... you should not...... interfere......"
"Infinity your head — this young master's name is Luo Nan von Medillion, unchanged in name and unchanged in surname. If you keep up with this nonsensical hollering, this young master will gouge out that Eye on your chest!"
Luo Nan had no patience for Its gibberish — time was limited, and he had to end this swiftly.
[Seven.]
"...... Infinity...... you should not indulge......"
"Why don't you listen when spoken to?"
Luo Nan hesitated no longer. He raised his right hand — the iridescent threads instantly condensed into a layered blade, and slashed straight toward the inverted figure's chest.
Snap—
Space shattered like a mirror's surface. The original underground space crumbled completely into nothingness, and only Luo Nan and "Nature" remained within it.
"So this is the Dimensional Rift Space?"
From the corner of his eye, Luo Nan could make out some star-point-like presences within this expanse of void.
[Yes, this is the interstice of the world.]
'What are those star points?'
[......]
[Cannot be spoken of.]
Seeing the Cheat Device Miss lapse into riddles again, Luo Nan clicked his tongue. 'Alright, I won't ask — I'll focus on the fight!'
With that said, seizing the moment when the inverted figure was healing and floating deeper into the iridescent rift, Luo Nan raised his hand again — only this time the technique he used was "Nesting."
Luo Nan curled his five fingers into a hollow grip, and rifts no less than the one he had just slashed erupted into existence at that very instant — and began growing exponentially as Luo Nan held the grip.
'This thing...... why isn't it attacking?'
[Six.]
The words had barely faded when several dark-crimson chains pierced through the iridescent rifts, tearing through dimensional space, and came shooting toward Luo Nan.
"The counterattack's here!"
Luo Nan's gaze sharpened. The Feather Robe swept its sleeves — countless motes of dust scattered from within, becoming the sole light source in the void.
***
Anya came back to her senses, feeling as though she had forgotten something again.
On top of that, there was a hollow emptiness in her heart — as if what she had forgotten was something of the utmost importance.
Shaking her head, the girl put that vague, nagging sense of loss to the back of her mind for the time being.
Anya reassessed her current situation. She had seemingly just been fleeing together with Luo Nan?
Where was that person?
The girl looked left and right, but could not find the familiar black-haired young man anywhere.
Rumble!!!
The underground space seemed to be compressed by some great force — it instantly became unstable, and the physical structures built upon it began collapsing one after another.
At this moment the Black Mist in the surroundings had completely dispersed, and rubble and broken stone reappeared in Anya's field of vision.
Furthermore, the rock walls all around began, contrary to their normal state, gradually peeling away downward — forming a dense rain of stone.
"This place is going to collapse!"
"Hateful...... don't tell me that fellow used some supernatural item again and made a run for it early? And didn't even bring me along!"
'Forget it — that fellow has a whole heap of life-saving things on him. He didn't die even after taking that direct hit just now. He'll definitely be fine.'
With that thought, Anya immediately stepped forward.
"Flashstep!"
The martial technique activated — the girl turned into a single afterimage in an instant and dashed toward the mine shaft above.
"Wait, I think I forgot about Lady Tanya!"
With that thought, Anya forced herself to a halt, looked around, located the Knight Lady's position, bent down and hoisted her onto her back — the girl still lost to unconsciousness — then activated Flashstep again and raced away.
The moment Anya, carrying Tanya on her back, entered the mine shaft the three of them had come down through, the entire underground space was buried completely.