The Holy Shield was described as capable of defending against all types of attacks. Yet, its true efficacy remained to be proven in practice.
With this foundational defense in place, Aya Tone could finally breathe a small sigh of relief. If they had their way, they would never wish for this layer of defense to be triggered. They harbored no fear of direct assaults; what truly disquieted them were those who dabbled in the arcane arts of the soul. Li Jia had nearly succumbed to mental suggestion, making vigilance an absolute necessity!
“Let’s go.”
Approaching the chasm for a second time, Aya Tone closed their eyes and drew a deep breath. The next instant, a pair of golden pupils snapped open. ‘Elemental Vision, activate!’
Spotting a point where the spatial fluctuations had already begun to distort, Aya Tone decisively channeled the magic within them, unleashing a teleportation spell. This was the only spatial magic they knew, but it was sufficient. After all, their purpose was simply to transform their magic into a spatial attribute, thereby linking the two disparate spaces.
Their spatial magic coalesced into a sharp blade, piercing directly into the distortion.
“*Ohm!*”
The entire space trembled without warning. Aya Tone, their expression impassive, continued to pour in their magic. ‘This level isn’t enough to open a portal between the two spaces! Continue! Keep going!’
As the magical blade plunged deeper, ultimately tearing through the void, the space fractured like a shattered mirror, lines of cracks spreading across its surface. The cracks spread rapidly, followed by a resounding ‘crash,’ like shattering glass exploding in their ears, as a faintly glowing spatial gate slowly materialized.
“Go!”
The recent spatial fluctuations had already attracted the attention of numerous monsters; they needed to enter quickly. Otherwise, they risked being engulfed by a horde of beasts in the very next moment.
Li Jia didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Aya Tone by their slender waist and charged straight for the spatial gate. Clad in her Azure Dragon Armor, Li Jia’s height was already approaching two meters. Aya Tone, held aloft in her grasp, was no different from a small chick.
‘Full Body Reinforcement!’
No sooner had they stepped through the spatial gate than it resealed behind them, leaving the outside world to a calm that belied the invisible, rampant spatial magic still lingering.
“Don’t stop, keep running!” Aya Tone urged, their gaze fixed with grave intensity on the spatial gate directly ahead. The magic within them was depleting at an alarming rate; they not only had to maintain the stability of the spatial gate but also sustain their physical reinforcement. ‘If we don’t hurry, my reserves will be more than halfway gone!’ Having less than two-thirds of their magic remaining invariably instilled in them a profound sense of unease.
Li Jia offered no reply, merely pressing forward, her steps heavy and deliberate. One step, then another. Each footfall resonated heavily upon the void. Her face, concealed beneath the dragon scales, was already slick with cold sweat. ‘It wasn’t that she didn’t want to speak; she simply dared not divide her focus!’ Even without Aya Tone’s words, she wouldn’t have dared to stop. For all around her, spatial maelstroms swirled. To be caught in one would mean being torn into molecular fragments in an instant. Her ability to resist the pull of these spatial vortices was entirely thanks to the Azure Dragon Armor she wore.
It was then that Li Jia realized how naive she had been outside the dungeon, arrogant enough to believe her spatial affinity alone would keep her safe. ‘That was merely because… space had not yet bared its fangs before her.’
A mere few meters stretched out endlessly before them. They had traversed this void for ten minutes, yet hadn’t advanced a single meter. ‘Damn it! Why!?’ Li Jia’s heart pounded with anxiety; every extra second spent here multiplied the danger. She slowly tightened her grip on her staff, contemplating whether she could use that particular spell to break the stalemate.
“Don’t panic, communicate with the Azure Dragon Armor!”
Suddenly, a calm male voice echoed in Li Jia’s mind—it was familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. However, at this moment, she had no time for further thought; it was uncertain if even Black Hole magic would be effective under such circumstances. Suppressing her inner turmoil, she followed the voice’s guidance and began to attempt communication with the Azure Dragon Armor. Remarkably, as her consciousness delved deeper, she faintly perceived the intricate flow of a mysterious power. That power, like a nimble, wandering dragon, circulated ceaselessly within the Azure Dragon Armor. Li Jia, guided by this power, activated her own magic, resonating with it. In an instant, the Azure Dragon Armor flared with brilliant light, and intricate dragon patterns shimmered with an arcane radiance. The spatial vortices that had tightly ensnared her now recoiled, as if encountering their natural nemesis, scattering away. Her steps, too, grew lighter.
Swiftly, she carried Aya Tone to the spatial gate.
Li Jia halted, breathing heavily, her heart swelling with the relief of a narrow escape. She silently questioned, ‘Who are you, truly? And how are you able to speak with me!’
The male voice replied once more, “It is I, Ao Yu.”
Li Jia froze, then remembered that this was indeed Ao Yu’s voice. ‘But how…’
Ao Yu, evidently aware of her unspoken question, explained, “Your Azure Dragon Armor contains one of my scales. Naturally, I can perceive your thoughts.” The dragon scale used in its forging was no ordinary one; it was the hardest scale from each successive inheritor—a dragon’s inverse scale, so to speak. Ao Yu communicated with Li Jia by drawing upon the spiritual energy inherent in each inheritor of the Azure Dragon.
“Don’t just stand there, hurry out!”
Aya Tone’s anxious voice interrupted their mental conversation. ‘My magic is almost past the halfway point! We’re at the danger line!!!’
As the light from the spatial gate dissipated before them, the two finally stepped into the hidden space. Aya Tone narrowed their eyes, their small hand gripping their staff tightly. Should anything feel amiss, they would immediately flee with Li Jia. ‘An S-rank spatial fruit couldn’t compare to Li Jia’s safety.’
But before their feet even touched the ground, they let out an explosive shout! Simultaneously, Ao Yu’s voice boomed in Li Jia’s mind. “Go!”
Before Li Jia could even register what was happening, she found herself back in the treacherous spatial tunnel. The spatial gate behind them was now sealed tightly, showing no trace of ever having been opened. ‘What… what just happened…’ She stared blankly beside her. Aya Tone, who had just been in her arms, now stood suspended in the void. Their formal attire had transformed into a form Li Jia had never witnessed before. Golden threads on the robe shimmered brilliantly in the void, resembling a flowing river of stars. A dark-golden crown rested playfully askew on Aya Tone’s head. It imbued their endearing charm with an additional touch of nobility. Their eyebrows were elegantly arched, and their eyes, deep and luminous like the brightest stars in the night sky, exuded an undeniable majesty.
Aya Tone subtly lifted their chin, straightened their back, and then, with a single, profound expletive, shattered the illusion of their regal transformation. The noble queen persona instantly tumbled from its divine pedestal, reverting to that of a mere mortal.
“Goddammit! You absolute bastard! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, two of us would’ve gone in, and only one would’ve come out!”
The memory of that perilous moment sent shivers down Aya Tone’s spine. ‘It was so close…’ The instant they had exited the spatial gate, in less than a breath, the Holy Shields on both them and Li Jia had dissolved into specks of light, vanishing without a trace.
—They had been attacked! And everything within that space…
“Aya Tone… what happened to you?”
“Oh, this?” Aya Tone tugged at their formal attire. “It’s normal. Never mind that now; let’s get out of here. We can discuss everything once we’re outside.” As they waved their staff, the surging magic within them seemed to find a sudden outlet, rushing wildly into the spell they were constructing.
“Go!”
****