Chapter 287: Gate (2)

The Black Dragon acknowledged himself as Kaiders.

Louis and the Elders, who were confronting him, looked utterly bewildered.

“Kaiders? Absurd!” Balotus and Silvio immediately denied it.

Sandra calmly replied, “According to the clan’s lineage records, Cruel and Randel… those names are recorded as Lord Kaiders’ father and mother.”

“Even if that’s true, calling him Lord Kaiders? It’s preposterous!”

“You’re seriously believing that nonsense?”

Despite their vehement denials, Sandra’s resolute expression remained unshaken.

I know it’s absurd… I know that too.

But the emergence of a dragon wielding three attributes—Light, Dark, and Space—was undeniable.

And there was the fact that he himself had acknowledged being Kaiders.

He couldn’t help but keep having these absurd thoughts.

When the Three Elders were divided over the Black Dragon’s existence…

“Focus.”

Louis’s sudden interjection snapped the Elders out of their debate.

“Don’t you think this is hardly the time for leisurely conversation?”

”…”

“Whether he’s Kaiders or not, he’s our enemy now.”

”…Right. You’re right.”

Balotus nodded in agreement.

They were locked in a life-and-death struggle. What difference did it make who he really was?

Ending this battle was all that mattered.

The Black Dragon, Kaiders, smirked as he watched Louis and the Elders.

“Is that all you have to say?” Louis scoffed at Kaiders’ question.

“You’re more patient than I expected. You’re willing to wait for this conversation?”

“This is my first conversation with a physical body. A joy I’ve awaited through eternity… I can wait a little longer.”

Kaiders’ crimson eyes shimmered with genuine delight, as if confirming the truth of his words.

Seeing this, Louis’s face hardened. “Your name is Kaiders? The same Kaiders we know?”

“You might know me, or you might not.”

“I hate these cryptic answers! Just tell me yes or no!”

“If I revealed the truth, would you believe me?”

“What if I decide to trust you?”

Guh.

Kaiders merely chuckled without a word.

Louis pressed on. “Oh, and one more thing. You called me a ‘variable’ earlier, a ‘variable of Lotberia’.”

”…”

“What exactly does that mean?”

Louis stared at Kaiders.

At that moment, Kaiders’s smile remained, but his eyes turned icy cold.

“The entertainment has lasted long enough. It’s time to wrap things up.”

“Unfair. Can’t you at least answer that?”

“If you’re curious, figure it out yourself.”

”…”

“Of course, if you can survive.”

No sooner had the words left his lips than a crimson-black energy erupted from Kaiders’s body.

The energy began to spread outward.

What a foul, nauseating energy!

Louis grimaced at the intense nausea rising from his stomach.

Just then, Balotus’s shout rang out:

“Everyone, get out of here immediately!”

His cry belatedly made Louis realize the gravity of the situation.

…The properties of space are changing!

In simpler terms, it was like a Space Barrier. But by the time Louis realized this, the entire world had already taken on a crimson-black hue.

Good Lord… Is this even possible?!

Even for Louis, altering the properties of space over an area of tens of kilometers would normally take several hours. Such a task required intense concentration and meticulous precision.

But the creature finished it in the time it takes to draw a single breath.

Louis felt a chill run down his spine at this utterly absurd, unbelievable situation.

“Balotus!”

“Damn it! We’re too late! This space is already under his control! Louis, don’t use space movement recklessly! This entire space is now under his dominion!”

”…Understood.”

If they used space movement here, they would be delivering their lives to the enemy on a silver platter.

Moreover, the Elders and Louis finally realized something:

The Black Dragon’s true strength hadn’t been revealed when he fought Silvio and Balotus earlier.

And, perhaps, the one who claimed to be Kaiders… might actually be Kaiders.

This is going to be a tough fight.

“I never thought I’d be risking my life at this age…”

Louis and the Elders watched Kaiders with tense anticipation.

Then, Kaiders uttered a single, deep word:

“Come forth, my creations.”

At first, they didn’t understand its meaning.

But their doubts were quickly dispelled.

Fizzle, fizzle…

As if in response to Kaiders’ words, the Demonic Sea began to churn and boil. Black foam surged, and the sea’s color gradually turned crimson, as if undergoing a red tide.

And then…

Gurgle, gurgle…

Water pillars erupted, and monsters with dark skin emerged, stretching their heads above the surface.

Grrr…

Keeek!

Monsters of various shapes and sizes surfaced and rose into the sky. Their numbers swelled to several hundred.

Silvio grimaced upon recognizing the creatures. “Artificial Monsters?”

“Those bastards were hiding in the Maha?! I thought they were all eradicated during the Demon War!”

The swarm of Artificial Monsters soared behind Kaiders. Among them was one that resembled the drake that had once endangered Louis in his youth. In fact, most of the Artificial Monsters bore a striking resemblance to drakes, though with slight variations.

Louis’s pupils flickered slightly at the sight.

There are far too many.

Judging by the energy they radiated, most of the demons appeared to be around the same power level as the drake. Of course, even at that level, they couldn’t hope to challenge four Zero-Rank dragons. Under normal circumstances, Louis could have dispatched them with a casual flick of his wrist.

The problem was Lord Kaiders, who floated majestically in front of the demons.

Even without the Drake-class Monsters, the situation already felt precarious, and their presence was becoming increasingly troublesome.

Moreover, the number of demons continued to grow.

Louis surveyed his surroundings, thinking:

This can’t go on.

They needed a solution. He immediately used his Mental Attribute to open a multichannel communication link between the members of the travel party.

Balotus’s voice flowed through the mental connection.

His voice brimmed with irritation.

When control of Space shifted to the enemy, Balotus hadn’t simply been idling.

He steadily worked to regain control of the space.

But…

How is this possible? My Interference Power is being repelled! This won’t be easy!

The Interference Power obtained at the Zero Rank was a power that ordinary people would consider miraculous. Yet, in this space, that power was failing to exert its full effect.

It’s one thing after another.

If Balotus found this difficult, it would be equally challenging for Louis. After all, Louis’s control still couldn’t match Balotus’s.

It was a perplexing situation in many ways.

But that didn’t mean there was no hope.

Just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible, right?

…Just buy us some time.

Balotus answered Sandra’s question with conviction.

Meanwhile, the number of Artificial Monsters surrounding Kaiders had swelled into the thousands.

And then—

Swish, swish, swish…

The wings of thousands of demons filled the air as they surged toward Louis and the Elders.

Seeing this, Louis shouted:

“End this as quickly as possible!”

“Hold them off!”

At the same time, the fierce battle began.

The first to act was Silvio.

“Ridiculous!”

He bared his sharp teeth at the swarming demons, growling fiercely.

A fierce gale erupted around him, sweeping forward at his will.

Whoosh!

Every demon in the path of the wind was torn to shreds. The sheer scope of the attack meant that virtually all the demons were shredded instantly.

Louis had thought that would take care of the demons once and for all.

Swish…

The scattered fragments of the demons in the sky writhed and coalesced, rapidly reforming into their original forms instead of dissipating.

Louis’s eyes widened at this life force that defied all common sense.

“It seems the problem lies with the space itself,” Sandra’s voice came through the multichannel communication circuit.

Louis nodded. The altered properties of the space Kaiders had manipulated were clearly affecting the demons as well.

So he didn’t just summon them to fill numbers?!

The demons, which Louis had dismissed as mere annoyances, now loomed as a genuine threat.

Meanwhile, Silvio annihilated the regenerated swarm of demons. But just as before, the demons rapidly regenerated.

Faced with this repeated situation, Silvio growled, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

“If you dare regenerate… I’ll scour you away again and again until you’re truly dead.”

As he spoke, Silvio’s body began to glow with a sky-like radiance, his form becoming faint, like drifting smoke. He had pushed the limits of Zero’s Domain to achieve Spiritualization.

Just as he completed the transformation…

“You’re trying to ruin someone else’s property.”

Kaiders appeared before Silvio without a trace of warning.

When did this happen?!

Even as the demons charged, Louis had kept a close watch on Kaiders, uncertain how the man’s actions might alter the situation.

Despite keeping his eyes fixed and senses heightened, Louis failed to track Kaiders’ movements.

Damn it! Too late!

This space belonged to Kaiders, rendering even space movement impossible.

In that instant, Kaiders’ tail, like a spear, pierced Silvio’s chest.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Silvio screamed as the crimson-black energy-infused tail tore through his spiritualized form, which should have been impervious to physical damage.

At that moment—

Piiiii!

A high-pitched ringing filled Louis’s ears.

Then, an inexplicable scene unfolded before him.

Graaah!

Gak!

A horde of demons poured into the area.

Seeing this, Louis felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

What’s going on…?

And then—

“Ridiculous!”

Silvio tore into the demons with razor-sharp teeth.

The demons rapidly regenerated one after another.

What… is this?

Everything was exactly the same.

Louis’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of this sudden, inexplicable situation.

…What’s happening?

Why was the same thing happening over and over?

Just as he was pondering this, Sandra’s voice came through the multichannel communication line:

Her cry provided Louis with the answer.

Ah! The future… This was the future!

He remembered Silvio tearing apart the demons, and then Kaiders appearing during the Spiritualization moment, leaving Silvio gravely wounded with a pierced chest.

Everything he had experienced was a vision of events that had yet to unfold.

And there was only one person who could create such a phenomenon.

Sandra’s prophecy!

Sandra, who had reached the Zero’s Domain of the Time Attribute.

The future situation Sandra had witnessed must have been transmitted to Louis through a still-active multi-channel connection.

…But why only to me?

Given the circumstances, it seemed that Silvio hadn’t received the future vision. Even with Sandra’s cries, he remained oblivious, continuing to dispatch demons as if nothing was amiss.

Louis realized the answer.

The Time Attribute…!

The only commonality between Sandra and himself was their Time Attribute.

Because we share the same Time Attribute and our minds are connected, Lady Sandra’s vision flowed into my consciousness!

Convinced, Louis sprang into action.

This is worth a try!

If this was true, he could turn the current situation to his advantage.

I need to save Lord Silvio first!

To gain the upper hand, he needed to conserve his strength as much as possible.

Louis began casting a Sacred Scripture on his body—a unique, supplementary scripture that drastically enhanced his physical abilities. He had already witnessed its full effect when facing the Mad Dragon.

But…

This isn’t enough.

The opponent he now faced was no mere Mad Dragon. To deal with this creature, he would need to give his all.

Fortunately, Louis hadn’t been idling away the past six months.

“Open!”

Whoosh…

Creak… Creak-creak…

A pocket dimension materialized before Louis.

Forcing energy from Kaiders’ Space, the pocket dimension screamed as it strained to open.

Louis focused his will on the gaping hole.

“Come forth!”

In response to his command, something burst forth like a silver flash of lightning.

It was the Transcendent, a colossal steel giant harmonizing white and silver hues.

The Transcendent Louis had painstakingly crafted for himself alone.

“Manifest!”

As his master’s will was transmitted, blinding light erupted from the Transcendent’s eyes.

Click-clack!

Swish…

In an instant, the Transcendent disassembled into thirty parts and fused seamlessly with Louis’s body.