Ch.276Next Step (2)

Beings who have reached the advanced realm are generally divided into three categories.

First, there are the innate advanced beings. Those who are born with bodies that meet the criteria of advanced beings due to their racial characteristics.

Another category is advanced warriors like myself. These are typical examples of acquired advanced beings who can implement the mysteries of mental imagery in reality through aura, by completing their mental imagery as a self-contained small world.

And finally, the most anticipated category: advanced magic users, who can be either innate or acquired advanced beings.

They possess the special power to overlay their inner mental imagery onto the real world, completing that space as a separate dimension—the so-called “dimensional formation” ability….

“….Hmm.”

This strange space I’ve been pulled into is likely, with high probability, the interior of Delil’s mental imagery created through such “dimensional formation.”

And as if to prove this fact, this interior consists entirely of a grotesquely twisted space resembling hell.

The first thing I noticed was that this space was truly insane.

The ground, best described as a wasteland, has a purple base with splotches of green scattered throughout, while the sky is entirely green with ominous purple clouds and a risen sun.

Among the dried and twisted objects filling this place that no one would mistake for a normal space, the most visibly striking elements were none other than bizarre structures.

Stone buildings or towers that had collapsed leaving only ruins. Something resembling the massive bones of animals buried throughout the wasteland. Dried and twisted things wrapped in red thorny vines.

To an outsider, this would undoubtedly appear to be a space reflecting a moderately twisted inner psyche, but for me, who has been forcibly made to know too much, this space has become nauseatingly familiar.

The formal name of the space that looks exactly like this one is the “Wastes of Gula.”

It occupies about half of the realm ruled by “Gluttony” in the demon world, an area with extreme conditions that is particularly dangerous even by demon world standards.

Although it has manifested in this world as a separate dimension originating from someone’s mental imagery, the environment itself is largely identical to the original, except for the demons swarming everywhere and “that.”

One characteristic is deprivation, fitting for its wasteland appearance. Unlike conventional spaces, nothing in this wasteland has even the slightest magical power imbued in it, rendering most standard methods of magical power recovery ineffective.

Normally, one would recover by absorbing and refining the magical power inherent in all things through simple physiological activities like breathing, but in this place where no such magical power exists to absorb, this factor isn’t particularly significant.

Another characteristic is “depletion”—the shortening of lifespan for objects within. Entities not originally belonging to this space suffer at least several centuries’ worth of burden simply by existing here.

While this supposedly doesn’t apply to living beings, it’s undeniable that watching equipment and the magic imbued in them corrode and collapse is not a pleasant sight.

And the most important element is the “consumption” of magical power targeting everything existing within the space.

Since the space itself has consciousness and greedily devours internal magical power, an ordinary human’s magical power would be completely depleted within at least one minute without doing anything.

However, I don’t need to worry about any of these factors.

The small world that advanced warriors firmly build within their mental imagery treats their physical bodies as a world, wrapping them in self-containment.

Thanks to this, the body operates solely according to one’s inner world regardless of the external world’s structure, allowing advanced physical bodies to move freely without external interference even inside such separate dimensions.

Therefore, having finally crossed the threshold and established myself as a proper advanced being, I don’t need to worry about this dimension’s environment….

“….The connection is there.”

I calmly traced back the mental connection to perceive the activities of the blade shields in what appeared to be outside Delil’s dimension.

Those already moving by intuition were operating based on the power I unconsciously bestowed upon them when I ascended to advanced status, rampaging and helping the three without requiring any specific manipulation from me, following the algorithm I had set up.

If that’s the case, there probably won’t be any major problems to worry about for now.

And at the very moment I quickly returned my mind to the present with that thought…

Suddenly becoming aware of the overwhelming aura beginning to be felt, I was genuinely startled and hurriedly turned my head to look in the direction my intuition commanded….

What was positioned there was a monster-demon with a horrific form that, while being Delil, did not have the appearance of Delil Fantrien.

※ ※ ※

Originally, fundamentally, the human known as Delil Fantrien was clearly just a human at his core, aside from being twisted.

But now as he appeared before me, Delil Fantrien’s changed appearance was, to put it simply, that of an advanced demon that mixed the forms of a maggot and a dragon—a Margot Dragon.

The plump chitinous skin and torso reminiscent of a maggot. A short, stubby tail. Features such as having only a head without facial features, and a pair of wings reminiscent of a moth, all following those characteristics.

And naturally, all these elements together suggested that he had transcended material limitations, shed his shell, and “ascended”….

“….No, that’s not it.”

Yes, that wasn’t it. No matter how much I thought about it, this definitely couldn’t be the truth.

An individual who had consistently maintained an unascended state until now suddenly breaking that stubbornness and ascending in this situation? Feeling the incongruity of this situation no matter how I looked at it, I finally derived the cause of all this from a denial of perception.

From the beginning, he had merely taken on that appearance, not actually ascended.

The “Margot Dragon” is a copy of the “Dragon” that exists for each of the other seven deadly sin demon lords.

Naturally, these appear in this world in the same way as other demons, but at the same time, demons of this type are by no means limited to demonic entities.

Even dragons, considered the pinnacle of all intelligent beings, cannot escape corruption as long as they are fundamentally intelligent beings, and thus Demon Dragons are born when corrupted dragons ascend.

And among these Demon Dragon types, there are actually plenty of individuals who preserve their physical and material existence as much as they ascend.

In other words… the being before my eyes is ultimately a being with a physical body that has transformed itself into the form of a corrupted dragon.

Of course, the combat power of Demon Dragon types… especially those with material substance, corresponds to the highest tier among advanced beings.

Perhaps the most fatal aspect is that they retain most of the abilities of original dragons.

Perfect physical abilities in every aspect, at the pinnacle even among advanced beings. Magic resistance that can deflect even arch-mage spells. Bones and scales boasting strength comparable to adamantium.

Sensory abilities that encompass and transcend all sensory systems. Overwhelming magical prowess that all are born with innately, where each word forms into magic when completed.

In addition, the almost infinite magical power gushing from their hearts is another factor that elevates dragons’ specs to an even higher realm.

Furthermore, unlike other demons, Demon Dragons possess hearts with special spiritual power, allowing them to self-sustain the magical power needed to maintain their form once they cross over to reality somehow….

But he likely also possesses many abilities as a cultist or demon in addition to this.

Even if they are simple abilities, when wielded by a dragon, their output and power can never be underestimated.

Moreover, when a dragon uses the basic abilities possessed by demons, the basic efficiency changes by an order of magnitude, making this monster that resembles the original not just in appearance but also in ability more than just a formidable opponent.

So as I remain vigilant, I’m not sure whether he has truly lost consciousness or is just pretending.

[….■■■.]

But regardless, as that thing, which can be said to have departed from its original form, growls in this situation….

“….I have no choice!”

With a hardened expression, I looked at the souls of victims wrapped around its soul, and swung my weapon forcefully toward the creature attempting to attack me.