n

n

n

"…why would I dive through it headfirst? Am I an idiot?

" Dorian rubbed specks of ice and dirt off his face as he grumbled, his voice tinged with irritation. A feeling of whiplash rested in his head, the abrupt teleportation from a stable portal working far better than the unstable one he used in the past.

nHe stood up from the floor, glaring at the ground for a few moments before looking up. His eyes flicked to the left and right as he checked out his environment.

nUnlike the first time, where he'd dived through an unstable portal that had teleported him to a random cave, Dorian had arrived in a proper portal room, if that was what he could call it.

nIt was a large, archaic stone chamber that was covered in dust. The walls were covered with strange, faded markings, while the floor was made of stained white stone. In the middle of the room, a large pool-like structure existed, filled with nothing currently.

nDorian had landed several meters off to the side of the empty pool, in a heap on the ground.

nAbove him, a small, fading red hole floated in the air, giving off light. This hole rapidly faded away to nothing, vanishing as the portal deactivated.

n

"Hmm. So it left me off in the right place.

" Dorian muttered as he looked at the empty pool. This was the right spot. That was the portal he needed to redirect, to send himself over to the planet Phrenship.

n

"So that means I'm in Dragonmount City right now.

" Dorian began to walk towards the one entrance he could see, a large pair of stone doors set in the farthest wall from him.

nHis movements were, to him, 'casual walking,' but he moved at such an incredibly fast speed, that any onlooker would've thought it was someone sprinting at their fastest. It took him only a couple of seconds to reach the doorway and push it open, revealing a long, empty hallway.

nDorian looked around carefully as he walked, tracing down small emanations of Law that he was able to detect. He began to move down the hallway, humming quietly to himself.

nHis path quickly became a meandering one, with many twists and turns as he walked through the maze of hallways. It quickly became clear that this portal, just like the Red Portal back in Icicar, was hidden underground in a secure stronghold.

nBut, just like the other one, Dorian could feel similar lines of energy that ran throughout the complex. If he spread his senses out, he could easily find and follow these lines. Going by how Icicar's castle had worked, he would probably find a control point he could use to activate the portal back near where he'd started.

nAnd once he got the portal turned on, he would be able to redirect it and continue his journey.

nHe wouldn't even need to leave the stronghold or look at Dragonmount City.

nHe sighed slightly when he considered that.

nThe undead that lived on Blizzaria lived torturous lives. Killing them all would be a blessing, for while there seemed to be seemingly limitless numbers of undead, only so many actually existed. The curse that affected everyone here was an extremely powerful one, but it wasn't all-powerful.

nAfter all, despite returning to Icicar City, he'd never run into that King Class Grakon from befo-

nJust as Dorian was having this line of thought, he paused.

n

"…

"

n

"…

"

n

"No way…

" He muttered, his face wrinkling up.

nIn his mind, Dorian was constantly pouring over hundreds of faint emanations of Law, tracking and categorizing everything he sensed. And in the midst of those hundreds and hundreds of different lines of energy…

nDorian found one that felt rather familiar.

nExtremely familiar, in fact.

nDorian's path abruptly veered upward as he moved off track, racing towards one particular energy resonance. He raced up several stairways, and eventually blasted his way through multiple different floors, all till he reached the first main floor of this stronghold.

nA small shower of dust and stone coated the air as Dorian blasted through one final stone floor, coughing slightly as he appeared in the middle of an archaic throne room. The design of this room matched the one he had seen on Icicar, looking regal and old.

n

"Well, I'll be. You actually were here.

" Dorian laughed out loud as he looked at the creature that was currently sitting on the throne.

nA large, armored Grakon that gave off a rippling, King Class Aura. This Grakon's eyes glowed dimmer than other Grakons, and he only had one arm, but the presence he gave off was that matched his personality in life. Arrogant and mighty.

nHe was Aristodemus the Coward, the ruler of Icicar City.

nThe Grakon that Dorian had fought, and nearly died fighting, so long ago, ending the battle by sending the warrior through the Red Portal and severing its right arm.

n-

nSpecies: Grakon (Desiccated)

nClass - King Class (Late)

nMaximum Energy Level: 2,314,630

n-

n

"So this is where you finally ended up.

" Dorian shook his head as he saw this. The Grakon King had probably been warped to the outskirts of Dragonmount City like Dorian, but somehow found its way to this stronghold. Maybe it had stayed here because of how similar it was to the Ice Keep, Dorian wasn't sure.

nThe Grakon King, in the meanwhile, was not just sitting still. The undead creature seemed to have been shocked by Dorian's abrupt arrival, causing it to freeze up for a split second. After that, however, the creature jumped into motion, bellowing out loud as it rushed at Dorian.

nIts body rapidly grew as it expanded, its head almost touching the tall ceiling as it pulled out a gigantic greatsword, easily 3 times Dorian's height. Despite only having one arm, the monster slammed the sword down at Dorian with great skill. A rush of wind blasted through the throne room from the sheer force of the attack, setting the air to cascade about.

nBOOM

nAn explosion of energy rocketed in the air as the huge blade cut downward and smashed directly into Dorian…

nAnd then stopped as he casually caught it in his open palm.

nThe floor beneath him did not shatter, nor did he move even an inch, despite his much smaller stature. The entire impact from the attack seemed to have been fully absorbed and blocked, leaving Dorian completely unscathed.

n

"I really should have died the first time we fought. Man, I got lucky.

" Dorian shook his head as he clenched his hand, his palm clasping around the blade and holding it in an iron vice. He was imbued with the power of various Laws, raising his already considerable strength to an unbelievable level.

n

"That's Fate for ya, though.

" With a small, sweeping motion, Dorian took the blade and ripped it backwards, causing it to fly free from the King Class Grakon's grasp. The Grakon stumbled forward, falling down to one knee at the force of Dorian's movement.

nThe moment the sword was out of the Grakon's grasp, it rapidly began to shrink. Before it finished, however, Dorian absorbed it, stealing a small amount of Growth Energy from the Artifact as he sighed,

n

"Get some rest, old foe.

" He attacked the Grakon back, letting go of any anger or annoyance he felt at the past enemy.

nHe didn't activate any fancy techniques or magical powers, any strong Abilities or use any powerful Artifacts. Instead, he simply jumped up to reach the Grakon's chest and punched out with his right fist.

nHis fist hit the Grakon…

nAnd then drilled an enormous, gaping hole through the undead creature's chest, sending it flying across the room to smash into a wall. The undead being then blasted through that wall, sending out shards of ice and stone as it literally fell to pieces. Crackles of energy echoed out as the leftover power of Dorian's punch fluttered in the air, causing the entire room to tremble.

nJust like that, the King Class Grakon perished, killed in a single hit.

n

"If I had the time, I would do that for all of your brethren here.

" Dorian muttered under his breath, turning his focus to the large throne. His eyes narrowed as he studied it. In the background, he absorbed any energy he could out of habit from the dead Grakon.

nUnlike the throne in the Icicar stronghold, this one actually appeared to be a full control point. Dorian walked up to it as he glanced it over, checking to find a certain point.

n

"Ah!

" He smiled slightly as he reached over to the side of the throne, to an unremarkable, plain spot.

nAs soon as he touched it, he imbued a small amount of energy into it. He immediately began to feel a warm, tingling sensation spread through his chest, just as before. Vibrations spread out and energy rushed towards him. He then began to pour energy into the throne, causing the entire hall to be thrown into disarray.

nHe had to push roughly 100,000 units of energy into the throne, just like he had with the table in Icicar. But as a result, he managed to fully activate the Artifact, and the various Arrays that were connected to it.

nHe then reached out and connected to a line of energy he felt, one that drew all the way back down to the portal room he had arrived in.

n

"Gotcha.

" He smiled as he activated it. At the same time, he swept his senses through this new stronghold, glancing around it. He found quite a number of undead Grakon, a few treasure rooms, some interesting tombs, but nothing that he cared for at the moment. It was large, but not as large as Icicar's Ice Keep.

n

"Now… I need to imagine that I'm trying to invade the 'Giants'…

" Dorian muttered out loud as he concentrated, forming an image in his head. These were the instructions he'd been given if he wanted to shift the place he would be teleported to.

nAs he raised this image in his mind, the line of energy he was grasping on to trembled. Dorian abruptly felt a sizable feeling of strain settle upon his shoulders as a tremendous force tried to push him off.

nHe frowned and directly pushed back, once more pouring forth energy. 100,000 units… 200,000… 500,000… Dorian pushed a full 1.4 million points of energy along this line, simultaneously combining it with his command to change the portal's final destination.

nThe throne room continued to flutter with energy, but none of it touched Dorian. Instead, he was an oasis of calm in a sea of raging currents.

nFinally, as the last of the energy Dorian poured into the throne was absorbed, Dorian felt something shiver. He could keenly sense the portal that had activated down below, and knew, somehow, that something about it had changed.

nThe portal's destination was no longer the Dragonmount's sister city of Icicar.

n'It worked.' Dorian smiled.

nWHOOSH

nWith a simple thought, Dorian vanished from the throneroom, teleporting along the control point's connecting line. He then reappeared in the room that housed the portal, transferring alongside it.

nDorian blinked as he looked around the portal room, his eyes zeroing in on the new Red Portal before him.

nIt glowed, just like the previous one, with rich red light, giving off faint sparks of energy and powerful emanations of Law. This particular portal seemed to flutter far fiercer than the other one, visible waves of electricity rising off it in crackling arcs.

n

"Well then. Let's step to it. This should work…

" Dorian nodded as he walked up to the portal, ignoring the flashing lights and cracking energy.

nAnd, without further ado, he hopped in. This time, not head first.

nA flash of light covered his eyes. The world around him distorted as he vanished, energy covering his body in waves of power.

nTeleporting from Icicar to Dragonmount City had been an almost instantaneous process. It had happened so quickly, likely due to how both cities were on the same planet, that Dorian hadn't had time to truly experience Blizzaria's type of cross-planet portal teleportation.

nThis time, however, Dorian was able to keenly feel out the process. It wasn't the same as how he teleported back on Moria, when he was warping between Demonic Law Inheritances. The energy that covered his body was warm and comfortable, not the least bit threatening.

nIt almost felt like he was being covered by a warm blanket, wrapped up and tucked away as his body hurtled through space.

n'Hmm… is my perception of time distorted here?' The thought processed in Dorian's mind as he blinked, unable to think clearly. He felt like his body was stretching and tugging forward, moving without control as he teleported. He couldn't tell where he was, or how long he was taking, only that it was still happening.

nAnd then, jarringly, it was over.

nHe finished teleporting, falling down to the ground out of nowhere. The warm feelings fled as gravity, space, and time all turned back to normal, reality coming to exist around him.

n

"Ugh…

" Dorian blinked as he landed on one knee, looking around unsteadily. He clutched at his head as a headache settled in, a small backlash from teleporting through space and time hitting him. He let go, a moment after, as his body regenerated and cleared the headache up, leaving his mind clear.

n

"Huh.

" Dorian looked down at his clawed feet. He was standing in the middle of a pile of snow. Small, white particles of more snow rained down on him as he gathered his bearings, clumping up on his shoulders.

n

"I'm on a mountain.

" He stated the obvious.

nHis teleportation journey had ended atop the middle of a large, mountain peak. Around him, he could see several large clouds drifting nearby, and a few up overhead, leaking snow. Off to his left and right, this mountain range continued, dozens of towering edifices marching off to the horizon.

n

"Hold on…

" He muttered as he got a closer look at a nearby mountain. He frowned as he stared at it, feeling as if his sense of scale was skewered.

nThe mountain was huge. The closer he looked at it, however, the farther away he realized it was. At first, it looked like it was just a couple thousand meters distant from him, at the most. He was atop a very large mountain of his own, after all.

nBut the more he studied it, his precise eyesight allowing him to gather every detail, the more he realized how far it was.

nIt was at least 10,000 meters distant, and probably more. The only reason it looked like it was right next to him was because of its sheer size.

nThese mountains… they were enormous. They were gigantic. They were at least 3 times the size of any regular large mountains Dorian was aware of, the largest mountains he had ever seen.

nThey were giant.

n

"Yes.

" Dorian exhaled sharply, a grim smile appearing on his face.

nHe had made it to the Exotic World of Phenshrip, the Birthplace of Giants.

nAs he studied the world around him, he realized how beautiful it was.

nEnormous mountains large enough to pierce past the lower ranges of clouds and up into the sky above, beautiful valleys that stretched for kilometers, vast trees that stood taller than any other tree Dorian had seen…

nEverything here was a sight to behold. A world destined to be inhabited by humungous beings, where creatures of Dorian's size stood out.

nEven now, Dorian could make out several oversized goats moving down the mountain relatively near him. If he spread his senses further, he would be able to make out a litany of huge animals, each one ferocious and powerful in its own right.

nMost Giants had died out long ago, their race a fallen one. Still, the world and beasts they left behind carried on their oversized heritage, a sight truly one to behold.

nDorian ignored all of this, his interest completely taken up by what he saw to his left. In the faint distance, he could make out a massive World Bridge, fading into this planet's late evening light.

n

"They said I should arrive in the Houdoin Mountain Range and…

" Dorian glanced around,

n

"They appear to be right.

" The Aurelius Family's research and information had truly proven its worth to Dorian.

n'That's it, then. Let's go.' His body began to blur as he rushed towards the World Bridge, his final destination the Free School of Thunder.

n'There isn't a moment to waste.'

n.. .. .. .. .. ..

nMeanwhile…

n.. .. .. .. .. ..

nArthur Telmon was having a bad day.

n

"What can we possibly do? How can he be that powerful? My armies, my Walls, they were wiped out like they were nothing.

" He spoke quietly to himself as he paced back and forth through a small clearing, his pace downtrodden. He had built up his multi-world nation over the past 400 years, creating a force that could dominate practically half of the universe.

nHis legendary Magic talent and obsession with growing stronger, alongside his unique personality, had earned him the title 'Mad King.' He was feared, known to all of reality. His enemies spoke his name in whispers, while his allies kept his words in their hearts.

nAnd yet… for all of that, he could not figure out a way to defeat a single man.

n

"Am I really the only one that would stand a chance..?

"

nOff to his right, a small, grey pillar rose up in the middle of the forest clearing he was pacing in. Several small trees dotted the area, partially obscuring a set of ancient stone ruins, covered in mysterious hieroglyphics. It was his favorite hideout, where he often went to think.

nOut in the distance, roughly twenty miles away, an enormous floating edifice could be seen. It was a huge, stone platform that stretched dozens of miles wide, made up of pale white stone, supported by thousands of streams of white light, floating several hundred meters high in the sky.

nUpon this stone circle were tens of thousands of buildings, palaces, and all sorts of structures. A chaotic, expansive city, soaring in the sky. Tens of thousands of figures could be seen, flying in the sky to and fro near the city. His home, Heavenseeker City. The holy land of Wizards, where spellcasters went to seek the heavens, and the capital of the Borel Autarchy.

nTelmon sighed as he looked out at his city, shaking his head grimly. He moved over to the lone pillar in the clearing, jumping up atop it and sitting down.

nBefore he did anything else, however, his eyes narrowed. He turned his head slightly to the right, zeroing in on something.

n

"Oho, you found me. The Wizard King truly lives up to his name.

" A slightly sarcastic voice echoed out between the shadows of a tree, several dozen meters away from Telmon.

n

"Interesting. It is as if you appeared out of nowhere.

" Telmon responded slowly, leaning his chin on his fist.

n

"Who are you? What do you want?

" Arthur's voice was cold, giving off a feeling that he would brook no argument.

n

"I'm someone with the same goal as you.

" A plain-looking man stepped out from the shadows, dressed in a set of simple grey clothes, equipped with a small dagger on his waist. He didn't look like anything special, yet when Arthur saw him, he frowned all the more.

n

"And I'm here with a simple offer.

" Mello's eyes glowed, giving off a sense of depth and power that was unfathomable as he continued,

n

"I'd like to propose an alliance.

"

n