Chapter 94: Bad things happen at night

  There was no time to dwell on terrifying ghosts; the situation was critical, and Justinian had to get out immediately. He channeled the full power of his cultivation base to spring from the branches, retreating in the direction he had come.

  Strange creatures with broad, canine heads and a single eye gave chase instantly. The pain he had inflicted upon them and the disorientation from his intent hadn't slowed them down much. However, that wasn’t what caused his expression to darken with every passing second.

  'Something is wrong with my senses.'

  No matter how hard he tried to focus on his surroundings, his cultivation sense was haywire, suggesting there were hundreds of beings in the vicinity.

  'I feel like their numbers are growing constantly, yet only these three beasts are actually hunting me.'

  The wound inflicted by their fallen companion stung unpleasantly, suggesting its claws might be poisoned. Frustrated, the thought crossed his mind that he might be under the influence of an illusion, but there was no time to deliberate.

  The beasts were catching up. Their terrifying agility—a product of their monstrous bodies and strange foundations—made escaping through the dense forest grueling. Sensing them closing in, Justinian gritted his teeth and made a choice. Landing on another massive branch, he deliberately braked without losing all his momentum.

  He redirected that force into a sharp pivot and a leap upward, aimed directly at the strongest monster attempting to ambush him from above!

  The creature, its great eye widening in surprise, instinctively curled up, caught out of position to strike. The Grim Judge didn't even blink. Instead of attacking, he grabbed the strange beast mid-air and spun with it!

  The result was the enemy being hurled a dozen meters away, but that was exactly what Justinian needed. Chilling growls echoed just beneath him, and two other beasts were already lunging from the branches.

  He had just enough time to think: 'This won’t be pleasant...'

  The first attack reached him, tearing into his forearm. The second beast didn’t get the chance. In the split second between their strikes, Justinian’s counterattack was ready. Taking advantage of the fact that the strongest beast was far away, the Grim Judge unleashed his Witness Summoning technique!

  A powerful blast threw him into the air as two spirits he summoned struck the Level 2 Foundation Stabilization opponents, exploding with immense energy. The beasts didn't even have time to shriek before they died; their remains, along with the branch they had leaped from, plummeted into the dark forest below.

  Justinian landed on another branch, panting heavily. The attack had clearly taken its toll, and sweat beaded on his brow.

  'What the hell is going on here?'

  He tried to stay focused on the fight, but the image from just before the explosion wouldn't leave his mind. In that flash, the trees had once again been swarming with the ghastly specters of the devils from the Micromegas delegation. This time, there weren't dozens—there were hundreds. Justinian shook his head.

  'The beast first.'

  The grotesque monster with the broad dog head and single eye roared furiously, leaping between branches toward him. Justinian ignored its rage and the energy manifesting in the air. Instead, he looked it in the eye, straightened his back, and began to emanate energy of his own. He sent a clear signal.

  He intended to settle this directly. No running—just a duel of two rival forces.

  The monster seemed to understand. It stopped its disorienting jumping and concentrated its energy, perching on a branch opposite Justinian. A tension-filled moment passed as both prepared, and then—it began!

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The beast lunged with massive force, flying straight at Justinian. It was clear that in this position, he was at a disadvantage; even if he jumped now, he wouldn't be able to gather enough energy to match the creature's momentum.

  Life or death would be decided in the following seconds, yet the Grim Judge... didn't move at all. He simply stood his ground, waiting for the moment the beast reached him. Even the monster noticed, a flicker of something like amusement appearing in its great eye. It even leaned forward slightly to better utilize the dynamics of its attack.

  It accelerated, and a moment later, they collided!

  For a brief heartbeat, time seemed to stop before rushing forward again. Justinian remained motionless on his branch, while the beast flew toward the branch behind him. It appeared as though nothing had changed.

  That was until, a second later, the creature burst apart in mid-air, sliced in half. Blood and viscera rained down into the dark jungle. Justinian, exhausted, let out a long breath. The blade of his saber, Imperfection, was stained crimson. He cleared it with a simple flick, the determination in his eyes never wavering.

  'I can't stop now.'

  The strange creatures were formidable, and common sense told him to retreat toward where he came from. He knew the next encounter might not end in his favor. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, he pressed on. His focused face reflected the caution with which he listened to the echoes of energy rippling through the woods.

  As the minutes passed, his expression grew grimmer. Finally, he stopped, unable to believe what he was sensing with increasing intensity.

  'Damn it all.'

  On the edges of his perception, he sensed a familiar aura surrounded by yet another group of the strange beasts.

  Meanwhile, in the dimension's only city, many had not yet gone to sleep. Some devils watched the competition, where adepts from various dimensions were currently facing immense trouble.

  Others drank away their sorrows in taverns, often complaining about a certain annoying human who was sneakily worming his way into the graces of devilish children and ladies.

  But there were exceptions. Among them was the delegation of the 63rd Dimension, where Voivode Knaz was listening to an urgent report from his subordinates regarding the search for the 65th Voivode. His face, turned toward the window and usually twisted in disdain, was currently struggling to contain a surge of emotion.

  "Those merchants who speak of changes in the 66th dimension... How reliable are they?"

  His servant, kneeling on one knee, bowed his further down.

  "They vouch for it with their lives!"

  Knaz couldn't believe the news. It was too incredible, and it reeked of a trap. However, even if it was a trap, it offered too much to ignore. He believed no devil in his position could.

  Struggling to maintain his composure before his subjects, he waited a few hellishly long seconds before issuing his orders.

  "Order the guard to move. We set out for the 66th Dimension!"

  The kneeling servant bowed even lower. With some hesitation, he asked one final question. "And the merchants' payment?"

  Knaz looked at him from under his short brows. "Kill them all."

  During this dark night, one of the participants in the competition was experiencing particular moments of horror. They resulted from circumstances that were unique compared to the other devils.

  His cultivation senses were not strong enough to pierce through the dark forest. Thus, he had no idea where the strange monsters might come from, or how to avoid them.

  Worse still, he had no ideas on how to spend the night. In general, he didn't even have ideas on where to get such ideas.

  He knew one thing, however—taking part in the ceremony celebrating end of Holy Pilgrimage was a great honor for any devil. It was something to remember for years and brag about to the neighbors. Thus, Alfons Rudnicki tried not to pay too much attention to the one-eyed nightmare beasts surrounding him.

  'Maybe I just fell asleep and this is all a bad dream?'

  He wanted to believe that with his entire being. However, his sweating brow felt sickeningly real. Just as real as the terrifying jaws of the monsters attacking his artifact’s barrier. Even though the situation was grim, Alfons remembered the most important thing.

  'There are monitoring crystals in the arena and the city. The Noble Brothers are likely watching me. I can't look like a greenhorn.'

  Though his facial hair was indeed sparse, the teenage devil struggled to straighten his plump back. He wanted everyone to see what magnificent, fate-defying warriors the 66th Dimension possessed.

  Despite this, he hoped the beasts wouldn't stay long. He didn't know how long his father's artifacts would last in the jungle, and he had no desire to find out.

  'Maybe I should just surrender tomorrow, just in case?' It sounded like a reasonable option. 'But these strange dogs...'

  He had never seen such monsters before, and he had visited many a "museum of curiosities" with his father. The Noble Brothers often created them whenever the opportunity arose to buy something strange and they had a bit of spare cash.

  Just looking at the hatred in their eyes caused an unpleasant tingling on his back. To every attempt at reasoning with them, or bribing them with some small gift, they only reacted with growing aggression.

  Finally, unable to endure this war of nerves any longer, Alfons settled behind a large stone, leaving the defense to his barrier—stretching a meter from his magic ring.

  He felt so exhausted that he didn't even notice when his eyelids closed. He was only woken by a powerful shockwave that rolled nearby.

  Opening his eyes, he saw that the beasts attacking him had vanished. Instead, a lone figure shrouded in the darkness of the night stood before him, surrounded by their torn remains.