The expansion of Towa's alternate dimension was beginning to take shape.
It was not a violent or chaotic growth. There were no explosions of energy or abrupt distortions. It was something quieter. More inevitable. As if a new reality were being born from the cracks of the previous one, imposing itself little by little without the need to announce its arrival.
The space inside the cube began to deform.
Not all at once, but progressively, as if every layer of existence were being rewritten under Towa's absolute will. The structures of Arata's world remained standing, but their stability was no longer the same. It was as if every particle doubted… as if it did not know which dimension it should obey.
The air vibrated.
Not with sound, but with pressure.
An invisible, unbearable tension that adhered to the skin and compressed the chest. Breathing became heavier. Thinking… slower.
The laws of space weakened.
And time…
Time seemed to drag.
Every second stretched, deforming as if it were trapped in a thick substance. Even the simplest movements acquired a strange, unnatural weight.
Inside that world in transition, Towa remained motionless.
Her eyes showed no emotion.
Only control.
---
Outside the cube, someone was watching.
A human.
Standing in front of the magical barrier that contained the battle, with his palm resting gently on its surface. The cube's energy reacted to his touch, rippling slightly, as if it recognized his presence… or rejected it.
But he did not seem interested in that.
His expression did not reflect fear.
Nor curiosity.
Not even admiration.
It was something deeper.
More disturbing.
His eyes were fixed on the interior, but he was not analyzing the situation as a strategist would. He did not calculate probabilities or evaluate outcomes.
What was in his gaze was… desire.
A raw desire.
Primitive.
Impossible to hide.
Because that man did not want to be outside.
He did not want to observe.
He wanted to enter.
He wanted to participate.
He wanted to feel.
His breathing became slightly heavier, almost imperceptible. His fingers tensed on the surface of the cube.
—What a waste… —he murmured, in a low voice, almost disappointed.
He wanted to feel the impact of the blows on his body.
He wanted to hear bones breaking.
He wanted to see blood.
It did not matter if it was that of others…
Or his own.
Everything was part of the same thing.
Everything was food.
It was hunger.
But not for food.
But for violence.
Then, he released a fraction of his power.
It was not an explosion.
There was no burst or clash of energy.
It was something much worse.
A whisper.
A minimal leak… but dense enough to distort the air around him. The space vibrated, as if something invisible had awakened.
From his back, a black mist began to emerge.
Thick.
Viscous.
It was not smoke.
It moved with intention.
It breathed.
It pulsed.
As if it were alive… or as if it were a direct extension of his own existence.
The darkness expanded slowly.
And inside it…
Something took shape.
A mouth.
Enormous.
Disproportionate.
Smiling.
Its teeth were long, irregular, sharp as poorly forged blades. The smile extended beyond the natural, ignoring any anatomical limit.
It had no eyes.
Nor a face.
Only that smile.
And the hunger it transmitted was so tangible that it seemed to weigh on the air.
—It's time to eat… dat…
His voice was relaxed.
Almost cheerful.
Like that of someone who finally receives what he has waited for so long.
And in the next instant…
The mouth attacked.
It did not strike.
It bit.
It lunged against the barrier with an instinctive, primitive violence, like a beast that knows no other way to interact with the world other than devouring it.
The teeth closed over the surface of the cube.
And for a second…
Everything stopped.
Time.
Sound.
Even the pressure in the air.
As if reality itself were holding its breath.
Then…
The barrier creaked.
But not like crystal.
Not like energy.
But like flesh.
Like something alive that was being torn from the outside.
The lines of energy began to fracture, extending dark cracks across the entire structure. They were not simple breaks… they were like black veins that spread, contaminating everything in their path.
Towa's dimension… collapsed.
From the outside.
Something that should not have been possible.
Something that no rule accepted.
And yet…
It happened.
The cube did not explode.
It did not break into visible fragments.
It simply…
Ceased to exist.
---
—What… happened…?
Nomura's voice was low, loaded with bewilderment.
His body impacted against the ground with violence, as if he had been expelled from a place that no longer existed. The sensation of falling was abrupt, disorienting.
Beside him, Arata reacted by pure instinct. His spear stabbed into the earth, stopping his descent with a dry screech.
The world had returned.
The sky.
The air.
Gravity.
Everything came back in a single instant.
But nothing made sense.
Towa remained standing.
Motionless.
Silent.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings with coldness, reconstructing every detail, every second prior to the collapse. She did not need to ask.
She knew.
Neither Nomura nor Arata had the capacity to destroy her dimension from the inside.
That left only one possibility.
Someone else.
And that someone…
Was already there.
—But what a beautiful landscape the world has made now…
The voice came from the distance.
Calm.
Relaxed.
As if he had not just committed an impossible act.
The three turned at the same time.
And they saw him.
A figure advanced slowly, crossing the space as if nothing had happened. His walk was carefree, almost lazy.
There was no tension in his body.
There was no urgency.
Only… interest.
Nomura reacted first.
His pupils contracted.
—How is it that…?
The words died in his throat.
He did not need to finish the sentence.
He already knew.
—How is it that you are still alive…? You… the sin of Gluttony… Gorgos.
The name fell like a sentence.
Arata tightened his weapon.
—More than five hundred years have passed…
His voice did not hide the disbelief.
Nor the rejection.
Gorgos tilted his head slightly.
—So you are surprised? —he said in a light tone—. I am just a simple human…
The silence that followed was heavy.
Dense.
Nomura advanced a step.
—Human? —he spat with contempt—. That is the last thing you are. You should not even use that word… look at yourself. You are worse than an animal.
Gorgos smiled.
But it was not mockery.
It was… amusement.
—How sad —he murmured—. And to think that you are the first ones I see after so much time…
His eyes sharpened slightly.
—You are here because there is a new Demon King, right?
The atmosphere tensed.
No one responded.
It was not necessary.
—So it was true… —he continued—. I thought my blood clone was delirious.
The black mist expanded again behind him.
Denser.
Heavier.
—Then… I suppose it is time to visit his majesty.
His smile grew slightly.
—Because this time… I am going to finish off the heroes.
—Damn you, Gorgos! —roared Arata—. Explain how you are still alive!
Gorgos seemed to think about it.
For real.
—Mmm… —he hummed—. Why don't you ask the human religious sect that you admire so much?
The silence was immediate.
Uncomfortable.
Heavy.
And then…
The mouth appeared again.
Bigger.
Hungrier.
Opening slowly behind him.
—It is time for the heroes to rest… don't you think?
—No.
The voice was soft.
Almost absent.
And yet…
It stopped everything.
When they looked—
Towa was no longer there.
She had disappeared.
Without a trace.
Without sound.
Without farewell.
But it was not a retreat.
It was a decision.
She had obtained what she needed.
And what she was leaving behind…
Was not a battle.
It was a massacre in progress.
The air became heavier.
Denser.
More real.
Now…
Only two heroes remained.
And a monster.
No.
Something worse.
Because even among demons…
Gorgos did not fit.
And the next clash…
Would not be for control.
Nor for pride.
It would be for survival.
And this time…
There would be no dimension to protect them.