The multiverse did not welcome travelers kindly.
Especially grieving ones.
The portal Babylis opened beneath the ruined floating fortress spiraled endlessly before them, layers of distorted reality folding into one another like broken mirrors submerged underwater. Entire stars drifted inside the vortex, flickering between existence and memory.
Amelia stared into it with visible irritation.
"…I hate portals."
"You hate everything," Yura muttered.
"Not true."
Yura glanced toward Satre beside them.
"I don't hate her."
Satre blinked once before a small laugh escaped her unexpectedly.
It was soft.
Fragile.
But real.
The sound caught all of them off guard for a moment.
Because despite everything—
despite Shiro being gone—
this was the first warmth any of them had felt since the floating island.
Babylis watched quietly nearby, pink eyes unreadable.
"The Tower of Myths exists beyond layered dimensional boundaries," she explained calmly. "The closer you get to the World of Void, the less stable reality becomes."
Amelia crossed her arms.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning," Babylis replied carefully, "the universe starts fighting back."
Then the portal swallowed them whole.
---
The first dimensional layer felt wrong immediately.
Gravity shifted constantly beneath their feet while entire fragments of shattered planets floated through endless violet skies above them. Rivers flowed upward into the clouds. Mountains hung upside down.
Nothing remained stable for longer than a few seconds.
Satre moved first.
Golden light erupted around her body as divine barriers spread outward instinctively, shielding the group from collapsing gravitational distortions. But unlike before, she did not remain stationary.
A radiant sword formed in her hand.
The blade shimmered with compressed holy magic, runes spiraling down its length like flowing sunlight.
Amelia whistled softly.
"Okay… now I understand why Shiro talked about you like that."
Satre blinked.
"…He talked about me?"
Yura smiled faintly despite herself.
"All the time."
That answer hurt and healed simultaneously.
Before Satre could respond—
the dimension attacked.
Massive humanoid creatures formed from compressed cosmic debris emerged from the floating ruins surrounding them. Their bodies shifted between crystal, shadow, and broken starlight while empty faces turned toward the intruders.
Then they screamed.
The sound shattered nearby space instantly.
"MOVE!" Amelia barked.
The battle erupted violently.
Amelia launched forward first, Duskpiercer splitting apart into twin blood-forged blades as crimson vampire magic surged across her arms. Scarlet fire exploded outward alongside streams of manipulated blood, wrapping around one construct before igniting from the inside.
The creature detonated midair in a storm of burning crimson ash.
Yura moved beside her gracefully, ice blooming through space itself as frozen spears pierced another creature before detonating into blizzards of razor-sharp frost.
Satre hesitated only briefly.
Then golden divine magic erupted outward.
Entire runic circles appeared around the battlefield as holy swords materialized behind her like orbiting stars. With a single motion of her hand, they launched forward simultaneously, impaling incoming constructs before erupting into pillars of radiant destruction.
The dimension shook.
Amelia grinned mid-battle.
"THAT'S what Shiro fell in love with?"
Satre flushed slightly.
Then immediately blurred forward with shocking speed, her sword cleaving through a construct so cleanly the floating mountain behind it split apart a second later.
"…Focus."
Yura laughed softly for the first time in days.
And somehow—
that mattered.
Because the grief was still there.
But now they were moving through it instead of drowning beneath it.
---
By the second dimensional layer—
the universe became hostile.
The realm resembled an endless crimson forest beneath black skies. Trees pulsed like veins while roots moved beneath the ground like living serpents.
Every breath tasted poisonous.
Babylis frowned immediately.
"This dimension feeds on emotion."
Almost instantly—
the forest reacted to them.
The roots beneath Amelia surged upward first, responding directly to her wrath and violent protective instincts. Blood-red vines erupted from the ground attempting to consume her entirely.
Amelia answered with overwhelming force.
Her vampire aura exploded outward as blood magic flooded across the battlefield. Scarlet flames ignited simultaneously, turning entire sections of forest into infernos while burning blood spears pierced through the moving roots like artillery.
Yura's surroundings froze unnaturally as the dimension amplified her grief into lethal cold.
And around Satre—
the trees began whispering Shiro's voice.
"Satre…"
She froze.
The voice sounded perfect.
Too perfect.
"Satre… help me…"
Pain crossed her face instantly.
The forest shifted violently around her.
Babylis reacted immediately.
"DON'T LISTEN!"
Too late.
The dimension sensed weakness.
The entire forest lunged simultaneously.
Branches shaped like claws tore toward them while gigantic beasts formed from bark and rotting flesh emerged screaming from the woods.
Satre's expression hardened instantly.
Golden light exploded outward.
"No."
The warmth in her aura changed.
Not nurturing now.
Furious.
Her divine magic sharpened instantly into sword intent. Thousands of radiant blades formed above the forest canopy before crashing downward like holy judgment itself.
Entire continents of corrupted forest vaporized.
Amelia smirked proudly beside her while carving through another monster with flaming blood-coated scythes.
"There she is."
Then all three women attacked together.
Ice.
Bloodfire.
Light.
The forest burned.
Froze.
Collapsed.
By the time they reached the dimensional exit—
entire continents behind them had already begun disintegrating.
---
The third layer nearly killed them.
Not through strength.
Through memory.
The dimension manifested illusions from their deepest regrets.
Amelia saw herself failing to save Shiro.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every version ended with him disappearing into darkness while she arrived too late.
Yura relived watching him vanish into Raiku's grasp endlessly.
Satre—
Satre saw Shiro broken completely.
Collared.
Emotionless.
Kneeling beside Raiku with hollow eyes while destruction magic dripped from his fingertips like blood.
That vision nearly shattered her composure entirely.
But then—
Lyius's aura flared.
Dark-purple destruction energy surged briefly around all three women like protective flames.
The illusions cracked instantly.
Babylis quietly looked away.
The Destruction Goddess truly was protecting them.
Even now.
Even across dimensions.
That realization unsettled even a goddess like her.
---
By the fourth dimensional layer—
the multiverse itself began thinning.
Stars disappeared entirely from the sky.
Sound distorted strangely.
Even breathing felt delayed.
And there—
far beyond endless dimensional storms—
they finally saw it.
The Tower of Myths.
It stretched beyond sight itself.
A colossal structure suspended in the emptiness between realities, forged from black stone covered in glowing ancient scripture. Entire universes orbited around it like drifting lanterns.
The tower didn't feel built.
It felt inevitable.
Ancient.
Watching.
Amelia slowly lowered Duskpiercer.
"…What the hell is that?"
Babylis answered quietly.
"The place where forgotten legends go to become monsters."
Satre stared silently at the tower.
Somewhere beyond it—
deeper still—
waited the World of Void.
And somewhere inside that endless darkness—
Shiro was still suffering.
Her hand slowly tightened against the hilt of her sword.
"Hold on," she whispered softly.
Then the four women stepped toward the tower together—
unaware that high above them—
something ancient inside the Tower of Myths had already awakened.
Because it had sensed them approaching.
More importantly—
it had sensed who they came for.