Traveling through the spatial teleportation gates of the Primordial Demons was like swimming in a tunnel of absolute darkness, where the laws of physics twisted and mana flowed like rivers of glowing colors.
Akira walked beside Diablo inside this dimensional corridor. Akira wasn't trembling from the spatial pressure as he did the first time. In fact, he felt no pressure at all. He walked calmly, the Dusk Cloak draped over his shoulders as if it were a part of the surrounding darkness.
"Kufufufu... I cannot help but admire this change, Akira-sama," Diablo said, changing the honorific from 'dono' to 'sama' without a moment's hesitation. He walked beside him with his hands clasped behind his back, his demonic eyes observing Akira with fascination. "Previously, I had to envelop you in a mana barrier to prevent your body from being torn apart by the spatial currents. Now... it seems space itself is afraid to touch you."
Akira looked at his hand. He wasn't doing anything fully consciously. The Ultimate Skill **[Lord of the Void, Azathoth]** was operating as second nature to him. Any hostile energy approaching his body was automatically sent into nothingness.
"It's a strange feeling, Diablo," Akira said in a quiet voice, his eyes observing the colorful mana currents passing by them. "In the past, I saw the world as a place full of things... trees, monsters, magic, air. Now... I see the 'Void' that connects these things. I see the empty spaces in the fabric of reality."
Suddenly, the dimensional corridor shook violently.
Glowing red cracks appeared on the walls of the dark tunnel, and a Space-Time Storm began rushing toward them like a destructive hurricane. These storms rarely occurred in subspace, and they were capable of tearing apart the soul of any living being that didn't possess a mythical defense.
Diablo's footsteps stopped, and he raised his hand with an amused smile. "What an annoying coincidence. A space-time storm. Allow me, my lord, to clear the wa—"
"It's fine, Diablo," Akira interrupted calmly, taking a single step forward. "Let me test something."
Akira closed his right eye and opened his left eye, which glowed with a cosmic blue light. He didn't take a combat stance, nor did he draw his black dagger. He simply raised his hand slowly toward the devastating space-time hurricane that was only a few meters away from swallowing them.
He didn't cast a spell, and he didn't release any energy. He uttered only a single word:
"Be still."
The effect of **[Azathoth]** materialized.
The storm wasn't blocked or destroyed by a counter-explosion. Instead, the "motion" itself was erased from the equation. The violent currents, the red dimensional tears, and the destructive energy... all of it fell silent and evaporated in less than a second, leaving the dimensional tunnel calm and stable like the surface of a stagnant lake.
Diablo's eyes widened before he burst into a demonic laugh overwhelmed by absolute fascination, placing a hand over his forehead.
"Kufufufu! Amazing! Truly amazing! You didn't neutralize the mana; you swallowed the 'causality' of the storm! You deleted the very concept of its existence!"
"Yes," Akira replied, lowering his hand and closing his left eye again. "I can swallow energy, time, and even space. But..."
Akira looked at his palm and clenched his fist tightly.
"This power is terrifying. If I lose control of it for a single second, or let my emotions overwhelm me, I could unintentionally erase the entire capital of Tempest. 'Azathoth' doesn't distinguish between friend and foe; it is the absolute embodiment of the end."
Diablo bowed with profound respect. "And that is what truly makes you a god. A power that fears itself is the only power worthy of ruling. Do not worry, Akira-sama; we Primordial Demons adore walking on the edge of the abyss."
Akira smiled faintly. Diablo's presence around him, despite his obsessive demonic nature, gave him a twisted sort of reassurance.
"Are we close?" Akira asked, looking at the end of the dark tunnel where a patch of light began to appear.
"Yes. We are on the outskirts of the Great Jura Forest," Diablo replied, guiding the portal toward the exit point. "I made sure we emerge slightly outside the city so you can completely suppress your new aura. We don't want the citizens of the capital dropping unconscious the moment you enter."
"Good idea." Akira took a deep breath and commanded the "Throne of the Void" inside him to go completely dormant. Any remnants of the cosmic pressure surrounding him vanished, and he went back to looking like a completely normal human, carrying not even a single speck of detectable mana.
The two stepped through the magical gate, their feet touching the dewy green grass.
The sun was leaning toward sunset, painting the sky of the Jura Forest in warm orange and golden hues. From the top of the hill they stood on, the capital of Tempest stretched out before them with its bustling streets, beautiful buildings, and the sounds of life pulsating within it. It looked so peaceful, far removed from the nightmares of the Frozen Continent or the conspiracies of the Higher Administration.
Akira looked at the city that had embraced him, feeling a strange warmth flow through his chest. He had succeeded. He had survived Fate, and returned to be the shield that would protect this place.
"Let's go, Diablo," Akira said with a smile, the gentle forest breeze tousling his hair. "Let's go home."