CHAPTER 4
The boundary between the Outer Realm and the Holy City was not a wall, but a spatial anomaly known as The Endless Corridor. Here, space no longer behaved linearly. One could walk forward for thousands of years and still end up in the same spot, because the geometry of this place had been twisted by the System to keep the "unworthy" away.
"Master, we must follow the star patterns," Elara warned, cold sweat forming on her brow. "If we misstep even a single inch, our existence will fragment into millions of divergent timelines."
The Sovereign stopped before air that shimmered like rippling water. To him, the corridor was not just a labyrinth; it was a Spatial Paradox.
"You are trying to solve this puzzle by following its rules," the Sovereign said softly. "That is the first mistake."
He stepped forward. Yet, he did not follow the visible path. He moved toward a direction that was physically impossible—a corner that did not exist within three-dimensional geometry.
"Master! No!" Elara shouted.
But instead of vanishing or collapsing, the space around the Sovereign yielded. Reality ahead of them creaked like breaking glass, then slowly folded beneath his feet. The labyrinth, which was supposed to be infinite, shrank, lowering itself into a simple, straight path.
The Sovereign did not pass through the maze; he redefined the shortest path between two points.
"Space is a compliant servant if you know who gives the orders," he murmured without looking back.
As they neared the corridor's end, something emerged from the folds of dimension. Not a monster, but a geometric entity comprised of thousands of spinning eyes and wings—a Spatial Guardian.
Unlike the Level Enforcer from the previous chapter, this Guardian had no Level. It was a pure manifestation of spatial law. It did not attack with swords, but by attempting to erase the coordinates of the Sovereign's position.
The ground beneath him vanished instantly. He now stood above absolute void, which should have sent anyone plummeting into nothingness.
The Sovereign merely stared at the entity. "You try to erase the ground I stand on? You forget that wherever I stand, there is the center of reality."
With a single thought, he commanded the void to solidify. Instantly, the nothingness beneath him crystallized into a material harder than diamond. He then grasped the empty air and, as if tearing through fabric, split the Guardian's geometric form in two.
Not with physical force, but through Spatial Erasure, infinitely superior.
"This path is now open," the Sovereign said as the corridor walls collapsed, revealing the magnificent Holy City of Aethelgard in the distance.
Elara could only stare. She realized one terrifying yet awe-inspiring truth: for this man, the laws of the universe were not rules to obey—they were words he wrote himself.