Chapter 252

Chapter 252
## Chapter 252

Closed Dimension (1)

A run-down settlement of fishermen near Dongting Lake.

Murmur… Murmur…

Though the sun had not yet begun its descent, none of the locals were engaged in their regular daily labors.

The mariners, who had departed into the waters in their battered vessels, had rushed back to the shore, and the residents, accompanied by their kin, swarmed toward the piers, forming an unexpected assembly.

Yet beneath the frantic whispering, their gaunt countenances all reflected an identical look.

They were gazing mindlessly out at the great water, muttering in hushed tones.

“What on earth is that?”

“Good heavens, what sort of black magic is unfolding…?”

“Mother! Cast your eyes over there…!”

An inexplicable occurrence was unfolding toward the Eoryong Stronghold, the bastion that dominated this territory.

In stark contrast to the azure skies above their heads, a rotating whirlpool of pitch-black vapors had assembled directly above the fortress, seemingly absorbing every cloud from the surrounding horizon.

A violent tempest swirled about the phenomenon, its sheer intensity vibrating all the way to this remote hamlet.

Flash—

Rumble—!

And from the core of the gale, arcs of lightning and cracks of thunder burst forth, their ferocity instilling a deep, primal dread.

The onlookers watched in absolute bewilderment, their parched throats swallowing with immense anxiety.

“It is a sign of divine wrath, nothing less. The Dragon King of Dongting Lake has lost his patience with those wicked souls.”

A bent patriarch with a heavily lined face spoke with cold conviction.

The grand sovereignty of the Empire had crumbled, giving rise to competing cliques vying for dominance, their skirmishes degenerating into widespread pillaging and oppression.

He had buried his own son, his daughter-in-law, and his young grandson because of those ruthless outlaws. He had tolerated the misery solely to protect the family he had left… but now, beholding this monumental display, his buried fury broke free.

“What words are you uttering, grandfather?!”

“Alas, old man, have you turned to the bottle so early? The sun hasn’t even reached its peak. Why don’t you head inside and rest your bones?”

The remaining villagers, terrified by his bold declaration, quickly attempted to quiet him, casting apprehensive looks in every direction.

This entire region existed under the iron fist of the Eoryong Stronghold.

If his treasonous speech reached the ears of the sentries, retribution would be swift.

The patriarch, acknowledging their terror, sealed his lips but kept his gaze fixed on the fortress, his eyes burning with deep-seated animosity.

The once grand, singular realm had fractured into dozens of independent principalities, and upon this earth, those marauders were the undisputed masters.

‘Oh, mighty Dragon King… I beg of you… unleash your holy vengeance upon those fiends clothed in human skin!’

He could only offer desperate petitions.

That supernatural justice would obliterate those tyrants.

—

‘Not a single soul of note resides here.’

Harris, cloaked in gusts of wind and crackling currents of electricity, surveyed the ruined fortification, giving a soft nod of affirmation.

He hadn’t found it necessary to unstring his bow or call upon his alternative elemental spirits.

The mere pair of entities bound to his consciousness were more than sufficient to dismantle these brigands.

And that assessment applied equally to their commander.

The man possessed undeniable competence compared to his subordinates, yet he had failed to even cross the threshold of true martial mastery.

“Agh… This… This cannot be real! Even the grandest sorcery shouldn’t be capable of this…! Are you… some ancient, mythical fiend…?”

Seared by the electrical discharge of Watt, the bandit chieftain tumbled over, thrashing upon the dirt, his sanity seemingly shattered as he babbled incomprehensibly.

Harris had purposed to restrain him for a thorough interrogation, but the psychological impact appeared to have completely broken the man’s resolve.

‘This will yield nothing. I require him to possess his faculties to speak.’

He recollected a piece of common wisdom from his past: Ancient machinery and stubborn mortals, both tend to resume their functions if struck with sufficient force.

It might not hold true for advanced technological fabrications, but this fellow was undeniably archaic in nature.

‘If he wishes to cling to existence, he will regain his senses shortly… ’

While harboring that thought, his brow suddenly twitched as a wave of internal discomfort washed through him.

He halted, analyzing his recent impulses and internal monologues.

‘…I am without a doubt… acting far more aggressively than is standard for me.’

Even taking into account his vast separation from the stabilizing aura of the World Tree, this deviation was striking.

It stood in stark opposition to the relaxed, easygoing persona he maintained back in Auterica.

‘Mm, I must examine this anomaly at a later time. For the present moment, however… ’

He felt troubled by this shift in his temperament, but extracting answers from the bandit chieftain remained the urgent task at hand.

He would be capable of gathering far superior intelligence from this leader than from the low-ranking highwaymen scattered across the peaks.

“Now then, shall we engage in a brief dialogue? In a tranquil manner?”

He stepped closer to the trembling chieftain, who remained writhing upon the ground, and spoke utilizing a pleasant cadence, offering a deliberate grin.

“Ugh… P-please, show mercy…”

The chieftain’s complexion drained of what little color remained, but Harris paid no heed to his terror.

—

Controlling projections across three separate realities had brought about several insights.

The initial discovery was that the passage of hours occurred at an accelerated rate in Ganghwange when contrasted with Auterica.

Roughly eight additional hours accumulated for every span of ten days that transpired in Auterica.

‘It is an insignificant discrepancy unless my intentions involve a prolonged residency. Still, a minor surplus of time is always an advantage.’

Furthermore, another vital reality had surfaced during his questioning of the Eoryong Stronghold master.

Scroll— Scroll—

He ran his gaze down the catalog of data regarding Ganghwange displayed across his glowing monitor.

Yet regardless of how meticulously he searched, he failed to uncover any records pertaining to the revelations he had just uncovered.

He reviewed the archives concerning other designated ‘closed dimensions’ as well, but the results remained identically barren.

Abandoning the pursuit of supplementary data, he reclined against the back of his seat, deeply immersed in reflection.

‘The fundamental catalyst that transformed Ganghwange into an isolated realm.’

And the root cause of the warfare that had devastated the land for greater than a decade.

The obscured reality concealing the downfall of the previously magnificent dynasty.

And a particular mystery that intertwined every single one of these occurrences.

‘…No, it remains premature to form absolute declarations. I require more substantial proof. The ruling authorities of this world must possess deeper clarity.’

The grand commander of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds, an individual recognized as a master-tier combatant, ought to grant him far more definitive disclosures.

He arose from his seat and gazed beyond the glass pane, structuring his logic.

‘I maintained an intuition that a deeper reality lay hidden beneath the surface.’

He released a breath, a heavy weight settling within his chest.

This constituted a profound predicament.

Within Ganghwange, a brutal Murim domain where combat prowess dictated absolute law,

The reality that Ki, the essential bedrock of their martial capabilities, was steadily evaporating from existence…

—

Following the absolute destruction of the Eoryong Stronghold,

Harris stripped their storehouses of wealth, transferring the gold and hidden martial doctrines directly into the “Avatar Cloud”, before launching himself into the heavens once more.

He likewise allocated a portion of the plundered grains and provisions to the destitute settlement nearby.

The marauders were either deceased or completely broken in body, stripped of their ability to wield internal energy, leaving no one capable of raising an objection.

Naturally, the remaining fortresses might seek vengeance if they deduced the origin of this devastation… but he possessed total certainty that he could eradicate the entire network before any response could be organized.

‘Their sole methodology for transmitting intelligence relies upon mounted couriers or avian messengers.’

And such primitive systems held zero efficacy against a High Elf capable of establishing a bond with any living creature.

His transcendent charm easily overpowered even specialized training parameters. Even the designated carrier pigeons would alter their trajectories and descend toward his position, yearning for a gentle touch.

‘And at last… it reveals itself to me. The authentic state of this broken realm.’

He glided over the heavily inhabited sectors bordering the great water, scrutinizing the territories passing beneath him.

He could now vividly comprehend why Ganghwange had been designated as an environment of ‘Very High’ peril.

‘An unceasing conflict, a multi-year agricultural collapse, fractured commerce routes, unhindered pestilence, and brigands seizing absolute control… ’

Such conditions posed no threat to a truly dominant entity, but for a fresh arrival stranded in this domain, it represented an absolute nightmare.

They would expend all their vitality merely fighting to survive tomorrow, rendering personal cultivation and advancement nearly impossible.

Harris tilted his head in disapproval, surveying the barren, neglected soil below.

Subsequently,

Merely a single solar cycle later.

After systematically dismantling every single gathering of outlaws that crossed his path, he finally attained his targeted destination and stood face-to-face with Jin Deok-man, the undisputed sovereign of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds and an acclaimed master of martial arts.

“What sort of aberrant creature stands before us?!”

“C-Chieftain! The gales… our projectiles cannot pierce his barrier!”

“We are incapable of closing the distance! At this pace… Argh!”

Whoosh—

Crackle—!

Whoosh—!

The resulting clash reached a swift conclusion.

Though he held the title of the supreme tyrant within this provincial zone, he remained nothing more than a warrior who had barely stepped into the first-rate tier. He lacked the means to match Harris.

He had manifested Callie, the Spirit of Fire, to accelerate the eradication process. Owing to her presence, the vanguard of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds managed to offer a brief, albeit futile, resistance.

“…Ugh… Who… What are you? For what purpose have you arrived to unleash this slaughter upon us?!”

“I am known as Harris. I require a few disclosures.”

“If… If that is your sole desire…!”

“Furthermore, I am clearing away the refuse of this world. What else can be said? Look upon this as the arrival of your karmic debt.”

“………!”

Following that brief presentation of identities, a composed interrogation commenced.

Jin Deok-man, the supreme commander, initially displayed defiance, likely attempting to preserve what remained of his martial honor…

However, after Harris permitted Watt, the Spirit of Lightning, to offer some painful ‘encouragement’, the warlord altered his perspective and began revealing information with immense enthusiasm.

As the ancient proverbs suggest, wisdom is often found in adhering to the guidance of those who came before.

‘…This presents a severe complication.’

Harris exhaled a profound sigh after verifying the actual status of Ganghwange through the warlord’s confessions.

This was an existential crisis that could not be amended through simple applications of overwhelming violence.

“Our entire existence hinges upon this perpetual warfare! If we fail to claim dominion over the Dragon Veins, we will be cast aside and destroyed by our rivals! How could we possibly lay down our blades?!”

The ambient spiritual energy of the cosmos, once boundless, was drying up.

The preeminent organizations had already discerned this reality and were enacting extreme strategies to ensure their continued existence.

By seizing command of the Dragon Veins, the geometric junctures of natural energy, they sought to monopolize the remaining reservoirs of ‘Ki’.

Even if such actions required them to maintain total warfare against every opposing faction.

“The Dragon Veins serve as the lifeblood for all things! Refining our internal power, educating the rising generation of swordsmen, brewing miraculous medicines, mending fatal internal trauma… We do not spill blood for mere amusement!”

The natural energy was finite, meaning mutual concessions and treaties were fundamentally impossible.

The situation mirrored desperate factions slaughtering one another over the final remaining watering holes within an endless wasteland.

That single truth was the engine driving the infinite conflict gripping this reality.

A miserable loop of destruction, propelled by the absolute desperation of every living soul.

“…Ah! It dawns on me now. You are an outlander, correct? I held the belief that your kind had completely vanished from this earth following the reign of the Heavenly Demon Emperor.”

Jin Deok-man suddenly gave a sharp nod of his head, as if a realization had crystallized within his thoughts.

He appeared remarkably well-versed regarding the existence of outlanders, particularly when contrasted with the commander of the Eoryong Stronghold, who had failed entirely to deduce Harris’s alien origins.

‘Ganghwange existed as a highly frequented reality for natives of Earth prior to its transition into an isolated zone.’

The warlord had failed to identify Harris immediately simply because the elf’s methodology of power was too bizarre, even when measured against the standards of traditional outlanders.

The vast majority of awakened souls possessed a solitary, moderately powerful trait and leveraged their accelerated development metrics to rapidly ascend the ranks of traditional martial paths… but an entity who operated exclusively through foreign, non-native elements to this degree was entirely unprecedented…

“…Reflecting upon the matter, whispers of an identical phenomenon reached my ears long ago. I disregarded it as mere fiction at the time, but… could it truly be factual?”

…yet his low muttering suddenly touched upon an incredibly fascinating subject.

Harris’s survival instincts flared instantly, prompting him not to disregard the statement.

He subjected Jin Deok-man to an additional application of electrical ‘encouragement’, and the trembling bandit leader rapidly opened his mouth once more.

“Agh! My understanding is severely limited! I merely caught wind of a rumor decades in the past…!”

His knowledge was fragmented.

He had merely overheard a conversation more than two decades prior and had paid it little heed, as the matter held no relevance to his immediate ambitions.

Nevertheless…

“The whispers spoke of… how the disintegration of the grand dynasty and the current degradation of the cosmos were entirely his doing… Cough, considering it now, the chronology aligns precisely with the exact period when the world’s Ki began to dry up.”

He appeared to harbor a definitive suspicion regarding the true identity of the perpetrator.