Chapter 1055 Spatial Collapse
Izroth pierced his Sword of the Storm into the ground. In addition, he activated his skill Molding Earth to create a set of makeshift straps around his feet to keep himself in place.
'This is troublesome.'
Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the vortex.
Rather than being "pulled" into the vortex, the spatial rift that linked the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm was being bent and warped by the vortex.
Izroth quickly determined that the vortex itself was not aiding in the construction of the spatial rift. Instead, one could even say that it was tearing it apart and destroying the potential pathway.
However, Izroth did not know what caused the vortex to emerge at the chamber's center so close to the spatial rift. Though there was not much time to think about it as the pulling force of the vortex appeared to be increasing with every passing moment.
One of the shadahis tumbled across the ground as they were sucked towards the vortex. The creature dug its claws into the ground, leaving a deep trail of claw marks as it tried to stop itself from being devoured by the vortex. But, the shadahi was unable to hold on.
Rooooragh!
The shadahi's hands left the ground as the creature soared towards the vortex before disappearing without a trace.
"?!" The members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit were stunned by the sudden descent into a state of total chaos.
After finally managing to gain an upper hand against the shadahis, the creatures were now being swept off their feet and sucked into the vortex.
Of course, under normal circumstances, it would be cause for celebration. But, unfortunately, the shadahis were not the only ones left to the mercy of the vortex.
"I can't hold out much longer!" One of the vanguard members from the 9th Division, Astral Knight, shouted.
Despite wearing a full set of heavy-plated armor and doing his best to stand his ground, Astral Knight was still slowly being dragged towards the vortex.
"Try to hold on just a bit more!" Niflheim yelled as he was forced to cancel the effects of Kiren's Perfect Guardna in order to brace himself.
With the emergence of the vortex, the shadahis were no longer an issue as they seemed to be particularly susceptible to the pulling force of it.
"I can try- Ahhhhh!" As Astral Knight was in the middle of speaking, he was hoisted off his feet as he lost control of his body.
"Astral!" Niflheim wanted to reach his hand out to grab ahold of Astral Knight, but the instant he moved his hand slightly, Niflheim could feel that his feet had already started to drag.
At that moment, Niflheim understood that if he shifted his position any further, not only would he be unable to save Astral Knight, he would be pulled in right alongside him.
Astral Knight flew through the air and frantically reached his hands out to find something to grab onto; however, there was nothing within the chamber to hold.
Bang!
Suddenly, a short spear-like object pierced into the ground as Astral Knight was reaching out for something to grab. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a thick metallic chain.
Astral Knight summoned all his strength and grabbed out the chain.
Swoosh! Clink!
At the very last second, Astral Knight was able to clasp onto the chain, stopping just a few meters away from where the vortex was located.
When Niflheim noticed the chain, he glanced back to see its point of origin. Though, he already knew exactly who fired that shot just now to save Astral Knight.
Menerva furrowed her brows as she kept a tight grip on her large bow. The shot she fired was similar to the one she used back in the Ferae Jungle to help create a makeshift bridge across the running waters.
Fortunately, Menerva's bow was reinforced to the ground, so she did not have as much trouble as the others when it came to finding a stable footing. Nonetheless, she could tell that the situation was quickly unraveling. After all, the only reason she fired that shot off in time was that her original target got pulled into the vortex while she was still charging the shot. It was not feasible to send a shot out under these conditions to save someone a second time around.
"What now?! I'm open to ideas!" Lances called out several meters away from where Izroth was positioned.
Their current conditions made it impossible to locate an exit inside the chamber—if there even was one, to start with. Now, with the threat of the vortex breathing down their necks, the 9th Division and 5th Unit were barely managing to keep themselves together.
'If we had someone who could control and influence the surrounding space, it may be possible to come up with a few solutions. But...'
Izroth knew with certainty that there were no spatial casters among the 9th Division.
As for the 5th Unit, Izroth had been quietly observing their performance. And, based on the things he'd seen, there was also no one among them familiar with spatial magic. However, this was not too surprising considering the rarity of spatial magic compared to other practices of magic in RML.
To make matters worse, they were caught in a genuine lose-lose situation. Even if Izroth purchased one of the items from the event shop that he planned to use before seeing through that existence's plans to close the vortex, he would only end up carrying out their will. After all, with the vortex and spatial rift already intertwined by the bending and warping space, it would not be possible to control one without also influencing the other.
However, Izroth knew that if he did nothing, it might lead to the total annihilation of the 9th Division and 5th Unit.
'Is this the final trick you kept up your sleeves?'
Izroth's gaze locked onto the spatial rift that was now distorted as a result of the vortex's emergence.
As Izroth contemplated his next move, his allies were quickly being dragged closer and closer to the vortex. At its current rate, they likely would not be able to hold out for more than twenty seconds.
'I suppose there's no other choice. If it's my current self, it may be somewhat risky, but... I should be able to do it.'
"Niflheim, Menerva, Jol'Kil, Zel'Kan—I'll be leaving the 9th Division under your care for a while! Don't follow after me!" Izroth notified.
"Young master, what are you-!" Zel'Kan questioned. But before she could finish her question, something shocking took place.
Izroth canceled the Molding Earth skill that held his feet to his ground and plucked his Sword of the Storm from the ground.
The next moment, Izroth kicked off his back foot and rushed towards the direction of the vortex!
"What is he doing?!" Niflheim said to himself with an expression of disbelief on his face.
Niflheim, Menerva, Halls, Guan Yu, Jol'Kil, Zel'Kan, Lances—there was not a single person present who was not taken aback by Izroth's reckless actions. Did he not see the shadahi who went into that vortex disappear without a trace? What could possibly be going through that mind of his?!
"Young master!" Jol'Kil called out as he tried to use his dark red flames to weigh down Izroth and prevent him from being pulled into the vortex; however, it was not enough.
Zeeeeut!
In the blink of an eye, Izroth vanished into the vortex just as the shadahi before him.
"Brother!" Halls and Guan Yu shouted in unison.
Without hesitation, the two stopped fighting against the pulling force of the vortex as they, too, were sucked into it.
Oooooooom! Woosh!
As everyone was still in a state of disbelief, something unexpected happened. The vortex began to shrink rapidly, and the spatial rift started to fade out of existence.
Then, a few seconds later, the inside of the chamber turned quiet as the chaos ceased.
The shadahis had all been devoured by the vortex or slain. And the spatial rift that seemed to be on the verge of creating a portal to link the two realms was no longer anywhere to be found.
However, after the vortex closed, there were still no signs of Izroth, Halls, or Guan Yu.
Niflheim and Menerva's facial expressions darkened along with the others from the 9th Division as the same thought crossed their minds—just what happened to their Captain?