Chapter 1059 The Void
...
'Strange, I should have instantly arrived back inside the chambers within the Night Lord's Crypt. That aside, what's more troubling is that I can't detect any signs of those two.'
At the moment, Izroth was drifting through what appeared to be an endless void. Even though there was no source of light in this place, there was a mystical dark purple hue that lingered about in the atmosphere that made it possible to see one's surroundings.
After Izroth crossed into the portal that was supposed to take him outside the isolated pocket of space created by the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone, he arrived at his current location.
As for what that location was, Izroth had no clue outside the fact that it was somehow related to The Void—an area that existed outside the normal laws of the world in RML.
To make matters worse, he had no idea what happened to Halls and Guan Yu who entered the portal before him. There was also no way for him to communicate with anyone while within The Void. Even using an item like the Returning Scroll had proved to be a fruitless endeavor.
"To end up drifting in The Void, there had to have been an undetectable rupture in space that formed in between the isolated pocket of space and the chambers to the Night Lord's Crypt. Did it occur when the spatial vortex that connected the Mortal Realm to the Shadahi Realm collapsed? No, that alone would not have been enough to cause such a massive yet undetectable rupture. Then... Was it that creature's doing?"
Back when Izroth used Deep Insight to examine the spatial rift that linked the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm, he caught a glimpse of a shadahi bound to a large stone pillar on the other side. That shadahi was a monstrous presence that Izroth deduced was capable of manipulating space to a fine degree.
Izroth believed that it was possible that shadahi was the one responsible for his current predicament. After all, he ruined its plans to stabilize the spatial rift between their two realms. Once the shadahi realized that it was no longer possible to stabilize the spatial rift, it probably put forth a last-ditch effort to form a rupture in space.
"If that shadahi was the one responsible for creating the rupture in space, it must have paid quite a heavy price. I suppose it's not too surprising considering the shadahi's vengeful nature. Whatever the case, what's done is done. I have to find a way out of here. Well, I say that, but... There doesn't seem to be anything that even remotely resembles an exit in sight."
Izroth had spread his Energy Vision Sense out to its maximum range; however, even with an area coverage of one kilometer, he found that there was only vast nothingness.
The only thing in The Void was strange floating islands of various sizes scattered throughout. These floating islands were constructed from some kind of dark purple stone. Unfortunately, the stone surfaces were completely uninhabited and appeared to serve no actual purpose.
Additionally, whenever Izroth tried to head towards one of the floating islands, there was an indescribable force that constantly kept the distance between him and the floating island unchanged.
To make matters worse, there was a bizarre and wild energy that fluctuated in a chaotic manner. This made it virtually impossible for Izroth to use his Energy Vision Sense to keep track of his position in The Void. As a result, he was left floating aimlessly with no idea if he was making any actual progress. Even something as simple as differentiating between up from down or left from right was a troublesome task.
'Finding a way out of here is a high priority, but... It would be a shame to let such a valuable opportunity go to waste. It seems that disaster and opportunity have come hand in hand.'
Despite his unfortunate set of circumstances, it did not take long for Izroth to find fortune in disaster as he received an alert from the system.
〈System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill «Boundless Emperor Void Perfection» has increased.〉
Izroth looked down at his hands as he felt a strange surge of energy pour into his body. There appeared to be no direct source for the energy being produced; however, that was not unusual given the unique nature of its existence.
'It's incredibly faint, but there's no doubt that it exists in this place—the Law of Void.'
The Boundless Emperor Void Perfection was a powerful heavenly law that allowed Izroth to stand at the peak of the Seven Realms. Unfortunately, when he attempted to create that same heavenly law in RML, he was met with several roadblocks and delays. And, even though he was able to overcome the majority of the things that obstructed his path, there was one thing in particular that was beyond his current means—encountering the Law of Void.
In RML, the Law of Void was everywhere yet simultaneously nowhere. The reason this was so had to do with the fact that the Law of Void originated from The Void—a place that did not abide by the laws of the world.
From what Izroth understood, the only way for the Law of Void to exist outside The Void was if it had been contained within a divine-ranked magic item.
Needless to say, it was not easy getting one's hand on a divine-ranked magic item. In truth, Izroth did not even know if it was possible for a true divine-ranked item to appear below the firmament in RML due to the heavy restrictions that surrounded divine power.
That's why being trapped in The Void was both a blessing and a curse to Izroth.
One could not simply access The Void through a spatial rift or other common means. It required a lot of effort and resources or a special method known only to a select few with a close connection to The Void itself.
While Izroth had no intention of allowing himself to be trapped inside The Void forever, he also could not write off the opportunity that was abruptly dropped at his feet.
Izroth opened his system interface and checked the progress of Boundless Emperor Void Perfection.
'It's just as I thought. The skill level and skill rank remain unchanged. I can clearly feel the shackles starting to loosen, which means that progress is being made, but... the progress is still too slow. Unless I'm able to locate an origin point of the Law of Void, I estimate that it'll take at least a week for my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection to increase by one rank. However, if I can find a source, that time can be cut down to a day, or possibly even a few hours.'
"Although it is somewhat troubling that I will have to remain out of contact with the 9th Division while I'm here, the biggest threat has already been dealt with. The trial that remains ahead in my absence will give the 9th Division some much-needed experience. More importantly, the 9th Division is in capable hands."
'Of course, I also can't leave this place until I confirm that those two aren't trapped here. Once one becomes lost in The Void, even if I were to somehow find a way back, it would be virtually impossible to locate them with the current means at my disposal.'
While access to the Law of Void was a good incentive for staying in The Void, to Izroth, it was nothing compared to making sure that Halls and Guan Yu had not succumbed to a fate similar to his own.
Izroth knew that Halls and Guan Yu were more than capable of taking care of themselves under normal circumstances. But, in an unpredictable place like The Void where even legendary realm powerhouses found it difficult to traverse, the circumstances were far from normal.
'My first priority is to ensure that those two did not fall into this area The Void along with me. That being said... Even if they did fall into The Void not long before I did, there's no telling where they might have ended up. For all I know, they could have emerged on a side completely opposite of my current position. How troublesome.'
Traveling to The Void in the same manner that brought Izroth there was like dropping a leaf in a turbulent flowing river that led to a boundless ocean. You could drop several leaves in the same exact spot in the river; however, the current would instantly sweep them away to different areas of the river.
If Halls and Guan Yu had properly listened to his instructions and remained back in the chamber along with the rest of the 9th Division and 5th Unit, Izroth could have turned his full attention onto locating a source that housed the Law of Void. But, he could not fault their actions. In the end, it was their loyalty towards him that led them to leap into such a dangerous situation despite the potential consequences.
Since the situation had already occurred, Izroth understood that what was done could not be changed. All he could do now was make the best of what had transpired.