Primate Killer

Behind the door was another world.

In many novels, authors describe scenes like this after opening a certain door, highlighting the drastic change in environment from before to after. However, Aoko found that what she was experiencing was literally true; the environment inside this cave felt like another world, making her feel out of place.

This cave looked like a deep tunnel leading underground, but if a Magus were to feel it carefully, they would discover that the further down this slightly sloping tunnel one went, the more the rules within differed from the surface world where people normally lived.

Rather, this tunnel was a flaw in the world, a tear that the Rungomigniades hadn't sealed. Aoko cautiously continued to advance downwards, her mindset very stable because she had long expected that the cave leading to the Root would not be a normal place. Otherwise, it wouldn't have forced a Mage to seal it off after returning.

At this moment, Aoko felt her Magecraft equipment gradually losing its function... It wasn't that the equipment was broken, but rather that it couldn't operate under the current environmental parameters. Aoko worried if her Magic Circuits would also have problems due to this environment, but when she carefully circulated her magic, she found that her Magic Circuits and Magic Crests were all normal. It seemed that the old man only had descendants after becoming a Mage, as perhaps only a Mage's bloodline would possess some resistance to this environment.

However, sometimes things are not absolute, and Aoko found that she couldn't use any of the Magecraft she had learned, including her usual go-to Magic Bullets.

But fortunately, all the Magic Network Arcana from the Forgotten Realms operated perfectly, because these things were on a similar level to the five Magics in this universe, both originating from outside this universe.

In the so-called Type-Moon world, "outside the world" and "outside the universe" are two different concepts. "Outside the world" refers specifically to the area beyond the surface material of this planet, while "outside the universe" is literal, referring to the area beyond the observable universe.

As Aoko walked, she took out her spellbook and held it in her hand, constantly on guard against potential dangers.

This cave was very strange. Although she clearly perceived that there was absolutely no light here, it didn't prevent her from seeing everything.

Was there something wrong with her, or was there something wrong with this cave?

Aoko's personal inclination was to explain it as getting closer to the primal cause of all things, so what she saw was actually closer to the information of matter. Therefore, the existence of light, a more advanced causal relationship, wouldn't prevent her from clearly seeing the current environmental information.

This was getting more and more abstract... Aoko sighed.

She relaxed her mind for just a second and immediately regretted it, because she noticed something "precipitating" from the environment at the edge of her vision. It was a white, mist-like substance, but it wasn't as ethereal.

Aoko immediately prepared for battle, flipping open her spellbook and activating the prepared reinforcement spell scrolls one by one, applying them to herself. This included the Zoo set (excluding Lion's Charge and Eagle's Radiance), Mage Armor, and First Strike. A large number of precious spell scrolls were consumed in just a few seconds, but Aoko knew that if she died, no one would be able to use these spell scrolls.

She stared intently at the white mist. Aoko's intuition told her that this thing must be her enemy.

As expected, in Aoko's sight, the white mist gradually transformed into a giant animal that looked like both a fox and a dog. Its entire body was covered in fluffy, white, curled fur that made one want to pet it, and its two long ears stood erect on its head, like those of an alert rabbit.

But Aoko didn't find this thing cute at all, because her intuition was already screaming danger. The beast's eyes were filled with a kind of business-like violence; in its eyes, Aoko, as the inheritor of the Fifth Magic, was no different from a little girl on the street.

The beast moved with elegant steps. Its paws, like those of a feline, landed on the ground without a sound, yet they were firm and powerful.

The Primate Killer's speed increased. What initially seemed to be hundreds of meters away, this beast suddenly reached Aoko in an instant.

However, due to the various buffs from the spells, Aoko's reaction speed had also reached a superhuman level. Her right hand moved so fast it became a blur, and an instant before the beast touched her, she disappeared from her spot in a puff of smoke.

The Primate Killer tilted its head left and right in confusion, finding that its target for slaughter had vanished. When it looked back again, it saw the human woman kneeling not far behind it, attempting to bandage her wound.

I was careless! The Shield was shattered in one blow. Aoko frowned as she dealt with the profusely bleeding wound near her left shoulder. She cast False Life on herself, allowing the necromantic magic's effect to temporarily replace the life force she was losing due to blood loss.

What was wrong with this beast? She had completely dodged its attack, yet she was still injured!

Moreover, Aoko estimated that her speed had decreased by about a third due to this single blow. Why would her speed decrease from just a shoulder injury? Was this the Primate Killer's slaughter authority?

Aoko was self-deprecatingly thinking, unaware that the Primate Killer's mind was also filled with confusion. Normally, that attack should have been enough to kill a human of this level, as it could severely injure even ordinary Divine Era Magicians, as long as they were human.

But this human woman before it, under the pressure of its authority, only sustained a shoulder injury, with her abilities not significantly reduced. What was going on?

Was she not human at all? That was impossible. Gaia had sent it to this place...

Aoko endured the pain and took out a small piece of butter. She muttered a chant and slapped it onto the ground. Invisible magical fluctuations spread between her feet and the beast.

As she made this move, the white beast leaped high into the air and pounced at her again. This time, Aoko decisively lay flat on the ground, directly dodging the beast's pounce.

But her chest still took a heavy blow. Under the effect of Mage Armor, her chest clothing was torn open, revealing her usually fair and alluring skin and body, now stained red with blood. A wound that went deep to the bone stretched from her left shoulder down to near her abdomen; she had almost been disemboweled by this damned dog.

Aoko spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organ fragments. The intense pain reminded her of her dangerous situation. However, thanks to False Life, she still had enough life force to maintain her casting posture without distortion.

With trembling hands, she flipped open her spellbook, not caring that blood dripped onto the pages. The Primate Killer was currently struggling with the ground, which had had its friction removed, and it couldn't even jump, only letting out angry growls.

Aoko found the Dimension Door scroll she had prepared and activated its effect without a second thought. With a distortion of space, Aoko appeared about four hundred feet (around 120 meters) away from the Primate Killer, closer to the destination.

The Primate Killer grew anxious, letting out roars. If it failed to complete its mission and violated the contract between it and Gaia, it would undoubtedly be severely punished.

Aoko glanced back at it and let out a disdainful laugh, but the next second she coughed violently, spitting out more blood.

Really, how can the great Miss Blue die in a place like this? Aoko desperately covered her wound with one hand, while forming a few hand seals with the other. Several gleaming Arcane Missiles were fired, flying towards the Primate Killer. Their unerring characteristic made the spell impossible for the Primate Killer to dodge, but as it was only a first-tier spell, its damage capability was very limited.

But Aoko wasn't aiming for damage at all; she wanted the impact generated by hitting this beast.

With the sounds of "bang, bang, bang, bang" from four hits, the Primate Killer furiously discovered that it was being pushed away from the female human in an irreversible direction. Furthermore, the spot on its head that was hit by the Magic Missiles actually had a tiny bit of blood flowing out... It was a negligible minor injury, like a mosquito bite. But undoubtedly, the noble force field damage had inflicted real damage on the Primate Killer.

This is impossible! The Primate Killer furiously erupted with a massive amount of mana as a counter-thrust, attempting to stop itself from sliding further away. But in its sight, the severely injured woman took another page from that strange book, and with a flash of light, she sprinted towards the depths of the cave with a speed that was impossible for someone so badly hurt.

Greased soles are too useful! The intense physical pain made Aoko sweat profusely. The effect of False Life was draining by the second; once this spell lost its effect, her bodily functions would revert to those of a severely injured person.

As long as I can reach that place...

Aoko's stamina was constantly draining. She didn't even feel her own pain clearly anymore, only feeling colder and colder, a symptom of massive blood loss.

She had considered using magic to cast her injured period into the distant future, but at this moment, she could only manage to undo the seal her grandfather had placed on the door.

Was she too arrogant, saying such ridiculous words about surpassing her grandfather...

Aoko felt a moment of slight disappointment, then immediately dismissed this negative thought. She had survived the Primate Killer's pursuit, which was undoubtedly a great feat, and she could feel that the things around her were becoming increasingly abstract; the Vortex of the Root was right before her eyes.

Roars echoed from behind her. It was likely that the damned dog had broken free from the effect of the grease spell and was approaching? Aoko wasn't too concerned about this situation. She was now just dragging her body, moving forward resolutely.

The place that was even beyond nothingness was within sight. Aoko mustered all her remaining spirit and cast Misty Step once more, disappearing from her spot in a puff of green smoke.

With a "bang," the Primate Killer's attack missed again, but due to the existence of its killing authority, Aoko felt as if her spine had been snapped by something.

However, she no longer cared at this point because she had reached the place alive. She had reached the end that all Magus dreamed of, the so-called Great Door.

The white beast roared in despair and anger. It watched helplessly as the woman disappeared into the entrance, and then, as if to spite it, used its last bit of strength to give it the middle finger.