There's Actually No Warmth at All

"Great effort can produce miracles. Indeed, that's your style." Her pause was only for a moment before she reached out and used the darkness that the Queen of the Underworld Divinity could control to create a model of Originium Arts in the air.

"But unfortunately, I don't quite understand how this method works. So I can't effectively improve it or modify its effects... I'm sorry, until I understand how your method works, you'll still have to learn the one I've designed."

The model's construction is clear, but not complicated—at least not very complicated for Miss Surtr.

She reached out and touched it. The intricate structure of tens of thousands of runes intertwined and interlocked was reflected in her eyes. As she raised her hand, a brilliant, shimmering outline appeared at her fingertips.

"I call this 'Degradation Synchronization.' Through it, higher-level life forms can temporarily degrade and synchronize their consciousness with lower-level or equal-level beings. In other words, you can use this method to enter the territory of the Imperial Consciousness that others can see, but of course, the power you exert there will also be downgraded. Unless you release the constraints of this secret technique."

"Uh... something like a shrinking potion?" Miss Surtr recalled some games she used to play. You gained the ability to shrink by drinking a special potion, allowing you to enter hidden rooms, but at the same time, you lost the ability to fight directly... something like that.

"You can think of it that way, Surtr." Persephone nodded. Then he took Miss Surtr's shimmering hand and placed it on his chest. "Now, use it on me. Synchronize the Imperial Consciousness's territories that I can glimpse—this is the best way to practice."

A subtle sensation came from his fingertips, and for a fleeting moment someone was foolish enough to compare Persephone and the Fire Keeper on this level—fortunately, this fool wasn't foolish enough to voice his momentary thoughts.

"Uh..." She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Persephone for some reason suddenly became very strong, held her down. "... Does it have to be like this... this position?"

"The heart and brain are the conceptual hubs of thought. But the brain is protected by the skull, while the heart has gaps in the external ribs—so if you want to do it another way, you'll have to put a part of your body into my mouth—I don't really mind, but would you like to do that?"

Persephone's gaze subtly shifted downwards—no one knew why her gaze was looking down!

"... I think this is good enough!"

Then some incredibly foolish fellow suddenly jerked. His five fingers, which had been stretched out so wide, then carefully relaxed.

Touch it, and then everything changes.

The ruined city was fragmented like a shattered mirror. Its hidden essence then revealed itself to the infiltrators—behind each shattered mirror lay another mirror. And countless mirrors formed a dazzling, crystal-like labyrinth!

A city reflected in a mirror—sharp crystal shards rise from the mirror's surface, piercing the sky like countless, chilling swords standing tall like a forest. On the mirror's inner side lies a city in reflection, and endless illusion and mist.

It is said that the Imperial Consciousness that each person sees will, to some extent, reflect the person's own inner self.

So...

Is this Persephone's inner world was like?

A thought flashed through his mind. Yet, in the next moment, this other world constructed of mirrors and crystal shattered with a crisp cracking sound, causing the layers of reality and consciousness to overlap once more.

She returned to the real world.

"It seems you learn quickly, Surtr," Persephone of the real world replied with a smile. "Just as I expected. Now, we can move on to the next step."

As the gaze shifted, Skadi's circular ritual remained intact, but a gap had appeared.

A rather obvious hint... or explanation, appeared in Miss Surtr's mind.

She looked at her hands, which still radiated the glow of Originium Arts.

"You don't mean..." She glanced at her hands, then at Skadi, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the circular ritual. Her gaze lingered carefully over Skadi's ample, obviously oversized breasts.

"You can choose to ignore it," Persephone, a subtle threat in her voice. "You can trust this Aegir's vitality... perhaps she can handle it herself? Perhaps she'll just lose half a body, suffer amnesia, or go mad?"

"Or are you trying to pass the problem to me, or hoping I'll go back in time again?" She emphasized the word "again" slightly.

Miss Surtr swallowed hard.

The situation... has become serious.

She didn't have much time to hesitate or think.

I checked the in-game announcement... and I was dumbfounded. What the hell?! 120 loot boxes for a collaboration event, and they guarantee a 5-star character... Miss Eagle, are you doing charity here?

Chapter 155 - Actually, there was no warmth at all

Skadi's fighting strength is five times that of Persephone.

After succumbing to reality, Miss Surtr had to acknowledge the fact that this was extremely malicious towards Persephone, but the latter seemed completely indifferent to it—she tried hard not to think about the sensations coming from her hands, the softness, the elasticity, the protrusion—she tried her best not to think about these things, but the operation of Originium Arts required her to concentrate.

"While the timeline of the Imperial Consciousness and reality are not perfectly synchronized, the gap is not significant—in order to retrieve Skadi in time and uncover the truth behind the scenes, I will accompany you on this mission, Surtr."

Persephone whispered in her ear, then placed his hand on the back of her hand.

Very well, now it's impossible for her not to feel it clearly—a helpless thought surfaced in the girl's mind.

—I hope Skadi won't chop me up when she wakes up. Collecting the fragments is too difficult; if it's just a simple beating, I could probably accept it...maybe.

The next moment, the structure of space changed once again, with the consciousness layer rising and the reality layer sinking.

What appeared before Miss Surtr's eyes was a stone city built on the wilderness. Many thick, ancient stone pillars rose from the ground, weathered and rusted. These pillars interlocked, forming streets and clusters. It vaguely resembled Chernobog in the real world, but looked much older.

This isn't a modern city; it looks more like an ancient labyrinth. Yet, this ancient labyrinth bears a striking resemblance to a modern metropolis. Therefore, the final conclusion is—

"Is this the ancient Chernobog?" Miss Surtr murmured.

"Perhaps, but it could also be how Skadi perceives this city." Persephone's form appeared around her, seemingly not much different from her in the real world.

No, she looked much weaker and smaller. Compared to the top-tier sorcerer master in the real world who was proficient in almost all Originium Arts, she now seemed more like an ordinary, average combat mage.

She has been weakened—or rather, this is the extent of her power she can exert here unless she ends her demotion. And she's not the only one weakened here.

Miss Surtr could sense the flames still flowing within her, and she could still summon Laevateinn. However, the spatial structure around her was as fragile as a building pieced together from wafers and tinfoil—she wasn't restricted, but the power she could wield here, no matter how strong, couldn't exceed her level as a mercenary. Otherwise, she would be deprived of her privileges and return to her own consciousness, a realm filled with mist, ruins, and mutated flesh.

She was on that floor and couldn't see Skadi. She could only vaguely see traces of Skadi's departure and a blurry door leading to the reality floor.

However, here...

"There are her footprints on the ground."

The gaze shifted, and where Skadi had been sitting cross-legged, there was a row of clear footprints extending outwards. In contrast, at the ring-shaped ceremonial circle, there was now a smooth, ancient portal, adorned with many exquisite decorations and carvings, which looked unmistakably connected to the Aegir people.

—Interesting, in my consciousness. This portal exists in the most rudimentary form of runes... If I were to carefully recall that memory, perhaps I could learn the Abyssal Hunter's Imperial Consciousness infiltration techniques in just a short while. Hmm... So, in my consciousness, things reveal their true nature rather than being disguised by outward appearances?

—No, not at all. I don't think this city is essentially a pile of ruins. And all the living things are bizarre creatures, like the result of out-of-control genetic engineering... It's probably just a difference in perception. I'll ask Persephone after things are settled here.

Thoughts raced through my mind in an instant. My gaze followed the footprints, ending at the edge of the wasteland beyond the Stone City.

"Should we follow the footprints?" she tilted her head and asked. "From what I can tell, if we keep following the footprints, we might be walking here for a long time."

She asked and immediately received a reply.

"Imagination, Surtr, you have to use your imagination—this isn't your conscious realm, but you can still use the techniques you've used in your conscious realm."

Persephone replied.