Old Friend

As the saying went, good people never lived long, while disasters lingered for a thousand years. As a Titan-grade menace officially certified by other Titans, Vanidak naturally could not be ended by an unprecedented collapse. Besides, if someone who wielded the authority of space could be killed by a collapsed spatial passage, then in his own words—

"That's downright embarrassing. Leave the group chat."

So where was Vanidak, who was still going strong in the Wanderers' Group? As a self-proclaimed Titan-level big shot, he had relied on his innate spatial perception to successfully hitch a ride on the energy generated by the spatial collapse and sneak into an unfamiliar world. Although the explosion upon entering had blown him away, the resilience of his Titan body allowed him to wake after only a brief unconsciousness.

"As the first step in wilderness survival, we must first figure out where we are." Vanidak continued speaking solemnly to whatever was in the air. "Hello, everyone. I am the Titan Vanidak. I have traveled to countless places, and now I will show you how to survive in an unfamiliar world. Without the proper skills in an unfamiliar world, you won't be able to take a single step, so..."

"Watch carefully, and learn well."

Beneath the light of three stars, a cloaked traveler slowly made his way across the wasteland. His attire was peculiar: a white hood trimmed in black, silver-white robes and armor covered in mysterious dark patterns. This outfit was utterly out of place among the creatures of this world. Any local native who saw it would surely marvel at the sight, but clearly, there were no living things nearby.

Not merely nearby, either. Even after walking for several days at a Titan's pace, Vanidak saw nothing but desolation as far as the eye could reach. This Titan, who seemed to have forgotten to return to his family-searching party, surveyed his surroundings with great interest while muttering to himself.

"This world is truly strange. It actually allows me to enter it completely, and it seems to... have no effect." After thinking for a moment, he added quietly, "That isn't... a good thing."

Perhaps he had seen enough scenery, or perhaps this Titan's intelligence had finally come online for a moment and reminded him of his authority over space. After determining a direction, he activated a relatively long-range spatial teleportation.

"Mm, this way. The scent of civilization. Can't be wrong."

A flash of silver light flickered, and Vanidak vanished from where he stood. The instant he emerged from the spatial gate, he felt himself fall into water. Before he could even cough out the water that had gone down his throat, shrieks erupted around him.

"Ahhh! A pervert! Ahhh!"

Looking around, he saw a sea of pale, naked figures. Wiping at the nonexistent fluid beneath his nose, Vanidak called out to the females who were still screaming around him.

"Hey, surprise! Aren't you thrilled?"

As a barrage of objects came flying at him, accompanied by even more piercing screams, the ill-intentioned intruder frantically activated his ability and escaped once again. Yet before leaving, he did not forget to display his true nature with a parting remark.

"I was merely appreciating art! You have no right to question an artist's actions!"

Watching the guards below as they busily searched, Vanidak stood atop a tower he had found somewhere in the city. After surveying the surroundings for a while, he murmured, "Synchronization complete. Next comes the infiltration..."

Then he suddenly looked somewhere in the Void and said with great enthusiasm, "Speaking of infiltration, we have to discuss its two major schools: the assassin style and the berserker style."

"The assassin style means becoming like a ghost—pulling enemies off the ramparts one by one to their deaths, sneaking behind them to stab them in the kidneys, or covering their mouths and snapping their necks."

"The berserker style is even more impressive. After being carried forward by certain masters, this school has condensed into one core secret: 'charge headfirst.' Charge headfirst into a patch of sky, charge headfirst into a future. No matter how many of you there are, I raise my blade and strike, raise my blade and strike, without even blinking... Of course, my eyes won't get dry either."

"As for me," Vanidak said with a smug sneer, "I'm even better. After countless years of training, I discovered an ultimate secret technique: if you put on a hood, no one can recognize you!"

"You mere natives think you can see through my divine technique?" He straightened up, spread his arms, and fell forward.

"Witness the divine technique of a Titan!"

"Leap of Faith!"

With a shriek of his own making—"Screeeech!!!"—Vanidak instantly plummeted downward.

Boom!!! The tremendous crash startled the guards searching nearby. The soldiers who rushed to the scene saw a white figure flash past, followed by an angry curse from the air.

"Where's my haystack?! This synchronization point is fake!"

Mal'Ganis, the captain of the guard who had just arrived, carefully examined the round crater in the ground. Rising to his feet, he asked those around him, "So, can anyone tell me what the... hell that was?"

"Hiss..." Hidden in the shadows, the culprit rubbed at injuries that did not exist on his body and complained, "That almost made me lose synchronization. To hell with the Leap of Faith. You nearly succeeded in murdering a Titan!"

"So what kind of world is this? Those creatures from before... I seem to have sensed a familiar flavor in their souls?"

"Then let's gather some intelligence first." Pulling up his hood as he stepped out of the alley, Vanidak said, "I'm becoming more and more interested in this world... hm-hm."

Tichondrius did not pay much attention to the report from his subordinate. While an incident involving a suspected pervert breaking into the female Nathrezim bathhouse was uncommon, he had a far more important task at hand and had little desire to concern himself with it. The reason was that the recently recovered First Lord, Trekzvis, had announced a major decision.

"My summoning did not fail. Among those stars, I saw a far greater future—a bright future that belongs to us Nathrezim."

"There is nothing wrong with our ritual. The only minor issue is that we lack a stable and powerful energy source."

After the First Lord declared that the summoning ritual would be restarted soon and ordered them to find a "reliable" energy source for it, this elite guard captain among the Nathrezim leadership was plunged into a headache.

The consequences of the previous failure were plain for all to see. Although the Nathrezim population had accumulated to a considerable number over countless years, that was only in relative terms.

As a powerful race favored by the universe, reproduction seemed to be a common weakness. The explosion caused by the previous failure had cost them nearly one-tenth of their people. Such a loss was undoubtedly enormous, yet this time, their First Lord clearly intended to attempt something even greater. Even the normally calm and steady Tichondrius found it deeply troubling.

"So where exactly am I supposed to find a bigger... energy source?" Tichondrius complained while leafing through documents in his chair. "This... this is simply impossible. In all these long years, there has never been anything suitable."

"And what if he... fails?"

Astrology Platform

At this moment, the First Astrologer Lothraxion was gazing at the starry sky overhead. He stared silently at an area he had observed countless times before.

"So, Lothraxion, do you have any good suggestions regarding the First Lord's task?"

Kathanatir, who had entered from outside, asked the astrologer as he walked over.

"Not for now, Second Lord. And I seem to have some doubts."

"Oh? About what?"

Pointing at an area on the star chart, Lothraxion said to Kathanatir, who was looking at him, "Here. This is where I observed it last time, but now, I cannot find it at all."

"It? What is it?" Kathanatir seemed somewhat confused.

"That purple star. If our esteemed First Lord intends to summon once more, what exactly does he plan to summon now that there is no target?"

Watching the teams constantly entering and leaving the palace gates, the hidden Vanidak seemed to be assessing something.

"Mm, they're all items with high-energy reactions. They've been transporting them back and forth for a long time now, so what exactly are these natives trying to do?" Unable to see through their intentions with his wisdom, Vanidak seemed to make up his mind. "Then I'll go in and take a look. Let's see what kind of trick they're playing."

As soon as he spoke, a white shadow flashed past. The guard at the entrance seemed to glimpse something floating by from the corner of his eye, but after looking closely, he found nothing. Muttering, "I must be too tired," he resumed his watch.

"No, you're not too tired. My speed is unmatched, mortal." After responding to the guard from the shadows, Vanidak followed the transport team all the way inside. During the process, he seemed to employ all sorts of infiltration "techniques" he had described: walking silently, hiding in grass to become invisible, using blind spots to observe from the shadows. One strange term after another spilled from his mouth.

Just as he was explaining that crouching past someone from the side would make them unable to see him, the transport team ahead finally reached its destination. Vanidak quickly found a place to hide. Ahead, someone who appeared to be a leader was speaking with someone who looked even more like a leader. Curious, Vanidak used a small magical trick he had learned from Norgannon to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"First Lord, these are all the usable energy sources from our Mage Tower. They are all here now."

"Well done, Detheroc. Your assistance will surely make this great endeavor a success."

"But, First Lord, I don't understand. The last accident caused us grievous losses. Why would you..."

"Enough, Detheroc. If you cannot understand, then you need only obey orders. Your companion Balnazzar does that much better than you. Now, leave."

"But, First Lord, you..."

"I said, leave. Now!"

"..."

"Your will be done."

Having watched the drama unfold with great interest, Vanidak was now intrigued by their conversation as well. Therefore, he decided to continue observing in secret and see what sort of "great undertaking" this interesting race—one that also felt strangely familiar to him—was planning.

Watching the First Lord slowly enter the great hall, Vanidak saw him suddenly stop in the center, sit on his knees, and assume a posture of prayer. Immediately afterward, dark purple energy bordering on black emerged around the hall. The appearance of that energy set alarm bells ringing in Vanidak's heart. He hurriedly wrapped himself in a layer of spatial isolation. Just after concealing himself, he heard the First Lord kneeling in the center slowly mutter in a strange voice.

"A creature has entered our world."

"A group of foolish brethren. That is no creature."

"And he has not escaped. He is right beside me."

"Yes, my master, my lord, our creator."

"I will not forget your guidance."

"Soon, you shall descend upon this place."

"And we..."

"Shall receive... our final salvation!"

"So this truly is quite a show, my old friend. My apologies, but this time... I have seen you." A faint whisper drifted from the shadows.