The light blue squares climbed over the black clock, quickly covering half of the clock chamber.
The places they passed through remained intact; the stone walls, gears, and ground were still there, but they seemed to have been divided into countless unconnected little squares. When Lin Yuan's spatial perception landed on them, he could only find an identical blank space.
"Let's leave the castle first," he said.
Mira stared at the widening crack. "And you?"
"It's still expanding. I'll seal this place off and then go out."
"You've already tried it."
"Then let's try another one."
Lin Yuan unfolded the Boundary-Severing Blade into a medium-sized sword, the blade falling along the edge of the light blue squares. He did not strike the crack directly, but instead attempted to sever its connection with the remnants of the moving core.
The black and silver blade sliced across the clock face.
The remaining magical connection at the core snapped instantly, but the pale blue crack did not shrink. Instead, it detached from the black bell and floated in mid-air like a thin sheet of paper standing upright.
There is no wall behind the crack.
The darkness, composed of countless points of light, slowly rotated, and a massive city wall loomed in the deepest part.
Mira suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Let's go together."
The moment the two stepped back, the crack moved forward an inch.
Lin Yuan stopped.
He stepped to the left, and the pale blue square shifted to the left as well. Then he stepped to the right, and the crack crossed the black bell wreckage, stopping again directly in front of him.
It did not expand within an ancient castle.
It was chasing him.
Mira, let go.
You're dreaming.
"Its target is me."
"That's why I can't let my guard down."
The crack suddenly widened.
A tremendous suction force erupted from the darkness, sending gears and metal fragments flying. The moment they touched the pale blue squares, they were shattered into countless points of light and disappeared behind the door.
Lin Yuan planted the Boundary-Severing Blade into the ground to stabilize himself, while Mira unfurled her demonic wings. However, the force did not pull the walls and stone pillars apart; all the pressure was concentrated on Lin Yuan.
The Boundary-Severing Blade, embedded in the ground, was gradually dragged into cracks.
Mira gripped his wrists with both hands, and the stone slabs beneath their feet shattered one after another.
"Everyone outside!" Lin Yuan shouted, "Get out of the desolate valley!"
Hurried footsteps sounded outside the clock tower. Several investigators wanted to return to help, but were forced to retreat by the pale blue light emanating from the castle.
The crack has widened enough to engulf the entire black bell.
Lin Yuan reactivated the Space Lockdown.
Black and silver patterns covered the ground, fixing the coordinates of the clock chamber, the castle, and the desolate valley. Flying metal fragments hovered in mid-air, and the door leading to the outside world was firmly locked.
Only the pale blue cracks are still moving.
It doesn't need to borrow the distance of this world.
Lin Yuan could block the location of the door, but he couldn't reach the coordinates on the other side of the door.
A stronger suction force pulls you down.
The Boundary-Severing Blade detached completely from the ground, dragging Lin Yuan towards the crack. Mira gritted her teeth, her demonic fingers digging deeply into his wrist, pulling him forward as well.
The ground behind her was covered with light blue squares.
If this continues, she will also get involved.
Lin Yuan raised his other hand.
"Don't do anything rash!" Mira immediately realized what was happening.
Black silver magic flashed between the two.
Lin Yuan released the Space Lockdown for only a moment, folding the distance between Mira and the corridor outside the clock tower. Mira's fingers were still on his wrist, but her body had already appeared more than ten meters away.
The sudden increase in distance forced her to let go.
" Lin Yuan!"
The Space Lockdown closed again, securing Mira outside the area affected by the expanding rift.
She swung her fist at the black and silver barrier in front of her. The first punch caused the patterns to vibrate, and the second punch had already created small cracks.
Lin Yuan knew that this blockade wouldn't hold her off for long.
But the crack didn't give him any more time.
Pale blue squares wrapped around his legs, simultaneously dismantling his clothes, skin, and magic into countless points of light. There was no pain, only the weightless sensation of the entire world rapidly receding into the distance.
Mira's third punch pierced the barrier.
She spread her wings and rushed into the clock chamber, her outstretched hand less than half a meter away from Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan also extended his hand to her.
Just as their fingertips were about to touch, the final half-meter was sliced apart by countless pale blue squares. His palm began to become transparent, and the fairy emblem on his chest was exceptionally clear amidst the points of light.
"Wait for me to come back--"
The sound was half swallowed by the crack.
Lin Yuan looked at the face so close to his own, and still finished the second half of his sentence.
"Let's decide the winner again."
Mira didn't have time to answer.
The pale blue light suddenly contracted, and Lin Yuan disappeared along with the crack. Only the black bell, cut in half, and her hand, still suspended in mid-air, remained in the bell chamber.
The next moment, Lin Yuan fell heavily from the height.
The hard stone slab struck his back, and he rolled over to dissipate the impact, his palms instinctively pressing against the ground. There was no moving castle or desolate valley around him, only the wide streets of an unfamiliar city.
The pointed-roof buildings stretched along the road, and a large number of people in light armor and carrying weapons passed by him. Some stopped to glance at him, but continued on their way as if they were used to seeing strange players.
Lin Yuan stood up and found that his clothes had been replaced with a gray short-sleeved shirt and leather protective gear, and a standard one-handed sword was now at his waist.
He raised his right hand.
The immense magical power still existed, but it seemed to be separated by countless transparent squares. Only a few black and silver light points condensed at the fingertips before being forcibly dispersed by some invisible rule.
A translucent panel of light suddenly unfolded before my eyes.
The unfamiliar text automatically transformed into a meaning he could understand.
Date: November 6, 2022.
Location: First floor of Aincrad, the Town of Beginnings.
Lin Yuan looked up.
There is no real sky above the city. High above, a vast, boundless black landmass obscures the heavens.
That city floating at the edge of darkness is called Sword Art Online.