Chapter 1057: Vanishing Act
...
'So, this is what it looks like inside the pocket dimension. It mentioned a small pocket of isolated space, so I wasn't expecting much, but... It considers something like this small?'
At the moment, Izroth was standing at the edge of a small lake with a flowing waterfall nearby.
As Izroth observed his surroundings, the sight of a vibrant landscape entered his eyes.
The area around the lake was covered in lush greenery and filled with simple yet elegant plant life. There were a few trees scattered about with a size roughly equivalent to the average man. These trees had empty branches with no leaves and a unique appearance to their trunks that mirrored a twisting band; however, there was still a strong force of life emanating from them.
In the great distance was a mountain range shrouded by a veil of mist. However, it did not seem possible to travel that far as a visible barrier encircled the area. And, besides the mountain range, nothing else was visible on the other side of the barrier—like a vast darkness.
The land in this isolated pocket of space was filled with untainted natural worldly essence. And, if it were located in the Mortal Realm, it would have been a location that countless powers fought over for exclusive control.
Needless to say, it was a stark contrast to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the Night Lord's Crypt. Of course, that was because Izroth was no longer within the Night Lord's Crypt. At least, not technically.
After he jumped into the spatial vortex, Izroth activated the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone—an SS-ranked magic item he received from a quest he completed back in the Secret Realm.
The Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone opened up a special isolated pocket of space that maintained ideal conditions for cultivating plants and special minerals. That being said, Izroth did not suddenly decide to start raising plants in the depths of the Night Lord's Crypt.
Instead, he used the construction of the magic item's isolated pocket of space to disrupt the vortex and "overwrite" its influence over the area it occupied.
However, Izroth had to time it precisely. For one, he still had to be cautious of the existence on the other side of the spatial rift that linked the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm. If he had made a mistake, he would have only ended up providing the creature with a new window of opportunity.
That's why Izroth had to ensure that, first and foremost, the spatial rift would not survive the devouring effects of the vortex.
'There are no signs of the vortex or the spatial rift here. It must have gone just as I predicted... Well, almost as predicted.'
"Woah, what is this place?" Guan Yu's voice sounded from behind Izroth.
"I don't know, but it'd make for a great vacation spot." Halls commented.
"Vacation spot? Hmm, now that you mention it... Yeah, I can totally see that. It's like the picture on one of those traveling brochures. Though I prefer vacations that provide a bit more of a challenge. You know, like one of those special training retreats where you're pushed to your limits." Guan Yu said with a grin.
"Brother, you... Do you have any normal hobbies?" Halls sighed as he shook his head.
"I tried pottery once. It's unfortunate, but I was forced to abandon that path against my will." Guan Yu replied casually.
"Pottery? I can't really picture you sitting still long enough to make anything decent. Also, what do you mean you were forced to abandon it? Heh, you probably got banned from that place after you created a monstrosity or something." Halls teased.
"..." Guan Yu's body shook as he fell silent.
"Hey, don't tell me you actually got banned for real." Halls stated as his brows rose in surprise.
"Those people just didn't know how to appreciate a good work of art—a masterpiece!" Guan Yu said as he quickly jumped to his own defense.
"Pffft...! Bwahahaha! Brother, what the heck did you even make?! Hahahaha! A masterpiece? More like a piece of sh-"
"You two—didn't I say not to follow after me?" Izroth said as he cut off Halls and turned to face the two.
'If I reacted a step slower, who knows where these two would have ended up being displaced? Fortunately, they're both pretty sturdy, and the shadahi received the brunt of the crushing force.'
The vortex that appeared was not some kind of portal that led to another place. It was more akin to a great force of destruction that crushed things under the immense pressure it exuded.
Even incredibly sturdy creatures like the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers were unable to survive. That is why, even though he was confident in the durable nature of his physique, Izroth made sure not to underestimate the vortex.
"That's not right, brother. You didn't mention our names when you said not to follow after you." Halls commented with a grin that contained no remorse whatsoever.
"That's right, that's right! Since you left us out of it, we couldn't just sit back and let you have all the fun- I mean, face all the danger by yourself!" Guan Yu chimed in.
Izroth could only inwardly shake his head at their defense. However, they were technically not wrong.
Not to mention, although Halls' and Guan Yu's actions were reckless, a part of Izroth was touched by their unwavering reaction. They were not afraid to throw themselves into the mouth of unknown dangers for his sake. It further confirmed for Izroth that he did not make a mistake in accepting these two as brothers.
"Alright, I'll accept your reasons this time. Right now, we have more important matters to tend to." Izroth said as he removed a small object from his inventory.
"Any idea how we ended up here? No, I guess the better question is, is there even any way out of here without that vortex?" Halls questioned curiously.
"Ah, now that you mention it, I don't see that portal thing or anything that looks like an exit anywhere." Guan Yu stated with a frown.