Ti in this place seed to fall into eternity, as if it had lost all aning. Thea was like a traveler sinking into a quagmire, clinging to the giant dragon's neck while watching it perform death-defying aerial maneuvers.
Deadman, who had been shouting nonstop earlier, was now completely unable to speak. Only the dragon continued charging toward the end of the passage, as if gleefully running wild.
Thea felt certain the creature was taking revenge on her for frightening it with the holy sword. Otherwise, with a passage a hundred ters wide, was there really any need to spiral forward like this?
At this point, there was nothing she could do but hope the path would end sooner rather than later.
After enduring who knew how long, her heroic-spirit form sensed itself passing through a resilient barrier. The fiery red corridor was instantly replaced by a dazzling golden light.
"Finally here!" Although Miss Thea no longer had a physical body, she still took two deep breaths. This journey had truly been exhausting.
"I'll send you this far. I hope you enjoy your ti here." The dragon's tone was casual, but the smug way its two heads and four eyes rolled made it obvious how pleased it was with itself.
With that, it turned and flew off in the opposite direction.
Only after the dragon left did Thea have ti to examine the space. As far as her vision reached, there were at least tens of thousands of kiloters of land. One could easily imagine the terrifying power of those who had originally carved out this place.
Now, however, the entire region was covered in mountain ranges and dense vegetation. Through gaps in the canopy, traces of ancient architecture could be seen scattered throughout.
The departure of many supre existences had given this small world a chance to breathe. Without beings constantly siphoning off the world's origin every mont, the descendants they left behind lived relatively well.
That said, this realm had been forcibly created in the first place. Without those powerful beings to guard it, the backlash of the world's own consciousness continued to push these remnants back step by step.
Wherever Thea looked, signs of civilization could only be found in a valley about a mile to the west.
In this world ford entirely from ntal power, that place resembled a paradise. The brilliant radiance there was dazzling even to Thea's eyes.
What one breathed here was not oxygen, but color. What one perceived was not sound through ears, but resonance through the soul.
A very comfortable place. Thea stretched slightly. Not only did she feel at ease, but the holy sword within her also transmitted waves of joyful feedback.
The energy distribution in this ntal world was remarkably uniform. Cultivation efficiency was the sa everywhere. Thea had no intention of interacting with the remnants here; she had not forgotten her purpose. Sitting cross-legged, she began ditating using a thod recorded in Sargon's mories.
"Boss… you?" Deadman, whose ntal power was far inferior to Thea's, finally recovered at this point. Seeing her sit down to ditate, he was completely confused. What about ? Am I done here? Can I leave now?
"Boston Brand, welco ho." A blue-skinned old man suddenly appeared to the left of them. Thea's eyebrows twitched slightly. Sensing no hostility, she gathered her thoughts and continued focusing inward.
The old man behaved as if Thea were not even there, speaking only to Deadman.
"I've seen you before—in my dreams!" Deadman, who had been dragged here as a "door key," finally recalled sothing. He stared at the old man in surprise.
"When you were five years old, you were beaten by parents who loved alcohol more than they loved you. You prayed for soone to take you away from that ho. It was we who heard your call back then. Your mories may have forgotten this place, but your heart has not. Co, my friend—I'll show you around."
The blue-skinned old man extended a hand kindly. Thea gave a small nod, and only then did Deadman follow the old man toward the other side.
Once they were gone, Thea devoted her full attention to herself. She was no stranger to ntal power training.
Whether it was learning from Lady Shiva during her days as a martial artist, studying on her own after obtaining Constantine's spellbook, or more recently drawing from Sargon's mories and Morgan le Fay's spell tablets, Thea had long since developed a cultivation thod uniquely suited to herself.
ntal power differed from magical power. It sounded mysterious, but in truth, all intelligent beings possessed it—only in differing amounts. Most living beings were shackled by their physical bodies, with their ntal power suppressed by the endless signals processed by the brain.
What one sees, hears, and thinks fills the mind to capacity. Aside from a rare few with exceptional talent, most people live their entire lives without ever tapping into this potential.
Mages realized early on the supportive role ntal power played in magic. Physical attacks were the strength of the body; ntal attacks belonged solely to the soul. ntal power, magic power, and the soul were seen as three interdependent components—none could be missing.
When a mage's internal energy reached a certain peak, the soul would leave the body, carrying all its essence toward a higher form of existence. Whether this ant ascending to a higher dinsion, Thea could not say. However, the "rainbow transformation" described in many religious texts bore a strong resemblance to this process.
This legendary realm, though not godhood, surpassed it in so respects. Thea gave it little thought; such heights were far beyond her current reach. Her only goal was to strengthen her ntal power, rge her clones, and return to her true self.
The fusion of two souls had already granted her a natural advantage in ntal power. Now, within this ntal realm—and with the holy sword occasionally feeding her energy—her cultivation speed was more than a hundred tis faster than in the outside world.
There was no sunrise or moonset here, no passage of ti. Thea sat unmoving for what felt like an eternity. During this period, Deadman finished his tour. Seeing her still imrsed in cultivation, he did not disturb her and left the realm through another exit.
After an unknown span of ti, free from the constraints of a physical body, Thea's ntal power accumulated rapidly. What had once been a trickling stream had beco a clear, tranquil lake.
When she attempted to complete part of the fusion, the holy sword stopped her. It was not yet ti.
She continued to accumulate power. As her ntal strength grew, the entire realm responded. The ground trembled, and mist-like radiance rippled across the sky. Yet aside from the blue-skinned old man glancing over from afar, none of the remnants paid any attention.
For them, ti held no aning. Neither did survival. Life and death alike failed to stir even a hint of emotion.
When Thea's ntal power broke through a certain threshold, another portion of the holy sword's abilities unlocked. Using this realm's unique environnt and the sword's emotional resonance as a conduit, she could now hear the appeals of countless lives.
As the chosen one of the Moon Goddess, Thea already possessed the ability to hear others recite her na at night—and the seven words spoken afterward. The ability sounded impressive, but in practice, it had caused her no small amount of trouble.
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