Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 76: A Rift Between Worlds

The window was wide open.

Bel stood still, the night wind brushing against his face. The city below was quiet, lights flickering dimly in the distance.

Behind him, the bed was stuffed, a mound of clothes and a pillow shaped carefully beneath the blanket, giving the perfect illusion of a sleeping patient.

"Alright," he muttered, cracking his fingers softly. "Let’s go."

Without a sound, he leapt onto the windowsill, then into the dark.

[Aura Suppression: Active.]

He moved like a shadow.

Running along rooftops, leaping from wall to wall, gliding silently over the narrow alleys. Not a single step echoed.

Not a single movement gave him away.

His perception scanned every street and window, searching for eyes, for movement, for the slightest sign that someone was following him, and to find the most optimal path to not be seen.

Nothing.

He reached the edge of the city in minutes, crouched atop the final rooftop, staring at the wide stretch of wall ahead.

"Good," he whispered. "Everything is fine till now."

He jumped, his foot hitting the edge of the wall midair to propel himself even farther away.

Then he flipped and landed silently in the tall grass beyond, breaking into an explosive sprint.

The ground blurred beneath his feet. Trees zipped past as he tore through the wild like a missile, his senses flaring out around him like invisible radar.

He didn’t stop until the city was far behind and nothing but wilderness surrounded him.

He slowed down, letting his perception stretch. Beasts. Some nearby, predators, but nothing dangerous. More importantly: no humans.

He considered flaring his pressure to scare them all off.

But then paused.

"No... that’s overkill. If someone passes by and feels it, they might come investigate."

He shook his head, then stepped between two trees and opened his [STORAGE].

Inside, at the top-left corner, glowed the object he sought.

[Void Gate Key - Category D][Rarity: Rare+][Function: Allows user to generate a dungeon gate of Category D. The user must imagine a door and insert the key virtually to initiate dungeon access. Usable once.]

He reached in, and the key slipped easily into his hand, cold, smooth, pulsing gently, and most important, real.

Then, he turned toward a tree. It was easier to imagine a door on a solid object than thin air.

"Alright... let’s see how this works."

He pictured a door. Old wood, iron handle, arched top. Then he reached forward, lifting the key...

Click.

His eyes opened.

He felt it!

There was something, a lock.

His hand trembled slightly, then he slowly turned the key.

A hum began. A low buzz that made the air ripple.

Energy flowed around the key, swirling faster and brighter with every second.

As the turn completed, the key glowed white, then dissolved into shimmering particles.

Bel took a step back.

The energy swirled, pulling in the wind and leaves, forming a vortex of violet light that crackled and bent the air.

Then, it opened.

A purple rift, oval and glowing. A dungeon gate from the system.

Bel stared at it in awe. His breath caught. Slowly, a nervous smile crept across his lips.

"This... is amazing."

The world beyond the portal was another masterpiece of creation.

A wide valley stretched before him, but it wasn’t just a normal land. It floated.

Chunks of rock, some the size of houses, drifted slowly through the sky. Lush grass grew along the tops, while waterfalls spilled into the void and vanished.

Glowing trees sparkled with what should be energy. Purple mist coiled between the floating islands.

Bel stepped forward carefully, his boots pressing against a floating stone path.

He looked around in quiet awe.

"So this... is a dungeon."

His eyes moved to the sky. Stars glimmered above, but the sky was cracked, like pieces of glass barely holding together.

He took a long breath, then narrowed his eyes, thinking about the size of the dungeon’s entrance.

"If I opened this thing in the capital... it would’ve been a disaster. The rift alone too massive."

He smiled nervously, rubbing his temple.

"I really need to fight this gluttony in me."

Then—

A presence.

He flinched, his eyes snapping upward.

More presences.

Above, something crackled. The air flashed, several noises could be heard.

And then he saw them. freewёbnoνel.com

Shapes began to emerge from the floating islands.

Creatures, some gliding on wings, others crawling along the undersides of floating rocks.

A few slithered midair, suspended by static energy. They glowed with arcs of lightning, sparks trailing behind their claws and fangs.

One had spider legs and a crown of antennae that buzzed like thunder. Another was wolf-like, but its body was covered in storm clouds. A bird with glass wings dove silently through the sky, followed by a blur of serpentine creatures weaving through the clouds.

Bel took a slow step back.

The entire sky above was filled with movement.

A whole army of beasts.

He wiped the side of his mouth with his fingers.

"Right... I forgot the most interesting part of a dungeon."

His grin returned.

"The exp."

The monsters gathered.

One by one, then in droves. Crawling, flapping, slithering, stomping.

They floated above, circling like birds of prey. Thunder rumbled across the strange sky.

Then, they cried out. First, just one scream, then hundreds.

A full symphony of howls and shrieks and monstrous screeches that echoed through the floating valley.

Bel stretched his arms slowly, rolling his shoulders.

"Bring it on."

The sky darkened as all the monsters rushed forward at once.

Claws, talons, fangs, wings. Lightning flashing from their bodies as they dove.

Bel’s eyes flashed blue.

[Eternal Ice.]

In a blink, everything froze.

A wave of frost burst from beneath him, expanding outward like a shockwave. It raced through the air, engulfing the oncoming beasts.

They screeched, but it was too late.

One by one, they were caught mid-flight, locked in crystal-clear ice, frozen where they soared.

The valley shimmered with new, jagged sculptures of monsters, frozen in terror.

Some of the beasts swerved, narrowly escaping.

Bel broke through the surface of the ice, his body suddenly engulfed in roaring flames.

[Abyssal Fire.]

A surge of blue fire exploded outward from his body, tearing through the silence, moving like a storm.

The flames danced like a living beast, swirling into a giant tornado of sapphire light. It devoured the frozen valley in a heartbeat.

The remaining monsters burned to nothing.

From atop the growing mound of ice, Bel stood, flames licking at his arms.

Around him, the world glowed blue and white. The fire danced wildly, alive.

More monsters appeared in the distance, with various forms and size. Growling.

Bel smiled.

He remembered Vezalia’s words.

"You weren’t wrong," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "I don’t feel obligated."

The blue flames coiled around his fists.

"I just love this feeling."

He clenched his hand, and the blue fire exploded.

Meanwhile in the city, the streets were quiet at this hour.

Crest walked alone, his hands buried in his pockets, his thoughts too heavy for the silence around him.

He hadn’t seen Dusteria since their argument.

At first, he thought he could just ignore it, he wanted some distance to focus on his objectivs after all, but now the distance between them felt too wide.

"Should I say something?" he muttered to himself. "Maybe after the raid tomorrow... yeah. After that."

Bel had been out for days, and honestly, it made the party dynamic feel better. Like they could breathe. They had their own rhythm without him before.

"If tomorrow goes well," Crest thought, "maybe we won’t need him anymore. Maybe everyone will agree. We can go back to being a real team."

And if that happened... maybe he could fix things with Dusteria. Maybe they’d laugh again like they used to. He wanted that. Needed it.

But then... Sienna’s words kept troubling his mind. They had decided to stay for something else.

He frowned.

"She didn’t mean Bel, right? That’s insane. There’s no way..." he muttered.

But then he remembered the way Dusteria looked at Bel recently.

Her words about moving on. Her sudden change in mood.

He flinched.

"Move on... how?"

His pace slowed, his mind spinning.

"No... there’s no way they could be interested in him. Dusteria and Bel used to argue all the time. Dusteria hated him. Right?"

Crest was too caught up in his thoughts to notice the figure standing still near the edge of the narrow stone path, watching the river flow quietly below.

His shoulder slammed hard into the individual.

"Aah!" a girl yelped as she stumbled forward.

Her heel slipped off the edge of the path, landing her right into a shallow pool of water with a loud splash.

Crest froze.

"Wha—?! Oh no! Are you okay?!" he rushed forward.

The girl sat up with soaked legs, water dripping from her jacket and boots, her red hair sticking to her cheeks.

But before Crest could offer a hand, she slapped it away with an impressive force.

"You absolute idiot! What kind of moron walks around like that? I was literally standing still! Are you blind or something?!"

Her eyes were sharp, her voice raw with anger. Her hair clung to her face, and her fists trembled as she stood.

Crest stepped back, hands up.

"I—I’m really sorry! I wasn’t looking, I swear!"

"You weren’t looking?! Oh, congratulations, genius! Want a prize for having the observation skills of a blind mole?!"

She stomped toward him, the soaked ends of her pants squishing with each step.

"What, too busy thinking about your next fashion disaster? Or just fantasizing about how to ruin someone else’s day?!"

Crest winced.

"No, I really didn’t mean to, I just—"

"SHUT UP!"

She grabbed him by the collar, yanking him forward with surprising strength for someone with gentle proportion.

She pulled her fist back, clearly ready to throw him in the water in the water, but then she froze.

Her eyes flicked downward. Her scowl wavered as she spotted the stitched insignia on his chest, the silver and crimson crest of New Horizons.

She blinked, still gripping his collar, but her anger paused.

"Wait a sec... you’re... You’re one of them. New Horizons."

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