Chapter 381 — Brakk's Plan, Lya's Orb, and the Arrival of Chaos
Brakk suddenly opened his eyes.
— Oh no… I'm screwed.
Mister Mind was about to break the spiritual link that had allowed Valentine's attack to reach him.
— Don't do that! shouted Brakk. I've got a plan.
A smile spread across his face.
Mister Mind stared at him.
— You know very well that if I don't erase this link, the hunters will use it to track us.
Brakk shrugged.
— Let them.
Silence.
Mister Mind looked at him for a long time… then placed his hand on his face with a smile.
— Oh… that's interesting.
Bloodweaver narrowed his eyes.
— What did you see in his thoughts?
— You'll see for yourself.
Haya, arms crossed, sighed.
— Fine. I'll watch whatever you're scheming. If it's another stupid plan, I'll let you die.
— Nice team spirit, muttered Brakk.
---
**Hunters' side**
Lya turned to the rank B members.
— You stay here.
She pointed at Evans, Nova, Valor, and Ryn.
— The five of us will deal with the assassins.
Valentine hesitated.
— But… how will you locate them?
Lya placed a finger on her forehead.
— Don't worry.
A third eye slowly opened.
Total silence.
Nova blinked.
— …Okay. I'll stop complaining about my abilities.
Lya closed her eyes for a moment.
— I've found them.
They're… in the desert.
---
**Moments later**
Lya appeared in the sky, floating in the air.
Below, Haya looked up.
— Ah… they're—
The ground exploded.
A monster surged out, charging straight at Brakk.
— Seriously?! Even monsters target me now?! protested Brakk.
A lightning bolt tore through the air.
BOOM.
Evans' foot crushed the creature into the ground.
He turned to Brakk.
— Don't worry. I'm here.
Brakk grinned widely.
— Thanks…
Poor fool, he thought. He doesn't even know I'm with the assassins.
I love when heroes show up at the right time, he thought. It's convenient.
Evans vanished in a flash.
The next instant, he appeared before Haya and struck.
A massive shockwave shook the desert.
But Haya blocked the blow with her dagger.
Evans smiled. Electricity crackled around him.
He stepped back, surrounded by lightning, almost disappearing.
— You're the one who attacked my teammate…
Haya: That's right. Any problem?
— You'll pay for what you did.
Haya tilted her head.
— We'll see, battery boy.
— I hope you're tough. Because I'm in a bad mood.
---
**In the sky**
Lya extended a finger.
A small orb appeared.
Then it grew.
And grew.
And grew even more.
Nova looked up.
— …You're not going to launch that here, are you? It's risky!
Lya raised her hand.
The orb slowly rotated above her palm.
Valor crossed his arms.
— Don't worry. The great Valor will limit the damage.
— You say that every time, grumbled Nova.
— And every time I'm right.
— Half the northern continent disappeared last time.
— Technical detail.
Lya fixed her gaze on Mister Mind… then hurled the orb.
The attack devoured everything in its path.
Space.
Time.
Distance.
Even the laws themselves seemed to twist, as if the world recoiled to avoid being touched.
Valor trapped Mister Mind and the attack within multiple layers of dimensional barriers.
— One layer… two layers… three layers…
Okay, that should be enough…
— "Should be"?! shouted Nova.
Mister Mind watched the attack approach.
— Oh no… this doesn't look good.
BOOM.
The barriers shattered.
Valor stacked more.
— Wait, I'll add more!
It's like wrapping a gift… except the gift wants to blow up the world.
---
**After the impact**
The light faded.
Mister Mind reappeared beside Bloodweaver.
His face was bloodied.
His skin burned in places.
Part of his torso torn away, exposing dark fibers reforming.
His right arm dangled for a few seconds… before snapping back into place with a sinister crack.
His skin bore black marks, as if reality itself had burned him from within.
— …That was close, he murmured.
Bloodweaver exhaled.
— "Close"?! You almost vanished!
Mister Mind tapped his temple… then smiled.
— You only managed to eliminate souls that never asked for this… hahahaha.
His body began to regenerate.
Flesh closed.
Blood flowed back into his veins.
His wounds and cracks slowly disappeared.
---
Lya descended slowly.
Her pants fluttered in the wind.
She landed before Mister Mind.
Cold gaze.
— This time… you won't escape.
— Escape? I wasn't planning to.
Then…
Two immense auras appeared.
A crushing pressure filled the air.
A fissure opened.
Zahkariel appeared.
Followed by the Frost Dragon.
Brakk started clapping.
— Hahahaha… everything is going according to plan!
Nova looked around.
— …Okay. I think we're officially at apocalypse level.
Valor sighed.
— No. This is "final boss meeting" level.
Evans cracked his neck.
— Perfect. I was just in the mood to let off steam.
Haya smiled.
— Now… this is getting interesting.
Zahkariel observed the scene… then said calmly:
— Well… who's starting?
Because I've been waiting all day.
Chapter 382 — Bread, the Jinn, and a Planet Gone Mad
Ryn watched Zahkariel and Elvis floating calmly in the air.
Elvis' presence was so overwhelming that even time itself seemed to hesitate.
The air vibrated.
As if the universe was holding its breath before him.
Zahkariel, meanwhile, looked at Brakk with an amused smile.
Lya observed the two newcomers, her gaze hard.
Ryn narrowed his eyes.
— Wait… but… isn't that the jinn Ethan mentioned the other time?
Evans, however, was staring at Elvis.
— Him… the guy with white hair…
Haven't we met before?
He snapped his fingers.
— AH! The bakery!
You're the one who had the baguette!
Silence.
Even Zahkariel slowly turned his head toward Elvis.
— …What were you doing there?
Elvis shrugged.
— I just wanted some bread.
Then he sighed.
— But I didn't expect to see so many changes in the mortal realm.
He looked at the sky, the stars, then the planet.
— Earth has evolved.
It's become extremely resilient… but more importantly, it's changed scale.
The hunters frowned.
Elvis continued, more seriously:
— Before, it was an ordinary planet in an ordinary universe.
But now… it functions like a dimensional core.
He raised a finger.
— Its physical size has increased, yes. But more importantly, its structure has expanded across multiple layers of reality.
Basically… Earth has become as vast as an entire universe if you count all its overlapping dimensions.
Nova blinked.
— So… the planet is bigger than the universe?
— No, corrected Elvis.
The universe adapted too.
He went on:
— The stars, the planets, the systems… everything expanded accordingly.
It's as if reality "unlocked" a higher level.
Everything is larger, stronger, harder to destroy.
He looked around.
— Before, a battle like this would have cracked the planet.
Now… you really have to try if you want to break something.
Nova crossed his arms.
— Ah.
Well… the situation just officially got more tense.
— Thanks, I hadn't noticed, replied Valor.
The next instant, Zahkariel vanished.
Then reappeared right beside Brakk.
He placed a hand on his shoulder as if they were at a party among friends.
— So… how do I look?
He spun slightly.
— My appearance… I'm handsome, right?
Brakk looked him up and down.
— Honestly?
You haven't changed much… except the muscles.
Zahkariel flashed a proud smile.
— See!
That's thanks to the lizard over there.
He pointed at Elvis with his thumb.
— He gave me this overpowered body.
Now I don't need you as a vessel anymore.
Then he tilted his head toward him.
— But since you're my thing… I can't just leave you like that.
Elvis frowned.
— Who are you calling lizard?
Zahkariel chuckled.
— Anyway, I'm not the suicidal one who said he wanted to seduce chaos.
Brakk's eyes widened.
— …You really said that?
Elvis crossed his arms.
— I still think it was a good idea.
— You've got guts… muttered Brakk.
Elvis rolled his eyes.
— As if he wasn't already a huge hothead…
He pointed at Zahkariel.
— But you're downright suicidal.
Zahkariel shrugged.
— You only live once.
— You've lived too many times, replied Elvis.
Meanwhile, Nova whispered to Lya:
— Tell me we have a plan.
Lya answered calmly:
— Yes.
— Great.
— The plan is not to die.
Nova stayed silent.
— …That's a simple plan.
— Simple plans work better.
— Yeah, except when they don't.
Evans cracked his fingers.
Lightning already danced around his body.
— Well… I've got a question.
He looked at Zahkariel.
— Did you come to talk… or to settle this right now?
Zahkariel smiled slowly.
— Why not both?
The wind stopped.
The sand rose.
And for a second…
Even the world seemed to wait.
Chapter 383 — Geography Has Decided to Go Mad
As Evans, his body surrounded by electricity, was about to leap at Zahkariel…
Ryn raised her hand.
— Wait.
Everyone looked at her.
— Don't tell me I'm the only one who didn't understand a thing.
Nova immediately raised his hand.
— Trust me, you're not the only one.
Haya, arms crossed, gave Nova a bored look.
Bloodweaver added:
— We fight after we understand.
They all turned their heads toward Elvis.
Elvis sighed.
A long sigh.
The sigh of an ancient being already regretting opening his mouth.
Then he resumed with surgical precision:
— Listen carefully, because spatial geography just got a massive upgrade. Earth is no longer a simple rock. Its internal structure has unfolded: it now has the size and complexity of an entire Universe. To walk from one continent to another, you'd have to cross galaxies of distance inside Earth's own atmosphere.
He pointed at the darkened sky:
— Consequently, the Solar System, which must contain this "Earth-Universe" and its neighbors, is no longer a simple galaxy… it has become a Super-Cluster of Multiverses. Each planet in the system is now an independent universe, and the Sun has become the energy core that maintains the cohesion of this local Multiverse.
Zahkariel frowned.
For the first time, he looked genuinely thoughtful.
— Wait… so if Earth is a Universe, and the Solar System is a Multiverse… what does that make the global Universe?
Elvis gave a nervous laugh.
— The global Universe? It's become an Omniversality. A structure so vast it contains billions of Multiverses like ours. We're no longer talking kilometers, or even light-years. We're talking layers of reality stacked together. Basically, the garden just became an infinite forest, and we're still arguing over who stole the rake.
Nova stared at him, pale.
— So… if I want to go to Mars, I literally change Universes?
Elvis nodded.
— Exactly. Get your dimensional passport ready. And Zahkariel… with those new muscles, try not to sneeze too hard, you might erase a galaxy or two from Earth's crust.
The narrator chimed in:
— Even I didn't understand.
Silence.
Everyone stared at Elvis again.
Like: explain again.
Like: with drawings, if possible.
Elvis crossed his arms, irritation flashing in his eyes.
— Fine, listen carefully because spatial geometry just hit a wall. If Earth mutated to reach the size of a Universe, you can imagine the "Solar System" can't just be eight planets orbiting a ball of fire anymore.
He traced a massive circle in the void.
— What we still call the Solar System out of habit has become an Omniversal Super-Structure. Imagine a vast fabric of reality containing multiple Universes. Each planet — Mars, Jupiter, Venus — is now its own independent Universe. The Sun? It's no longer a star, it's the Heart of the Local Multiverse. It's so massive and powerful it maintains balance between all these universe-planets.
Zahkariel admired his bicep, completely unfazed.
— Wait, so if I jump too high, I change Universes?
That's convenient for avoiding exes.
Elvis deliberately ignored the remark.
— And the global Universe, the one containing all this? It underwent metaphysical inflation. It became an Infinite Existence. We're no longer talking galaxies or nebulae, but stacked layers of reality. Earth has become so dense and vast that to fetch bread at the end of the street, you technically cross distances that once took billions of light-years.
Nova rubbed his temples.
— So Earth is a Universe, the Solar System is a cluster of Universes…
and we're in the middle of all this, talking about muscles and bakeries?
Elvis shrugged.
— Exactly. We're microbes in an ocean that just became an ocean of oceans. Earth is ultra-resistant now because it has the mass of an entire Universe compressed into its new form. A punch from Zahkariel wouldn't even shake a mountain anymore, because every grain of sand has the resistance of a former star.
Brakk looked at Zahkariel.
— Ah… so your new muscles are just the bare minimum to lift a fork in this new world?
Zahkariel lost his smile.
— Hey! The lizard said I was overpowered, not an intergalactic pizza delivery guy!
Elvis slowly turned his head toward him.
— And you… stop calling me lizard.
Zahkariel crossed his arms.
— And you're lying, lizard 🦎
Silence.
Nova murmured:
— We're really going to die while they argue about zoology…
Ryn sighed.
— Honestly… I preferred when the problem was just monsters.
Evans cracked his fingers, electricity sparking around him again.
— Well… now that the planet's become a cosmic layer cake…
can we fight?
The wind began to blow again.
And this time…
No one asked for an explanation.
Chapter 385 — Lightning, Contracts, and Theories Way Too Smart
Evans leapt.
Not just fast.
He literally split space, leaving behind a trail of lightning tearing reality apart.
In a fraction of a second, he was in front of Zahkariel.
His blade carved a blazing arc.
The impact triggered a blast of energy that shook the entire desert.
Zahkariel blocked.
In his hand appeared a blade of forgotten words, forged from dead oaths and words banned from the world.
The clash made the air vibrate.
Evans, his body coursed through by lightning, smiled.
— Finally, someone who lasts more than two seconds.
Zahkariel raised an eyebrow.
— You talk a lot for someone already sweating.
He raised his hand.
A storm of torn contracts exploded around him.
Fragments of pacts, broken promises, dead clauses whirled like a spectral hurricane.
Evans was sucked inside.
His body vanished for an instant in the spiral.
Then—
BOOM.
A surge of electrical energy blasted the attack from within.
Evans reappeared, still standing, his smile even wider.
— That's it?
Suddenly, thousands of shapeless masses made of burned contracts lunged at him, screaming without voices.
Evans raised his hand.
Lightning gathered.
Compressed.
Then became a pure projectile, shining like a star.
— Spear of Zeus.
He hurled it.
The attack ripped through space, split reality in a luminous streak, vaporizing everything in its path.
The creatures were erased.
A massive hole opened in space-time.
The desert trembled.
The sky seemed to twist.
Evans extended his hand.
The spear spun back toward him.
He kicked it away.
— Return to sender.
The spear shot toward Zahkariel.
Explosion.
Gigantic.
Sand was blown away to the horizon.
When the dust settled…
Zahkariel was still there.
He calmly brushed the dust from his jacket.
— I admit, that stung a little.
Evans chuckled.
— You tanked it… it would've been easy for you to die like that.
— Sorry to disappoint, replied Zahkariel. I signed up for a long career.
---
**Meanwhile…**
Mister Mind crossed his arms.
— According to your words, Elvis… just to buy bread, we'd cross distances that would've taken billions of light-years.
Lya nodded.
— So for normal humans, how does that work?
Do they die of old age before taking a few steps?
Mister Mind raised a finger.
— I asked myself the same question.
And I think there are explanations.
Haya sighed.
— What's he rambling about now…
— Listen to the puppeteer with his brain, continued Mister Mind.
For a normal human to buy bread without dying on the way, reality must be elastic.
Brakk followed up:
— What he's trying to say is that in cities or living zones, reality behaves "classically."
Lya understood.
— So it's only when you try to cross borders… leave a city, cross an ocean… that the dilation is felt?
— Exactly, said Brakk.
Bloodweaver thought aloud.
— So normal people live in bubbles of stability.
For them, the world seems small…
but if they look out the window of a fast train… they'd see galaxies rushing by.
Nova raised his finger.
— In other words: condensed reality zones.
Old cities and living places have become Reality Anchors.
He explained:
— Where human consciousness exists, reality refuses to fully expand.
Inside a city, 1 km = 1 km.
But once you leave… 1 meter = 1 galaxy.
Haya sighed.
— Sorry, but I doubt that's likely.
Ryn timidly raised her hand.
— I think it could be because of the Cohesion Field of the Heart… the Sun.
Since you said it maintains cohesion, maybe it projects a Stability Aura onto Earth.
Haya looked at her.
— No, you're too deep in denial.
It's obvious you're too dumb to think that.
Ryn froze.
Nova murmured:
— She just proposed a theory…
Mister Mind resumed:
— I think it's more of a passive scaling.
The mutation didn't just affect geography… but every atom of the planet, including humans.
He continued:
— A normal human unknowingly became an entity of universal structure.
They don't feel stronger… but their body is dense enough not to be crushed by a star-grain of sand.
Brakk raised a finger.
— I think it's involuntary biological adaptation.
Air and water are loaded with insane energy density.
Without realizing it, the average human became extremely solid… and moves at supra-luminal speeds.
Silence.
Elvis sighed.
— I think Mister Mind and Brakk have the most probable answers.
Valor rolled his eyes.
— Who cares how humans walk around.
You just want to show off with your theories.
Nova murmured:
— It really does sound like professors debating after midnight.
Lya stepped forward.
— Enough.
Now… it's time I deal with you, Mister Mind.
Mister Mind smiled.
— We've talked enough.
Ryn raised her magic.
— It's time we deal with you.
The wind blew.
Evans' lightning roared in the distance.
Zahkariel cracked his neck.
And this time…
No one talked theory.