Chapter 89: When the gods watches.
Outside the domain, the entire forest and road had been flooded with dark mist, eating away at the trees and any other living organisms it came in contact with.
The people who were standing close to the domain were the ones most likely to die if a single whiff of the mist entered their noses or touched their skin.
As such, they were hidden inside the barrier Seraphina had created to keep them safe.
As for the Aurelian barony, which was the final place the mist reached before coming to a still, many of the citizens had already evacuated.
Some of them stood atop a cliff where they could see their land and houses completely buried under the dark, poisonous mist.
Meanwhile, Ishtar had been working to expand the barrier as much as she could.
As time passed, she slowly understood how her new powers worked after entering the Lord Rank.
As long as she was able to muster mana through her veins, the knowledge of her power would be visible to her, much like a child who instinctively knows how to walk.
Even while seated on a rock, sipping her tea, she could feel the immense pressure circulating inside her domain.
Truly, if Dorian had not upgraded her rank, the domain ought to have shattered by now.
She could tell he had already begun battling with the dragon as planned; however, that was the most she could do.
When compared to the two women standing in front of her, who seemed like they could see exactly what was happening inside, her own senses were rather tame.
Seraphina and Maria stood very close to the domain, both carrying anxious expressions on their faces. While Maria had her arms folded, her foot tapping the ground, Seraphina bit her finger, her eyes fixed on the domain.
"This is bad, this is bad," she muttered to herself. "I can’t sense Lord Dorian’s mana, not even a single aspect. I waited to see if perhaps it was due to the influx of toxic mana, but I still haven’t gotten any signal as of late."
Seraphina glanced at Maria. "What about you? Can you still sense anything?"
Maria lowered her gaze to the ground, a scared expression slowly growing.
If Seraphina, who was more mana-sensitive, could not sense anything, then the chances of her doing the same were, if anything, nonexistent.
"I have had enough of this."
Maria turned around, now facing Ishtar, who was still calm.
"Open the damn domain," she uttered, not a single hint of hospitality in her voice.
Ishtar sighed. "If you’re coming back to ask me this, that must mean something wrong must have happened in there." She looked up at them. "Is Lord Aurelian losing?"
"That is not important right now. You should have a full grasp of your powers. Sending us in shouldn’t be an issue," Seraphina spoke from the back. Following that, Maria drew out her blade, as if to intimidate her.
Ishtar’s gaze lingered on the blade for a while, then she spoke. "Mages aren’t like warriors or Alchemists. We can’t simply just learn things off the bat. We are practical. Which means, I still have no grasp on my ma—"
"Then tear the whole domain down. I’ll fight the dragon myself."
"Maria!" Seraphina yelled after hearing those words leave Maria’s mouth.
"Oh? Is that right?" Ishtar smiled menacingly. "You would fight the dragon in your lord’s place? Aren’t you just the sweetest thing ever."
"I don’t have time for your—"
"And if you were to fail to kill the dragon, what then? Do you think anyone in the kingdom is ready to fight a dragon? Even though this creature is trapped in my domain, I can still feel its power surging through my being. In all my years, I have never seen anything this powerful."
She looked to the side.
"Lord Aurelian knew the risks and still took it. I respect a man like that. He knew if we were to die, the dragon would do everything in its power to escape, which is why he gave me a task to fulfill."
"Task?" Seraphina raised a brow curiously.
"Yes. As long as he has not stepped out of the domain, I am not to open it. I cannot run out of mana as well, seeing as I can detach myself from the domain and let it run on its own. The only question is, how much faith do you have in the man you claim to love?"
"Don’t speak as though you have any faith in my lord. This is only a sick game to you."
"I won’t deny that. Then again, if you think about it, no gamble lasts without some sort of faith. I made my choice, and I intend to keep my faith there. Kill me, but that domain stays open regardless."
Maria clenched her fist, knowing there was nothing she could do. She did think about using brute force to tear open the domain, but the walls of the pocket space generated faster than the damage they took.
"Lord Dorian..." Maria called out, slowly turning her gaze to the domain, worry etched on her face.
...
Gasp~
Dorian jerked up from the ground, his eyes widened in shock as he was immediately greeted by an expanse of darkness.
’Shit, that fucking dragon sliced off my head.’
He rubbed his head, making a final check to make sure it was truly still there.
Once satisfied, he sighed, falling back to the ground, his formerly severed hand completely restored.
’I died again...’
He sighed again.
’I knew the dragon would be strong, but for the love of god, I didn’t expect a fully grown humanoid beast walking out of an egg.’
Thinking about it, every attack he sent to the dragon did little to no damage. Sure, he landed a few hits, but other than that, not a single one could put the dragon down.
Dorian knew the possibility of this happening was high, which was another reason why he was adamant on being the one to fight the dragon alone.
If he were to get such a creature to serve him, everyone in the entire kingdom would respect him. That said, he can’t let anyone die because of his selfish wish.
Which then led him to the next question...
’Where am I?’
Still lying on the ground, he could see a small rug lain not too far away from him, and decorated on it were tarot cards and chess pieces.
Further away, he could see multiple other game items, including games from his world such as Ludo and so on.
He found it strange, but what truly caught his attention was when he noticed he was inside some sort of floating dome. All around the domain were planets, different from whatever he had ever seen before.
’This doesn’t look like the place I went to after I died.’
Dorian sat back up.
Before he could speak again, system notifications came pouring in.
[The God of Life is watching you.]
[The God of Death is intrigued by you.]
[The God of the Sky wishes to observe you.]
[The God of Witches is glad to finally see you again.]