Free Web NovelChapter 232: Chapter 231 - Dimension
Point-of-View: Mike Barnes
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"A lot of the Deities seem to have gone into hiding, they’re definitely not dormant since they stay awake for a few decades after they wake up, which means they’re hiding," Sighed Leonardo, as he stared up at the ceiling while rocking his chair.
"Maybe they know about the Deities who are training the Outliers and want to avoid the possibility of more of us approaching them for training," I suggested with a shrug.
"This isn’t great, at this rate, all the Outliers are probably gonna be way stronger than us before long," Remarked Maeve with a frown.
"Not a very pleasant thought...we should find a way to get significantly more powerful than we are, if that is even possible," Grimaced Osiris in response.
Today’s the 1st of December, and the higher ups had called a meeting with all the Category 0s and a few of us high level Category 1s. The meeting had just concluded, and...it wasn’t exactly productive.
First off, we all totally could’ve done this via conference call, as it always is the case, but they insisted that we all gather in the same place. Of course, they spoke to us through a video call instead of traveling here themselves, so yeah, not exactly logical.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss how to respond to Neo’s disappearance, but since we don’t know what exactly happened to him, there’s not much we can do about it or even know where to begin.
So, yeah, there ended up being a whole lot to discuss. All this meeting did was remind us of how little we know...we don’t know when Hell will invade, we don’t know what happened to Neo, we don’t know how the Outliers are doing, we basically don’t know anything that we really need to know right now.
By the time the meeting ended, the mood in the room was pretty gloomy. Neo has long been regarded as the strongest of the Category 0s, and if we assume the worst case scenario and write him off as dead, what does that mean for the rest of us?
At our current ability levels, a high level Demon could probably solo us without too much trouble. Even the weakest members of Hell’s army, the Devils, will probably be difficult for us to deal with. After all, if a bridge between the living world and Hell is opened, the Demons will be twice as powerful as they otherwise would be in the living world.
Think of it like two rooms that share a wall between them...one room has no ventilation or air conditioning and is sweltering hot, while the other room is nice and cool. If someone from the cooler room moves to the hot and humid one, they’ll get sweaty, irritable and won’t be able to think calmly. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
But if you break down the wall separating the two rooms, the cold air from the air conditioned room will lower the temperature of the other room, making them both equally comfortable.
In this case, it’s like that, but with dark energy instead of cold air. Demons need to use their own energy to sustain themselves in the living world, but naturally, need no such effort in Hell.
But if a bridge is opened, the abundant dark energy in Hell will spread out into our world. Fortunately, that won’t have any negative effects on us, but it will let the Demons access their full powers here the same as they’re able to do in Hell. And if and when Heaven intervenes, their forces will be weakened by the dark energy.
"Well, um, look on the bright side, we have a ton of those light energy bombs that Inoka came up with. Plenty have been manufactured thanks to the Witch Serafine, and if the bombs weaken the Demons significantly enough, we might stand a chance," Spoke up Kiyana, following a brief silence as the tension in the room increased.
"Yeah, those are likely to be a crucial factor and all, but it’s a weapon we wouldn’t have without the Outliers. I hate to admit it, but they’re going to play a much more significant role in this battle than we will," Grumbled Kechik saltily.
"I have to agree with that notion. Aurora is ridiculously powerful, and she’s only going to get more and more powerful thanks to her training with a Deity. There’s also her ability to come back to life nine times, and come back stronger each time at that," Mused Leonardo wryly.
"Guess there’s no option for us but to sharpen our abilities as much as we possibly can, huh?" Sighed Maeve wistfully.
"We must remain vigilant, Hell could invade any day now. If we at least had some idea of when that is going to happen, we would be able to prepare far better," Frowned Osiris pessimistically.
"In that case, is it not best for us to prepare while assuming the invasion could start in the very next minute?" Suggested Elise, who had been half-asleep during the meeting.
"That’s not a good idea. Staying that alert for an extended amount of time will only make us anxious and mentally worn out, nothing more," Richard shook his head.
"There is also the fact that we do not know exactly where they will begin their invasion from, it could be anywhere in the world. If Neo were here, that would not be a problem, he could transport all of us there within minutes. But without him, we will be unable to respond as efficiently as we otherwise would have," Chimed in Carmen.
"True that, guess we really took him for granted, huh?" I mused thoughtfully.
"Unfortunately, yeah...it always seemed a given that we’d have him for transport, but now that that option is off the table, maybe for good, our options are a lot more limited," Sighed Leonardo with a grimace.
Damn it, Neo, where the hell are you? This is no time for you to disappear on us, man, we need you! Seriously, come on...just where in the world is he, anyway...?
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Point-of-View: Neo Cronje
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My body...it feels weak. My stomach is growling, my throat hurts, my head is heavy and I feel completely exhausted and drained. Damn it...damn it, I need to get out of here!
How long has it been since I was trapped in here? Days? Weeks? Months? Longer? All around me is nothing but endless darkness with no end in sight, keeping track of the passage of time is all but impossible in here.
Laplace has been providing me with the bare minimum amount of food and water, just enough to keep me from starving to death. But no matter what I try and how much I try to sharpen my powers, it’s no use...he’s just way too powerful.
I’m bruised and battered, I’m pretty sure I have at least a few broken bones. I reached my limit ages ago, I’m way beyond it at this point.
"I...I need to get out of here...," I gasped weakly, as I struggled to get back on my feet.
"Not if you remain as weak as you are right now, you won’t," Remarked Laplace, as he grabbed the top of my head and lifted me up, "I have to say, I’m disappointed. You have such incredible potential, but it’s all going to waste...yes, you lack imagination and creativity. Pathetic, are you incapable of progressing unless the steps you need to take are clearly detailed by another person?"
"Go...fuck yourself," I responded icily, as I suddenly flicked my index finger, opening a narrow slit of a portal by my overgrown fingernail with a connected portal inside his body.
"Ow...what just-...? Ahh, I see, you used your fingernail. Hm, that feels really unpleasant. Your use of your portals has improved, at least, if nothing else. But it’s not enough to seriously injure me. What you really should be working on is improving the scale of your Dimension technique, so that you can overpower my own Dimension and-...," He began, before trailing off and teleporting away as I flicked my finger again, my fingernail slicing through a narrow slit portal, as he let out a disappointed sigh, "Really? The exact same trick twice in a row? You really can’t do any better than that?"
"Shut up. I...I don’t need your advice, you bastard. I’ll break out of here alright, don’t doubt it...however, I’ll do it my way, so don’t tell me what to do. And I’ll make sure I kill you in the process of it...you’re going to regret trapping me like this, it’ll be the biggest regret of your entire, miserable life," I declared coldly.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, go right ahead and try...I can’t wait to see you fail," He smirked tauntingly.
I’ll make him eat those words by the time I’m done with him...
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