Chapter 69: Brave New World

  Dimension 66, Gedania

  The little devil watched as dozens of dark mounts, their nostrils lazily puffing hellfire, drifted toward the great interdimensional gate. Its semi-transparent essence, captured within ancient gemstones and radiating its uniqueness, hung in the air like a veil.

  The surrounding devils gazed at the mounts with dread, yet with no small amount of curiosity. Faces twisted in envy were visible, as were heads shaking in disbelief. The red-skinned devil at the head of this delegation noted every reaction in his spirit, making no effort to hide his pleased expression.

  Right alongside them ran a grim, emaciated retinue, ensuring the horses carried the full weight of their war gear.

  Like every other fiend in this spectacular group, the leader was terribly obese, his fat spilling over his sides with every sway of his mount. The only trait distinguishing him from the others was that, despite his absurd level of intoxication, he remained conscious. Now, finding himself the center of attention, he shouted to his brethren and charged forward.

  "Let's show the plebs how Sarmatians travel!"

  He was answered by the slurred shouts of the barely awake Lords Brothers.

  "Aye!"

  Soon, as their silhouettes began to vanish one by one into the transparent ooze of the interdimensional portal, the little devil decided he had seen enough. Squeezing through the crowd that was still watching the Sarmatians depart, he stepped onto the narrow, stone-paved road by the beach. From here, it was only a five-minute walk to one of the exclusive local taverns.

  There, exchanging a glance with the barmaid first, he went upstairs and found his employer's guest room. After knocking three times, the door cracked open, and the boy quickly reported what he had seen. A moment of silence followed, broken by a voice with an accent not native to Gedania.

  "Are you sure all the Sarmatians of the delegation were present?"

  The little devil answered in the affirmative, which was met with another moment of silence. Finally, however, a hand appeared through the crack, holding a gold coin between its fingers—a devil dollar. The child didn't wait for the boss to change his mind and quickly vanished, expressing his gratitude.

  Shortly after, the door opened, and a broad-shouldered devil with a sharp gaze stood in the frame. His skin was of a very distinctive color that marked him out anywhere in this dimension. He approached the window overlooking the commercial buildings of the port city. When his gaze fell upon the Crane, the Orange Prince, Shedim Medaiash, smiled. He knew that today his great winning streak would begin. The greatest one yet.

  In the transitional dimension, near the Tavern Under the Devil's Lily.

  Seweryn and Justinian created a small interdimensional passage hanging in the air. It was entirely sufficient for the small group, given their lack of luggage. Starting with Franciscus, everyone began to enter it one by one.

  This included Septima, who—despite her typical, indifferent gaze—still radiated an unfriendly aura.

  Seeing this, Justinian smiled wryly. He hoped, however, that this wouldn't affect her approach to the ceremony. Entering last, he cast one final look at the view bidding him farewell.

  The tavern still had a gaping hole in the wall, which Henri had smashed a few days earlier with his great boar. As the de facto master of this dimension, he faced no consequences for it, just as he hadn't for the fire he had started earlier.

  Now, the young aristocrat with the skinny calves stood nearby with his mignons, casting indiscreet glances in Justinian's direction. They were full of hostility, but not enough to provoke him. Overall, it was clear their previous spat still stung.

  A bit further away, Jean waved a hand in farewell with a cheerful smile. This sight seemed absurd to Justinian, much like the entire visit to this intermediate dimension.

  'First the Lords Brothers, now this lot... I dread to think what Dimension 60 will be like.'

  Not wanting to delay any longer, he nodded toward Jean and stepped into the passage.

  "AAAAH!"

  Alfons's terrified scream echoed through the narrow tunnel down which they were falling. While the journey from the 66th Hell to the intermediate dimension had been very short and straightforward, they now found themselves in a disturbing situation.

  Even though they had been in the tunnel for several minutes, they kept falling without any sign of an end. The tunnel itself violently changed direction multiple times, slamming them brutally from side to side. Worse still, they were accompanied by a strange pressure that intensified with every passing moment.

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  'We won't last much longer!'

  Justinian, looking at the pale Bogna who possessed no cultivation base, decided to act. At one of the turns, he grabbed the surprised Seweryn, shouting to him with a voice amplified by ki.

  "What is happening here?!"

  The nobleman himself was evidently concerned, emphasized by the sweat dampening the hair at his temples. However, knowing he had the most experience in the group, he didn't want to shirk responsibility.

  "It's all because of the nature of Dimension 60! This place hates any outsiders!"

  The young man furrowed his brows. But before he could ask if it was due to his presence, the nobleman quickly shook his head.

  "It doesn't matter who the outsider is. As long as they were born outside the dimension, they are unwelco..."

  The devil couldn't even finish before the tunnel veered sharply, and both were flung against the nearest wall. The pressure increased even further, and Justinian, seized by desperation, tried to summon Totius to help Bogna.

  He didn't make it.

  The pressure hit them once again, only for them to be flooded a moment later by a strange, cleansing light. Bright rays brought a sense of relief and suddenly... the tunnel ended! The group had to shield their eyes from the blinding glare, only to feel cold, fresh air a moment later.

  Only after a moment, once they had adjusted to the new atmosphere and the assaulting wind, could they open their eyes—still falling.

  'What is this place?'

  The sight that revealed itself to Justinian was the most magnificent he had ever seen. Although he could already travel through the air like other cultivators of the Foundation Establishment level, he had never encountered an aesthetic quite like this.

  Beneath the falling group from Dimension 66 lay a vast land stretching to the horizon. The red and green vegetation here was much taller than the average devilish architecture he had seen in previous dimensions.

  'In fact, it might be even taller than the mountains in the 66th Hell!'

  These vast swathes of wild forests were not uniform, however. Basins of a great river cut through them in complicated patterns, and additionally... signs of battle were visible everywhere. Huge craters interrupted the natural order; smoke still rose from some of them.

  Then the human realized that wasn't all. The raw beauty of the dimension was marred by two flaws. Seeing where his gaze had wandered, Seweryn signaled for them to head in that very direction.

  "That is where the ceremony will take place!"

  Far ahead of them to the east lay a gigantic metropolis—much larger than the Kingdom of Peace from which Justinian hailed. Its low, stone buildings looked capable of housing tens of millions of inhabitants.

  Right next to it, held high in the air by two enormous statues, was an amphitheater where the ceremony would be held.

  The group headed in that direction.

  As they approached for landing, Justinian noticed the second of the mentioned flaws. At the very edge of the horizon, contrasting with the vibrant red and green of the gigantic land, spread a dead earth.

  It was gray, cracked, and devoid of any life. Even from this distance, hanging in the air, one could feel the aura of death emanating from there. It looked like the burnt remains of something that should be bursting with lush life.

  However, there was no time to admire the views. The group lowered their flight, heading toward the gigantic metropolis. When they landed on one of the streets, the scale of this place struck them again. The streets were wide as rivers, allowing many carriages to pass abreast. The stone buildings rose upwards, making the observers feel like ants.

  But it wasn't the architecture that caught Justinian's attention, but the inhabitants.

  The devils walking here were a good half-meter taller than those he knew. Beings resembling Seweryn in stature passed them, but with hair darker than the blackest night, woven into intricate braids. Most intriguing, however, was a group of fiends dressed in pristine white robes embroidered with strange, shimmering inscriptions. Justinian tried to read them, but the letters seemed to writhe and change shape, giving him a headache.

  Quickly, however, curiosity gave way to anxiety.

  The atmosphere on the street shifted drastically as soon as the crowd noticed them. Conversations died down, replaced by a heavy silence. The gazes falling upon them were not merely curious—they were full of disbelief and... hostility?

  As they passed one of the opulent market stalls, a stout saleswoman looked at Justinian. Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared with disgust. Without a word, she began frantically packing her goods, covering them with a sheet and turning her back, as if the human's mere presence could poison her wares.

  Justinian shook his head, feeling a rising sense of embarrassment. Evidently, humans were not seen here very often. The saleswoman's reaction, moreover, made Bogna look at her like a lunatic who didn't know who she was messing with. As the human contemplated the absurd situation, Seweryn spoke to him again.

  "Don't pay any attention to them. We should hurry."

  It was a completely valid conclusion; after all, they didn't know any details regarding the ceremony. They quickened their pace, heading toward the monumental structure dominating the city.

  The statues of the giants holding it up were unimaginably huge. Their taut stone muscles supported the entire structure of the amphitheater. Justinian had to crane his neck so high it hurt just to see their faces, which were twisted in eternal grimace.

  That was when someone accosted him.

  "Representation of Dimension 66?"

  A glance by the surprised human revealed a small group of devils in outfits identical to those of the Eredinus delegation. As it soon turned out, they were servants of Micromegas, currently assisting with the organization of the ceremony.

  Without unnecessary formalities, they led them to the contestants' entrance. Although the climb up the stairs was long and tiring, the structure itself was incredible.

  Rows of stone benches stretched into infinity, rising toward the sky like mountainsides. Justinian quickly estimated that the facility could hold at least three hundred thousand spectators—and almost every seat was taken. The roar of conversation resembled the thunder of an approaching storm.

  Looking at the faces of his companions one last time, he confirmed their readiness.

  "Time to present ourselves to the devilish world," Franciscus announced dispassionately.

  Justinian smiled at these words.

  When they emerged from the shadow of the tunnel onto the bright, sandy arena, the entire tumult fell silent. Hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes focused on the small group entering the floor. Malevolent glares struck Justinian from all sides, and the pressure of hundreds of thousands of auras made the air in the arena heavy as lead.

  'Doesn't look like this is going to be a pleasant visit...'