Death… And Me

Chapter 4483: No Time

Naturally, progress was slow. Not only were they working with a long-range array with several energy relays, but everyone was also carefully observing everyone else’s actions. Neither side trusted the other completely, which was perfectly understandable considering what was at stake.

Even so, the work eventually became quite enjoyable for some of them. Every now and then, Flugel and the three members of the Thousand-Script Race became so absorbed in their discussions that they completely forgot the original purpose of their work. Rean naturally joined them, sharing ideas regarding energy circulation, array construction, and the modifications he had created for the Celestial Thrusters.

At first, Haniala remained noticeably reserved. However, after seeing several of Rean’s ideas and hearing some of his explanations, even she was forced to admit that his achievements weren’t based purely on luck.

As for Roan, Celis, Lukay, Arcis, and Sison, they simply watched the work progress while occasionally offering suggestions whenever they noticed something unusual.

Three entire days passed in that manner.

By the end of that day, the protection array had finally been completed. Naturally, they could have finished the work much sooner if they had decided to use Godly Crystals as an energy source. Unfortunately, doing so would have created an entirely different problem. Leaving such a large number of crystals exposed for long periods of time would inevitably attract Godly Creatures, so relying solely on the surrounding Celestial Energy was undoubtedly the safest option.

As soon as everything was ready, Rean contacted Kentucky through their soul connection.

’Kentucky, come inside.’

Both Kentucky and Kachia descended from the skies and landed near the entrance of the fortress before returning to their humanoid forms. A few moments later, they entered the underground chamber, where everyone else was already waiting.

*Rawr!*

The little fox jumped on Rean’s shoulder. It also stayed outside with Kentucky and Kachia. Rean had asked Kentucky to look after it and let her fight a little to get her own Godly Crystals.

”Oh! You look pretty satisfied,” Rean smiled as he stroked the fox’s head and ears.

*Rawr!*

She nodded, looking full of energy.

”Were there many Godly Creatures during these three days?” Arcis asked his daughter.

”Not really,” Kachia replied. ”We encountered only two Godly Beasts and a few Godly Spawns. The fox took care of some of them. Other than that, everything remained fairly peaceful.”

Arcis nodded in satisfaction. ”Good. Then we can begin.”

Thery stepped forward and looked around the chamber. ”Since everyone is here, we can start. The protective array has already been activated, and as long as a Godly Predator doesn’t appear, this place should remain safe. We also sealed the entrance with ordinary barriers. Hopefully, none of those precautions will become necessary.”

Kentucky glanced around before asking, ”We still don’t know what is waiting for us on the other side, right? What if the teleport array there is damaged? What if it breaks while we’re teleporting?”

Thery shook his head. ”That won’t happen. Don’t underestimate the ancient arrays. Their creators possessed knowledge far beyond our own. If the array on the other side is unable to receive us, this one will simply reject the connection. You can think of it as a safety mechanism.”

”Oh!” Kentucky immediately brightened. ”Then that’s good. Well, assuming it works at all, of course. Hahaha!”

”That is exactly what we are about to discover,” Thery replied.

The array was large enough to accommodate everyone without difficulty. Thery then opened his Spatial Ring, causing several Godly Pearls to appear in front of him.

According to the information he had shared previously, ordinary Godly Crystals were insufficient for this type of array. Only Godly Pearls possessed the necessary characteristics to power the ancient runes properly. Fortunately, the Natak Region had prepared a sufficient quantity of them long before the expedition had begun.

One by one, the pearls slid into the designated slots surrounding the array. After making certain that everything had been arranged correctly, Thery turned toward Arcis.

”Friend Arcis, if you would.”

Arcis nodded before retrieving the stone tablet. Unlike Thery’s damaged key, this one remained in excellent condition despite the countless years that had passed. Without hesitation, Arcis stepped forward and inserted it into the slot prepared specifically for it.

The moment the tablet entered the formation, several runes immediately lit up. Their glow wasn’t particularly intense, yet everyone present could feel the tremendous power hidden within the ancient array.

Thery then stepped forward and approached the control mechanism at the center of the formation. His fingers moved carefully from one rune to another as he activated the array step by step. Every movement was extremely precise, and no one dared interrupt him.

Even Flugel, who understood very little of what was happening, couldn’t hide his curiosity. The opportunity to witness the operation of an ancient array was simply too valuable. Meanwhile, Rean carefully observed everything, trying to memorize every detail that he could. Well, Sister Orb was definitely recording everything.

Finally, Thery touched the last rune.

At once, the entire formation illuminated.

The Godly Pearls released their energy, and streams of power flowed through every corner of the array. Ancient runes began to shine one after another as tremendous Spatial Power rapidly gathered around everyone standing inside the formation.

Naturally, this was the most critical moment.

If the array on the opposite side had been damaged beyond use, the connection would fail, and the array would immediately shut down.

Several long seconds passed in silence as everyone carefully observed the process.

Then...

*ZUUuuu...*

The gathered Spatial Power suddenly dispersed, and the runes lost their brilliance one after another until the entire array went dark.

Kentucky blinked several times before looking around in confusion. ”Does that mean...”

No one answered immediately.

The conclusion seemed obvious.

The array on the other side was no longer functioning.

”FUCK!” For the first time since the expedition had begun, Thery completely lost his composure. ”We invested so mu—”

*Vup!*

A silver flash suddenly engulfed the entire chamber. No one had time to even react before everyone disappeared.