Korgami's body continued to fall. The barrier was 3,000 meters high, so it would take time before he reached the ground. His entire body ached terribly, but the wound in his chest was the most painful.
Yet he did not complain—this pain was nothing compared to what he had endured.
All of this had been an act, just so he could break through the barrier and cross over to the Continent of Beasts.
As he kept falling, he opened his exhausted violet eye, then parted his lips and spoke:
"Ragnar, come forth."
"As you command, my lord," came the emotionless reply.
Suddenly, a mass of shadows erupted from his body, twisting and forming until it took the shape of a figure one and a half meters tall—a body woven from darkness. It carried a sword sheathed in black on its back, and its eyes were composed of violet patterns, surrounded by an abyssal darkness devoid of any trace of life.
Ragnar grabbed Korgami's cloak from behind as they soared through the air. He noticed the cloak was torn from the battles Korgami had fought mere minutes ago, but Ragnar cared little for clothing—only for his king.
He glanced at his lord's face, scratched and battered, and saw him struggling to breathe. The violet eyes, ringed with thin black circles, were slowly losing their light.
At that moment, Ragnar shot downward at blinding speed, holding Korgami tightly.
Meanwhile, fragmented memories flashed through Korgami's mind—memories of what had happened to him a year ago.
Yes… memories of his torment in that dungeon cell at the hands of that old jailer.
That old man would always kick the cell door violently as he walked through the prison corridor beneath the mountain. If Korgami didn't respond, the jailer would enter and subject him to the most excruciating torture imaginable—all under the pretense of, *"You're the one who unleashed that dark energy."*
His name was *Cyclops the Mad.*
He conducted daily experiments on Korgami, forcing 30-centimeter-long scales into his ears to extract his memories… and failing every time. The pain was unbearable, and Korgami would scream in agony.
He had never told anyone what happened to him there. Who would listen? Everyone had abandoned him. In this world, the strong devoured the weak—that was the law.
Ragnar had been with him during those hellish days in the dungeon, but he never interfered—because his master had forbidden it.
But on that day, Korgami swore an oath: he would kill every last hero who had thrown him into that hellish prison and allowed that old man to torture him.
Back then, he couldn't use his powers. Shackled in iron chains, he was given nothing but moldy bread, leaving his body too weak to resist. And he refused to ask Ragnar for help.
---
Ragnar looked down and saw a thick fog below—but within it lurked tens of thousands, perhaps even millions, of different auras.
**"Grrrrraaaah—!"**
As Ragnar descended toward the fog, a powerful roar erupted from the right.
His eyes narrowed slightly before he landed at incredible speed, still holding his master. He scanned his surroundings.
He knew they were in danger—they were now in the Continent of Beasts. He needed to find a safe place to treat his lord's wounds.
But at that moment, a massive jaw surged from the fog, snapping at Ragnar.
With a swift motion, Ragnar twisted to the side, hurling Korgami's body upward while drawing his sword to counter the ambush.
**"Clang—!"**
His blade collided with the beast's fangs, sending it flying back ten meters.
But the monster didn't wait. It swung its enormous tail from the left, attempting to strike again from the right.
Ragnar recognized the trap. He sprinted up the beast's tail, leaped high, caught Korgami midair, and channeled his energy into his sword before slashing at the monster's head.
Yet the beast encased its skull in a crimson energy, deflecting Ragnar's attack.
The impact sent both Korgami and Ragnar hurtling through the air.
But Ragnar didn't yield. Gripping his sword once more, he unleashed a lethal pressure.
**"First Form of the Dark Sovereign's Law—Dimensional Severance!"** he roared as an overwhelming energy erupted from his blade.
The violent wind from the force momentarily dispersed the fog, revealing the beast's colossal form.
It had a massive skull, razor-sharp fangs, and eyes that burned completely red. The rest of its body was a serpentine tail lined with iron spikes, and its hide was harder than steel.
Suddenly, its maw gaped open, gathering energy before unleashing a blast toward Ragnar's attack.
Two forces clashed—one of devouring darkness, the other of bestial, bloodthirsty destruction.
**"BOOOOOOM—!"**
The collision shook the land.
Ragnar landed, holding Korgami in one hand and his dark-glowing sword in the other. Behind him, the beast glared with murderous intent.
But Ragnar ignored it and began walking calmly through the fog.
The beast prepared to strike—until Ragnar spoke, sheathing his sword:
**"Perish, abomination… Did you truly think a weak attack like yours could stop the First Law of the Dark Sovereign?"**
Suddenly, the beast's body split in half. Blue blood gushed out as its entrails spilled grotesquely.
---
The explosion drew the attention of other beasts, who began converging on the location.
But Ragnar wasn't foolish. Instead of continuing on foot, he sprinted at full speed to escape the fog.
As he ran, a human-sized beast flew toward him, but Ragnar punched it aside without breaking stride.
More and more monsters gathered behind and ahead of him.
*Why are they chasing me?* Ragnar wondered. *I'm not human.*
But when he glanced at his master's bleeding body, he moved his hand, summoning dark energy—not to heal the wounds, but to stimulate the residual energy from the Bone Beast that still lingered within Korgami.
He remembered that this energy had been locked in conflict with Korgami's dark power and the energy of that commander.
All he needed was to agitate it—to let it surge and overwhelm the other energies.
If the beasts sensed that Korgami was just another monster, they would stop pursuing them.
Sure enough, the beastly energy began radiating from Korgami's body, enveloping him.
The creatures halted their chase, convinced their prey was merely an injured beast.
But Ragnar didn't stop running. He didn't know how long the energy would last—or when it would run out.
---
After several minutes of sprinting, he finally saw the edge of the dense fog.
There was something strange about this mist—it dulled the senses. Had Ragnar not been using energy from beyond this world, he wouldn't have escaped.
Yet his instincts warned him: something far worse than the beasts he'd fought so far lurked beyond the fog.
He looked up and saw a colossal mountain, its base surrounded by scattered vines and a massive cave.
The fog clung to the cave's left and right sides, deepening his unease.
Something was deeply wrong.
**"Graaah—!"**
To his right, a house-sized beast was fleeing the cave, panting as if it had seen something uglier—or stronger—than itself.
Ragnar's violet-patterned eyes focused on the fleeing creature before he dashed after it.
He needed a test subject—something to reveal what lay inside.
In a blur, he caught up, seized the beast's short tail, and hurled it with monstrous force toward the eerie cave.
The moment the beast entered, the fog parted—and three-meter-long fangs erupted from the ground, impaling the creature in a brutal display.
**"GAAAGH—!"**
The beast let out a final, desperate scream—but it was too late.
More fangs descended from the cave's ceiling, snapping shut and crushing the monster inside.
Blue blood oozed from the cave's entrance, and one of the beast's severed legs rolled out, stopping just five meters from Ragnar.
Then, a small slit opened in the sealed cave.
A slimy, grotesque tongue slithered out, covered in blue bloodstains. With terrifying speed, it snatched the severed leg and retracted into the darkness.
The cave sealed shut once more.