Taking a step into the whirlpool, the space changed — or, to be more precise, the world itself changed.
A second ago, I was enveloped by swirls of uncontrollable energy that furiously tried to seep through my "magic berserker," but now there was only emptiness, nothing at all — just darkness surrounding me from all sides, with no energy swirls in sight.
I grew wary.
I intensified the magic output through my "magic berserker." The fact that I couldn't feel the energy pressing against me didn't mean it wasn't there.
I could be deceived; perhaps my perception was no longer my own, and something was trying to devour me right now.
I couldn't see anything, but I sensed the threat.
In an instant, I swung my right arm. I felt nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing; I didn't even feel my hand touch anything, but the sense of danger grew weaker.
I darted to the side, but again, nothing happened.
"So my five senses aren't working here."
I pulled the scythe "Mortar's Lament" from my inventory and immediately summoned the "Death Knight."
As soon as he appeared, he rushed toward me and instantly swung at something behind my back.
"Interesting. But I'm not only strong in narrow‑focus magic — large‑scale magic is within my grasp as well," I said with a smirk, and snowflakes began to envelop my body.
"Ice Nova," and a ruthless whirlwind of ice and snow engulfed the space within a radius of about ten meters.
"Hmm, not enough, I need to increase the radius." I started pouring more magic into the ability until the radius reached a hundred meters.
The "Death Knight" kept furiously striking at thin air, which looked rather amusing from my perspective.
My body took a step back, and my hand grabbed something in the air and clenched it.
"Interesting — it feels like I crushed someone's neck. But how? The storm is still raging, and no living creature should be able to get anywhere near me. Unless there's life in this very nothingness?"
I tilted my head slightly to the right, then spun around and slashed the air in front of me with my hand.
After that, my body moved on its own again: my leg swung back, and without hesitation, I created a "Lightning Veil" right behind my back.
And then silence.
"Hmm. Even if there's no life here, it shouldn't have been able to pass through my Storm."
My hand shot up to protect my face.
Pure instinct.
I still couldn't sense the enemy, but my body was moving reflexively to protect me.
Even the blows my body was defending against, I couldn't feel.
Suddenly, the darkness surrounding me warped slightly.
I blinked, and everything was gone. More precisely, my Storm and "Lightning Veil" disappeared, as did the Death Knight.
The smirk that had been on my face vanished, and a one‑handed sword appeared in my hand.
And everything started all over again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
And again.
The loop repeated countless times. The "man" had long realized his situation, yet he stubbornly kept fighting.
He couldn't see the enemy.
He didn't know where he was.
He couldn't even see a hint of victory.
His battle was meaningless, yet he refused to let go of the sword.
He felt something happening to his body. For some unknown reason, he was growing stronger, but his magic remained the same — or rather, the magic consumption stayed the same.
It was as if time was passing much faster for his body, but for his magic, everything remained unchanged.
What was the reason for this?
The enemy standing nearby had a black hole where his head should be, and he resembled a wiry humanoid.
He plunged the "man's" mind into confusion and accelerated time for his brain. The brain perceived time flying by at a breakneck speed and forced the body into constant tension, making the "man" feel like his body had grown stronger — but it was just in a state of tension.
If an ordinary person were in his place, their brain wouldn't withstand such pressure, and a brain hemorrhage would occur.
But Nomat was no ordinary man. Right now, his body only resembled a human one.
He fought. His brain fought. His body fought.
Right now, his entire being was fighting without moving from the spot.
He was like a taut string — not the kind that simply snaps under too much tension, but a string ready to tear apart the very mechanism that was pulling it tight. Because he was no longer the frightened man he had been at the very beginning, when he first woke up in a coffin.
That was why his enemy stood off to the side. From time to time, he tried to kill him, but every attack was deflected, followed immediately by a counterattack.
He didn't understand. How could the "Man" resist him? He controlled his very mind, yet he couldn't even get close.
So he decided to change his approach. After all, the weakness of mortals was their memories.
"Hmm. Is that really all you've got? Aren't you going to try attacking anymore? Kid, when I get out of here, I'll tear you apart piece by piece and carve you up slowly and painfully so you can fully feel just how furious I am right now," I said into the void, maintaining an outwardly calm demeanor that I could barely hold on to.
Suddenly, the space warped again.
"Again from the start? Do you have no imagination at all? Or is it…"
But I froze. Right in front of me, a woman's figure appeared.
She wore dark‑blue straight‑leg jeans — not too tight, but not baggy either, with a barely noticeable decorative stitching along the sides. On top, she had a plain white cotton T‑shirt with a round neckline; the fabric looked soft and pleasant. Over it, she'd thrown on a beige cardigan with chunky knit — it draped loosely in soft folds, giving her look a cozy feel.
On her feet were beige loafers with flat soles: comfortable, without any unnecessary details, but with neat stitching and a slightly rounded toe. A thin silver bracelet glimmered on her wrist, and around her neck hung a pendant on a delicate chain — the very pendant that held a photo of our family.
"Mom…?"
She looked exactly as she had the last time I'd seen her.
I saw her smile, but her eyes were hidden by her hair. Unconsciously, I took a step toward her, reaching out my hand toward her face, hoping to see her eyes again.
But suddenly, her face began to crack like porcelain. Slowly, it started to crumble, and a black hole appeared before me.
In an instant, I felt her hand strike my chest. Reflexively, I grabbed her hand, but her fingers pierced through my chest — though they couldn't go any further.
Immediately, I seized that hand with my other hand, then jumped up and kicked at her, tearing the hand away from her body.
I slowly looked down at the hand that was still sticking out of my chest.
After I pulled it out, the wound began to heal instantly. My single eye shone brighter than the morning dawn, and my face twisted into a grimace of uncontrollable rage.
"You," I choked out, breathless with fury.
"I don't care — I'll destroy everything here."
I took a blood potion from my inventory — 100 % pure, the blood of the Scholar. The blood that increases the potential of my magic.
I drank it all in one gulp and stopped using the "magic berserker." Right now, I didn't care about the consequences.
But right around me, uncontrollable clumps of "chaos magic" began to form, tearing everything apart.
And I kept absorbing and absorbing the "chaos magic," not caring about anything.
Would this magic destroy everything? I didn't care. Would I die in the process? I didn't care.
All I wanted was to kill this creature, no matter the cost.
In a moment, the dark space cracked; a moment later, it shattered, revealing a scorched wasteland before me. A huge black hole shone in the sky. Massive stones hung in the air, forming floating islands.
But I didn't care.
My gaze was fixed on the humanoid creature that now had no arm.
"I'll tear you apart with particular cruelty."