Without a moment's surprise, Sans looked at the leader monster. As if he knew he would ask, "Well, they are a sub-ant beast clan known as the Red Pain Ant Beasts. They are a newly discovered sub-clan of ant beasts, according to my knowledge. They are from a dangerous level 2 beast, so it's quite surprising to see them in a dangerous level 1. Besides their place in the ecosystem, they are one of the most poisonous beasts on dangerous level 2, rank 3 beast among the top 7. So, yeah, we're cooked."
Others who heard was shocked sheer quantity of them was enough to scare them all not their power level rank 3 is last thing they want to hear
"What should we do what should we do "one monster was panicking like crazy other was stood there motionless too surprised to move or say something
Sights were heard from both sans and leader monster
"So sans what should we do "leader monster asked with concern
"Don't worry I choose this mountain intentionally red pain ant beasts are bad at climbing also they have no vision only smelling and feeling vibrations and that means we are safe here"sans said with calm voice
"But be careful they are extremely sensitive they might find our location if we are not careful enough"sans laugh little then every monster go higher right below top of mountain as there was cave
Sans while climbing see one tree on top of mountain
Sans upon seeing fruits he was shocked
"Wait what sahkl fruits "sans was surprised to see it although tree was on top of mountain it was enough for sans to identify it
" Sak fruit what a jackpot those fruits can allow my magic to increase at extreme degree since there is 7 of us it is enough for us although we would still not able to fight rank 3 but chance of survival will increase "
Sans upon seeing fruits memories flood in his mind
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In place where sky was colored deep blue color and three moon all at opposite sides of each other shine brightly land was filled with magics there was enormous flying castle casting shadows to all of its surrounding but on top of castle sits sans compared to his current self he was tall and big his clothes were rather was like noble family clothes and few armor on them
"Almar is gone for while he is trying to take back his position of crown prince hehe he can do it since he has been with me for 3 years now he is 15 years old I can't wait to reunite with him "sans looking at moon smile
Beep beep
Bracelet on sans's hand beeps remind him of something
"Of course, I need to meet them," Sans said as he leaped from the top of the castle, landing softly on the Great Wall. Then, he walked toward the main castle. As he went, he saw countless monsters passing through the streets, seemingly unbothered by anything.
"*sight* Good night, my sweet empire," Sans looked at everyone and tried to laugh, but it was fake because he couldn't laugh.
"How many years have it been since I created the 10th region and the Hell Alliance? This city, no, this empire, is my embodiment of the alliance between Hell and the demonkind, the will of Arcues' empire, and I rule this empire. I made this empire with my own hands. All of this in 12 years, and now the 13th year is coming. Hehehe, I wonder what gift Almar will give me."
Sans frowned a little because Almar wasn't with him.
"Now I'm 120 years old. Life is becoming very boring," Sans continued to walk, very tired. After all, he was Emperor Clownchaos, the most important figure to the monsterkind. Everyone relied on him, so he needed to supervise everything, especially the demons. Those cunning and ruthless demons were something he needed to be wary of. If the demons weren't useful to Sans, he would have annihilated them and exiled them back to Hell. But he needed them.
Sans was truly annoyed by the demons, but as much as he didn't like them, he couldn't deny that they were too useful to be discarded. But that didn't mean he wouldn't have abandoned them. He was more than willing to abandon them, but if he did that, what would happen to the monsters? That was what kept Sans at bay.
Sans was their only hope. If that hope was discarded, what pain would he cause them? That was the only thing that worried Sans.
In the grand hall of royalty, there was a throne on the throne. Sans was sitting there, reading reports while a few other monsters cleaned the hall.
"Those demons are getting out of control, and this is the 56th time since I became emperor. Most of the problems I face are the presence of demons. As for monsters, they're good, but that's a problem without demons. Without demons, who fought without mercy, monsters are too kind and good to hurt attackers. Gosh, this is so hard!" Sans was getting crazy at those demons, but his rages quickly subsided as he ordered.
"Summon bloody killers, demon leader, right now!" Sans commanded, and a few monsters at gate of hall instantly disappeared.
"You sucker, Wellka! I swear, if you were here, I would have killed you by my hand!" Sans looked at his hand, his eyes lighting up as his hand released energy. The energy started to shape into various things until Sans stopped and closed his eyes, concentrating.
"Since I have free time, I shouldn't waste it. I need to form sub-cores as much as possible." Sans's body was fully covered in a blue aura. Other monsters who saw it all stopped cleaning and sat down without making any noise.
"My magic is powerful yet too chaotic to bring out its full potential. Although I'm an immortal king race, I've only reached it for three years. There are many things I need to do with it, but those paperwork consume too much of my time. If only I had a week without anything to do!" Sans made a sound of discomfort, although it was barely above a whisper in the silent hall. It was the only thing all the monsters could hear.
"Did we do something to upset his highness, or did we come at a bad time?" One monster sensed something in his heart, but it seemed all the other monsters were thinking the same thing.
Sans heard footsteps behind the gate as he stopped his sub-core forming process.
"Is this what I think it is? Is it the present from Almar?" Sans smiled happily.
Knock, knock.
A monster behind the gate knocked on the gate and said, "Your highness, as you said at the claw of dragon mountain, there was a gift. Would you like to see it?"
Sans said in a soft voice, "Yes, I want to see. Come in."
Sans smiled brightly, and all the monsters in the hall were able to see it, which made them smile as well.
The gate opened, revealing a dog monster wearing knight armor.
Monster walked to the throne without reaching for it as Sans watched it with happiness.
"Your highness, do you want me to open it?"
Sans replied, "No, I want to open it myself."
Sans took the gift box, which was big enough to seem like a backpack. He opened the gift and took out the contents until he saw fruits.
Sans's eyes showed a surprised expression, and even the other monsters were surprised.
"Sak fruit isn't it? Grown in our home region. Why is it in the 7th region?" the monsters were shocked and tried to find out why sak fruits were in the gift. Although monsters could easily access it, humans were unable to access it at all.
Sans's surprised face changed into a happy face. "You truly know what to give, don't you? Since I'm a greater monster, I can grow them using my magic, which would allow me to instantly form sub-cores. I guess telling him about some of my problems was enough for him to understand other unsaid problems of mine."
Sans giggled a little before he said, "Tell the architecture designer to create a small garden for me."
After that, Sans took the sak fruits and planted them. He used his magic and free time to grow them and created more sub-cores. Needless to say, the sak fruit was the solution to one major problem with him. It also made him relaxed because growing plants was a stress-relieving activity for him. He had just discovered this at that moment.
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Sans smiled as memories flooded in his mind, although they were foggy like other memories, but they were still enough for Sans.
"You are not even born yet. I miss you, hehe." Sans walked to the top of the mountain, wondering if he would survive it all to meet Almar.
"No, I must survive. No, I will save them too. If I can't, how can I live with myself knowing I failed those 7 monsters? If I can't even save them, how can I protect millions? There's no 'what if.' I must." Sans was determined to save monsters as he reached the tree.
Sans's eyes flickered blue as a blue aura covered the fruits with a swing of his hand. His telekinesis took the 7 fruits toward him.
"It's better than nothing, some of us can use it to gain some time and create opportunities," Sans thought as he walked back to the squad. However, he had a plan to escape everything without anyone getting hurt. He would go alone while they slept, but he needed a little energy drink or rather, outside help from the Sak fruits.
Sans smiled as he bit into two Sak fruits.
…
The crimson wood pulsed with a deep, arterial red, each trunk a towering pillar reaching into an unseen sky through the dense canopy.
Blue leaves, wide as a monster's hand, shivered on their branches, catching the faint, filtered light. Sans moved through the undergrowth, his boots crushing fallen foliage, a sound quickly swallowed by the forest's immense silence.
He had walked for what felt like an eternity, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and something vaguely metallic, like old blood.
This place, the Ancient Forest, was supposed to hum with life, a cacophony of roars and rustles. Instead, a profound stillness clung to everything, a heavy cloak draped over the colossal trees.
His skull tilted slightly, the perpetual grin etched there unwavering, but his eye sockets, usually lazy pools of white, narrowed. One hundred sixty-nine years.
He had lived through countless cycles of life and death, witnessed great heroes rise and fall, and learned to trust the prickle at the back of his non-existent neck.
He adjusted the worn blue scarf around his neck, the fabric soft against his bone. "Well, this ain't exactly a bustling metropolis, is it?" His voice, a low rumble, seemed to shatter the quiet for a moment before the forest reabsorbed it.
He had been searching for the gate, the tear between the 10th Region, monsterkind's homeland, and the 9th, where humans reigned.
Closing it was paramount, a pre-emptive strike against a war he knew was coming. A war that, in his original timeline, had cost too many lives.
The silence stretched, deepening until it felt like a physical pressure against his eardrums. There were no chirping insects, no distant howls of beasts, and no rustle of beasts slithering through the undergrowth.
Nothing but the slow, steady footsteps of Sans. It was very uncomfortable.
The usually vibrant blue leaves now seemed to hold their breath, their color muted in the gloom.
Sans's grin tightened. He had stumbled into their hunting grounds. And the silence? That meant they were hunting, or worse, they were waiting.
A faint tremor ran through the ground, barely perceptible, like a distant heartbeat. He felt it in the bones of his feet, a low thrumming that resonated through the ancient earth. He retracted his hand from the root and shifted his posture, coils of magic gathering unseen around his skeletal frame.
"Looks like I overstayed my welcome," he mused, his voice devoid of panic. A practiced calm overlaid the sharp edge of calculation he was like when he was alone and making jokes. When he was with others, his mind worried about them, making him panic. But now he was alone, not caring about himself as well as others.
Retreat that thought came to his mind. This was a logical move. Get out, reassess, find another path to the gate.
Then another memory flashed—a stark image of scorched earth and human fortifications. The Red Pain Ant Beasts in the future. They had emerged from this ancient forest, right at the point where the gate had been.
If they were here, hunting, it meant he was close. Perhaps too close to retreat without losing his chance.
"A gamble then a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with a million hungry, mindless predators," Sans was little optimistic. His eye lights flickered, a faint blue glow igniting in their depths. The corners of his mouth tilted higher, a genuine, if grim, smile replacing the usual lazy one.
"Alright, boys," he whispered to the silent forest, "let's place a bet. My bet is my life."
He began to move not swiftly but with a deliberate, almost fluid grace.
His steps became lighter, and his form transformed into a shadow weaving through the crimson trunks. The tremor in the ground grew into a low, persistent hum, like a million tiny drums beating in unison.
The metallic scent intensified, now mingling with something acrid and sharp, like ozone and dried blood.
He spotted the first one—not a living ant but a husk discarded and cracked, clinging to the rough bark of a crimson tree. It was the color of dried rust, its six legs curled, and its mandibles frozen open in a silent snarl.
It was big as he had anticipated, easily the size of a large dog, perhaps even more.
If this was a Rank 3, the sheer scale of the threat solidified.
He crouched, his gaze tracing the path of destruction. A swath of undergrowth lay flattened, the blue leaves ripped and scattered, exposing the dark, rich soil beneath. This wasn't a patrol; this was a migration or a hunt of monumental proportions.
He heard it then—a faint, high-pitched chittering, like stones grinding together, carried on the still air. It came from the west, a vast undulating sound that promised untold numbers.
"Well, that's a warm welcome," he muttered, pushing off the ground. He needed to move faster, but not recklessly. The forest was his ally and his enemy; its density could offer cover, but also trap him.
He activated his magic—a subtle surge of blue energy flowing through him. His senses sharpened, not just sight and hearing, but a unique vibrational sense that allowed him to perceive the flow of magical energy. He became fully aware of his surroundings and the area extending as time went by.
He could feel the ant beasts now, not just hear them, but feel their countless small presences—a vast pulsing web of life moving through the forest.
He discovered a small area, no wider than a house, where the crimson trees parted slightly. A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer hung in the air, a distortion in the light. The gate pulsed with barely contained energy, a faint hum that was almost drowned out by the approaching tide of ants.
"Bingo," he breathed, a genuine spark of triumph in his eye sockets. But the gate was guarded not by a single ant or even a dozen. The ground around it was a shifting carpet of red, a living, breathing blanket of chitin and hunger.
They were feasting, on what he couldn't tell from this distance. But the air around the gate thrummed with a frenzied energy.
He pulled himself back. "Well, that's it," he said without a frown, sitting on a tree branch with his hand on his chin.
He needed a plan, and it needed to direct confrontation immediately. A single Rank 3 ant beast wouldn't be much of a threat to his fighting style, which had evolved into something far greater. But a million of them? They'd swarm him, tear him apart bone by bone.
He closed his eye sockets for a moment, the world dissolving into a canvas of his mind and a collection of memories.
He sifted through his vast repository of knowledge, tactical scenarios, and the often-overlooked details of environments and beast behavior.
"Red Pain Ant Beasts," he mused. "They communicated through pheromones and vibrational signals, yet they were also driven by hunger and a primal instinct to protect their queen. But the queen is underground, so no queen right now. All those ant beasts are just a hunting party. They meant to follow a scent, a trail of prey, or perhaps the subtle energetic signature of the gate is activating them to point where they centralized around the gate. Hmm…"
Sans reopened his eyes, the blue glow intensifying. A sharp, focused mind took over as he used magic to check his surroundings. "I need a distraction. Something big, something loud, something that smelled delicious to a million hungry ants. And it needs to hold them long enough for me."
Sans's awareness extended to a cluster of giant crimson mushrooms in the distance. Their caps were wide and flat, glowing with an internal phosphorescence. The earthy, slightly sweet scent of the mushrooms was familiar to Sans. He knew they were a favorite food source for certain types of bear beasts. It was basic knowledge for monsters who traveled to forests.
"Alright, boys, time for a cook," he muttered, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
He began to move deeper into the forest, away from the ant swarm and towards where he knew the larger beasts typically roamed. He needed a volunteer, or rather, an unwitting participant.
The chittering grew louder, a wave of sound washing over the forest. Sans could feel the ground trembling under the sheer weight of the ants.
He had maybe an hour at most before the ants spread too far, making it impossible to escape. It was essentially a death sentence before that. He needed to shut down the gate before that happened.
Finally, Sans reached his destination. There was a fresh trail of snapped branches on trees beside an area filled with a cluster of giant mushrooms.
"Deep, clawed gouges in the crimson tree," Sans observed. "A bear beast and a big one, so adult bear beasts for sure. Judging by the size of the tracks, this is a sub-clan of bear beasts species. Fish-scale bear beasts. Those beasts are rank 3. They had scales of fish. This natural armor is so durable and effective that I used it against a rank 4 beast. A perfect distraction. I was looking for it."
Sans followed the trail, his movements silent and efficient. The air grew colder and dimmer as he delved deeper into the crimson woods. He heard a low growl, a rumble that vibrated through the very air, not the ants. This was something larger, more primal.
He climbed onto a tree and hid in a thick curtain of blue leaves on the branches. His eye sockets scanned the scene—a colossal bear beast, its scales shimmering with a dull, metallic sheen. The bear beast had glowing mushrooms on its mouth, and its massive claws were rending the fungal flesh. It was easily five times his height even though it was on four feet. Its bulk was formidable.
"Well, well, well, this is perfect," he whispered, a plan already forming in his mind. "Looks like dinner is coming up soon.
He didn't approach directly. Instead, he circled his magic, gathering a subtle hum of power. He focused not on attacking the bear beast but on its environment. He found a massive ancient crimson tree whose roots formed a natural cavernous hollow at its base—a perfect trap.
Sans conjured a small glowing blue orb of magic, no larger than a marble, and launched it with a flick of his wrist. It shot through the air silently and struck a patch of particularly pungent overripe mushrooms in the place he had chosen.
The orb didn't explode. It simply radiated a powerful, concentrated burst of pheromones, mimicking the distress signal of a smaller injured creature.
This was monster magic—formless energy. A monster's soul had a vast supply of magic energy that was almost endless.
If monsters wanted to create something. They needed knowledge of it to point where they could use magic to create it—both physical and non-physical, like emotions and memories. But it will be imperfect unless it was empowered monster. But as for Sans, he had once been an overlord monster. So, he could create perfect smells and illusions, even give fake memories to others. Thus, he was able to create pheromones that had no imperfections.
The bear beast paused eating, its head snapping up. Its small and intelligent eyes scanned the area.
It let out a low, questioning growl, its nostrils flaring as it drew in the new scent. The pheromones were designed to attract the bear beast, to draw it in to make it curious, not aggressive.
Sans watched it all, hidden.
As the massive bear beast lumbered towards the source of the enticing scent, its body shook the ground with each step.
Curiosity piqued, it sniffed at the glowing mushrooms.
Sans, instead of unleashing a blast of energy, employed a subtle manipulation of the earth itself. He focused his magic not on destruction but on shifting the ground beneath the bear beast's enormous paws. Initially imperceptible, the ground began to soften and yield slowly, resembling quicksand but devoid of visible danger.
The bear beast grunted, its heavy feet sinking slightly. Attempting to pull back, it struggled against the steadfast earth. Its growls deepened, fueled by frustration.
"Just a little further," Sans murmured, his eye lights flickering brighter. The immense task of controlling such a large mass of earth proved overwhelming, but his mastery allowed him to significantly reduce the taxing effect.
With a silent internal strain, he pushed, and the ground gave way completely.
The bear beast roared in surprise and fury as it plunged into the hollow at the base of the ancient tree, finding a perfect snug fit.
It thrashed its powerful claws against the unyielding wood, its roars reverberating through the forest.
Sans didn't waste any time. He immediately conjured another orb, this one larger and more potent. Instead of focusing its energy on pheromones, he concentrated it on a concentrated scent.
The scent of fear, distress, and easy prey filled the air.
He launched the orb high into the sky, over the canopy, directly towards the direction of the ant beast swarm.
The orb burst silently, releasing a cloud of invisible, potent scent molecules—a beacon, a dinner bell for a million hungry ants.
"There," he said, a satisfied hum in his voice. "Now, let's see how they welcome their new neighbor."
Sans moved back towards the gate, his steps light and his grin wider. The chittering of the ants grew louder and closer, but now a new sound began to mix with it—the frantic, enraged roars of the trapped bear beast. A symphony of chaos.
The forest ground began to vibrate intensely, a continuous tremor. Sans could feel the ant beasts swarming, their collective hunger pulling them towards the source of the distress.
The would converge on the bear beast, a living tide of destruction. It would buy him time.
Sans reached the edge of the clearing where the gate shimmered, still guarded by the feasting ants. Their numbers were immense, a solid mass of red. They were tearing at something on the ground—a large, dark shape he couldn't quite discern.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A new, high-pitched, metallic shriek pierced the air, unlike anything Sans had ever heard before.
Initially focused on their meal, the ant beasts paused. Their collective chittering wavered, then shifted to a new note of confusion in their communication.
Then, the roar of the bear beast reached a fever pitch—a primal scream of agony and rage, growing closer and closer.
The ants around the gate began to stir. Their mandibles clicked, their antennae twitched wildly.
The scent of the bear beast, amplified by Sans's magic, was overwhelming—a siren call to their insatiable hunger.
A wave of crimson emerged from the main swarm. A river of chitin and legs surged directly towards the source of the sound. They moved without hesitation, without questioning, driven by a singular, terrifying purpose.
Sans observed from the shadows as the clearing around the gate began to thin.
The ants, lured by the promise of a larger meal, abandoned their current feast, leaving behind a half-devoured carcass. It was a centipede beast—its segmented body ripped open, its numerous legs splayed.
"Well, that explains why previous female centipede beasts were attacking us," Sans remarked, his voice dry. "Red pain ant beasts target them deliberately."
He waited patiently as the last of the initial wave of ants retreated, leaving only a scattered few still pecking at the remains of the centipede beast. These were the stragglers—the less efficient hunters. He could handle them.
Stepping out from the shadows, his bones clicking softly, Sans sensed the presence of the remaining ants, perhaps a dozen of them.
Their antennae snapped towards him, their small, multifaceted eyes swiveling. They chittered, a warning, before surging forward, their mandibles clicking, ready to tear.
Sans remained motionless. He simply raised a hand, and a bone construct—sharp and spectral—erupted from the ground beneath the first ant. It impaled the ant instantly but failed to kill it.
The shriek of the impaled ant was a high-pitched whine before it went still. The other ants momentarily became confused.
That was all he needed. He moved with a blur of blue and white, his magic flowing with precision. Bones erupted, glowing blue, from every angle, impaling, crushing, sending the remaining ants flying. It was over in seconds. A small pile of red husks lay scattered on the ground.
Approaching the gate, his eye lights scanning the shimmering distortion, Sans noticed a roughly circular, about ten feet in diameter, swirling vortex of faint light and shadow. It hummed with a low, resonant energy, pulling at the air around it and creating a subtle vacuum.
He extended a hand, his fingers hovering inches above the shimmering surface. He could sense the raw power emanating from it—the sheer force of two realities colliding. Closing it would demand a significant expenditure of magic of rank 17, an extremely focused and sustained effort.
But before he could begin, a new sound reached his ears—distinct from the chittering and roaring—a deeper, more guttural growl. And it was coming from the gate itself.
His eyes narrowed. "Well, isn't this just a party?"
A dark, hulking shape began to emerge from the swirling vortex, its form initially indistinct, then solidifying. It was another bear beast, but this one was different.
Larger, its scales a deeper, obsidian black, and its eyes glowed with an unnatural, malevolent red light.
This wasn't a creature of the 10th Region. This was something from the 9th an obsidian skinned bear beast.
The obsidian-skinned bear beast stepped fully into the clearing, its massive paws sinking slightly into the soft earth. It let out a low, challenging growl, its red eyes fixed on Sans. It was Rank 4, easily a formidable opponent.
"Obsidian skinned bear beast," Sans mused, a hint of weariness in his voice. "Why is it here? It's a beast of the 9th region." Sans's voice carried a sense of resignation, as if he understood that beasts were different in just one continent alone. When it came to other regions, the story was entirely different.
"Does that mean… behind the gate, humans are waiting, just preparing? No, no. If that were the case, why rank 4? Although it can conceal the gate as the territory of beasts, isn't it too weak in the ancient forest? There's a rank 8 beast there. So, rank 4 is a joke. Could it be a coincidence? Hmm, that seems more plausible. Since, in my knowledge, humans didn't know that the gate to the 10th region was crafted. It was an independent move from noble families in the kingdom of Hazark. Although they spent 500 years on the gate, they never protected it. So, coincidence is more logical." Sans was cautious. As 169 years of experience had given him a cautious nature.
The bear beast lunged with surprisingly swift movement for its size. Its obsidian-black claws extended, each one a razor-sharp blade.
Sans didn't dodge. He vanished, reappearing a few feet to the left. A faint blue afterimage lingered where he'd been. The bear beast's claws ripped through empty air.
"A bit eager aren't we?" he chided, his voice calm and even playful. After all, he was still a comedian who could calm himself when needed. "Slow down, partner. You get the whole day, while I got half an hour."
The bear beast roared, a sound that vibrated through Sans's bones. It turned, its massive head swiveling, its red eyes searching. It located him instantly and charged again, its momentum shaking the ground.
This time, Sans conjured a Gaster Blaster—a skeletal dragon-like head, its maw open, a faint blue glow building within its throat. It floated silently beside him, an extension of his will.
The bear beast didn't flinch. It continued its charge, seemingly impervious to fear.
"Stubborn aren't ya?" Sans sighed. "Alright, have it your way."
The Gaster Blaster fired, a concentrated beam of blue energy tearing through the air, clearly aimed directly at the bear beast's chest. The beam struck with a thunderous impact, throwing up dirt and splintered wood.
The bear beast roared in agony, refusing to succumb. Its obsidian scales, thick and resilient, had absorbed most of the blast. A scorch mark marred its chest, but the creature remained standing still, enraged.
"Tougher than I anticipated," Sans admitted, a flicker of respect in his eyes. "Alright, new plan."
He began to move, not just dodging, but weaving and dancing around the enraged beast. He conjured bones not to attack but to distract and create obstacles. Spikes of bone erupted from the ground, forcing the bear beast to alter its charge and momentarily lose its focus.
"You're predictable enough for me to read you like a book. Perhaps my 169 years of experience made me see you like a book," Sans taunted, a sly grin on his face, but it wasn't mocking. "All brawn, no brains. Classic."
The bear beast snarled in frustration, its anger intensifying. It snapped its jaws, trying to catch Sans, but Sans was too quick and agile. He was a phantom, always just out of reach.
He needed to create an opening, a vulnerability. The bear beast was powerful and incredibly dumb, but its movements were broad, and its turning radius was wide. He needed to exploit that.
He led the bear beast on a chase, circling the perimeter of the clearing and drawing it further and further from the gate. Then, he let it get close, letting it think it had him, and vanished, reappearing behind it.
"Oops," he quipped, conjuring a massive bone, thick as a tree trunk, directly in the path of the bear beast's turning charge.
The bear beast slammed into the bone with a sickening sound, its momentum carrying it forward and sending it sprawling. It roared disoriented, shaking its head.
This was Sans's chance. He didn't hesitate. He launched a barrage of Gaster Blasters, not one but 10 appearing simultaneously. Their maws glowed with intense blue energy, and they fired in unison, aiming at the bear beast's head, at the point where its neck met its skull.
The combined force of the blasts was immense. The air crackled with energy, and the ground shook. The obsidian scales, so resistant before, shattered under the assault.
The bear beast let out a final, agonizing roar. Its body convulsed before it slumped to the ground, motionless. Its red eyes dimmed and then went out.
Sans stood beside the fallen beast. His breathing became even, and his eyes glowed steadily. He patted the beast and said, "I hope your offspring survive. May you find peace in the void." A wisp of blue smoke curled from his finger bones. "This world is truly like to play cruel jokes. No matter who it is—monster, demon, human, dwarf, or elf—they all face life and death situations. When they are not strong enough to face it, they get killed. There's no mercy, no empathy. Yet, this is the beauty of the world. Nothing in the world is treated unfairly. Every living being can die and survive, no matter what or who it is."
He turned his gaze back to the shimmering gate. The clearing was silent once more, save for the distant, fading roars of the original bear beast, still battling the endless tide of ants.
He had bought himself precious time, at the cost of the poor bear beast's life, and he felt deep in guilt.
He walked to the gate, his hand still glowing faintly with residual magic. He focused, gathering his energy from the vast wellspring of power within him.
All 10 regions in this world are universal structures. Closing a gate is like severing connections between universes. Each universe is not a simple one, but a small gate requires less understanding and complexity.
So, closing a gate is no small feat. It required immense concentration, precise reality manipulation, and empowered monster magic. But Sans, once the overlord monster, although he couldn't manipulate reality, was very experienced at manipulating it. So, Sans was an expectation that was impossible yet also possible.
He placed his hands on the shimmering surface of the stone border of the gate. As soon as he touched it, he felt the raw, untamed energy thrumming against his bones.
He closed his eye sockets and let his magic flow, shaping and guiding it. He saw the gate not as a portal, but as a wound, a tear in the fabric of existence, and he would stitch it shut.
Blue energy began to radiate from his hands, flowing into the gate. Although his magic was rank 2, it had the nature of empowered monster magic.will of magic is strong as sans's resolve
Sans's magic swirled around the edges of the vortex. The shimmer intensified, then began to contract slowly and steadily. Then, the hum of the gate deepened, becoming a low groan as if protesting its closure.
He pushed harder, drawing on deeper reserves. Sweat or what passed for it on a skeleton beaded on his brow.
His bones creaked with the effort. He could feel the resistance, the universe itself pushing back, trying to maintain the connection.
"Not today," he gritted out, his voice strained. "Not on my watch."
The blue energy erupted into a blinding burst of light, and the gate emitted a sound that seemed to tear at the very fabric of the forest.
The swirling vortex of light and shadow contracted further, shrinking, shrinking, until it was reduced to a mere pinprick of light.
Then, with a final, resonant *thrum*, it vanished. The air stilled, and the shimmering distortion was gone. The Ancient Forest was whole once more.
Sans slumped against the trunk of a crimson tree, his magic spent and his bones aching. Exhausted, yet a deep sense of satisfaction settled over him. One gate had closed, and one step closer to averting the war had been taken.
He opened his eye sockets, the blue glow dimming and then completely fading. He looked around the clearing at the fallen bear beast and the scattered ant husks. The distant roars of the other bear beast had finally ceased, replaced by a low, continuous chittering. The ant swarm would eventually disperse, having feasted to their fill.
He had gambled, and he had won. But the silence of the forest, once a warning, now seemed to mock him. He was only a monster in the forest right now.
Always alone, even with all his skills, knowledge, experience, and foresight, the weight of his existence always came back to this: the vast, echoing loneliness of existence. He pushed himself away from the tree, his bones protesting.
He still had more things to prevent this. It was just a small step in his life. More regions to traverse, more futures to rewrite. The path was long, arduous, and fraught with danger, but he would walk it. He always did.
He adjusted his scarf, a weary smile touching his lips. "Time to hit the road, I guess," he murmured to the silent, watching trees. "Wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."
And with that, the ancient skeleton, the weary guardian of monsterkind, melted back into the crimson shadows, leaving the Ancient Forest to its secrets and its quiet, hungry inhabitants.
Sans didn't need to return to the mountain where the other monsters resided. He had to reach them, but the red pain ant beasts were all too close. He had used most of his magic, and his body was unable to create anything or use magic.
"F*ck! I wish I had my teleportation. If I had it right, no-" Sans's eye suddenly opened with surprise and excitement.
Sans laughed maniacally as he mocked himself. "How could I forget it? I'm at my 20s, which is 15 years before I lost my teleportation. I have my teleportation right now!" Sans got up and shook his bones a little before starting to concentrate. "Okay, it's been a while since I used teleportation. Well, it's been 154 years, but that doesn't matter. So, to use teleportation, I need to activate it."
Sans's teleportation was like a reflex. When something unknown came to him, he instinctively dodged it. For Sans, he had sacrificed his teleportation to increase his rank. He had lost it completely because of it and hadn't used it for 154 years. He had only remembered it now.
"Come on, come on! What was it?" Reawakening forgotten instincts was almost impossible, but Sans was in his 20s. So, those were theoretically possible. He was almost at the border of activating it.
Ting ting!
Sans had been teleported.
"Uhh, this is something I didn't expect," Sans said while looking at the giant statues and graveyards beside them. It was the place where he had first reborn them. It was the city's graveyard, the tomb of Ashamar.
Sans looked around, wondering why his teleportation had taken him to a tomb instead of reaching the other monster in the mountain in the ancient forest.
"Maybe I shouldn't have used it for 169 years. Sudden unprofessional behavior maybe confused my teleportation since every magic has some level of conciseness. But why here?" Sans looked around, wondering why his teleportation magic had sent him to the tomb of Ashamar.
Sans's sight was filled with annoyance as he realized he had to go back to the ancient forest. Not using teleportation was a good idea, but he had no idea what his teleportation would do next time.
Sans walked along the road, which was lined with countless tombstones. There were lines of tombstones behind each other, creating a pattern.
Sans felt something he hadn't felt in a century—grief.
Sans frowned slightly, his eye sockets showing annoyance, but there was also a sense of calmness in his mind.
"I'm feeling grief? Why? Could it be because I'm at my past self? I'm feeling the emotions of my 20-year-old self." Sans snorted a little, then a soft and kind smile appeared on his skull as if he was accepting those feelings now.
"Right, my current self is weak in strength and will have to… oh, Archios. I need to get my mental strength and memories settled in my mind sooner so that I can do things more effectively." Sans looked at himself , then continued walking until he felt something different—not his body or soul, but something else.
Sans put his hand on his skull, his eye sockets closed like normal eyes. He almost stumbled onto the ground.
"What is this? Wait a second, is this?" Sans's eyes opened with shock as he sat on the ground, looking at himself. His bones were visible, but his vision started to change. He began to see things more clearly, along with other things that nobody else could see.
"Empowered monster vision, fuck this is bad! While trying to use teleportation, I might have forced my mind as an empowered monster awakened, and this is dangerous. My current mind is that of a normal monster. If I were a greater monster right I could endure, but I'm not. This will fry my mind capacity." Sans stayed still on the ground, focusing on his mind to push back his mind as an empowered monster.
"Just as I expected, this is too much. This is why I created the determination alternative system to keep memories and mind still. My safety measures weren't tested because I had no time. This is bad. It seems that closing the portal awakened too much memory, and that released my mind as an empowered monster." Sans started to think carefully.
The determination alternative system took three things from an 189-year-old Sans and gave them to a 20-year-old Sans. Those three things were will, mind, and memory. Although those three exist simultaneously with each other, they are separate things and they right now too great for a normal monster's memory capacity and mentality. It's like trying to put an ocean in a cup. If it did happen, the cup would shutter from the pressure. In the case of Sans, that cup is Sans's current body and soul, and the ocean is the mind that comes with memory, which is breaking Sans.
"What should I do now? Those mind and will, memories are from my overlord myself, but right now I'm just a normal monster." Sans bit his finger to feel pain and stay conscious. He was feeling his mind breaking apart and his soul trembling from the pressure.
Will is a monster's heart, emotions, and feelings. Their ability to choose, without it monsters are no different from a computer. You can think of will as the ego and consciousness.
Mind is a monster's way of seeing things, their ability to comprehend and understand, think, and reason. Basically, if a monster has mind without will, they can be considered as a computer, pure calculation, with no emotions.
Memory is well memory. It's history one knows about themselves. It's colored by emotions and feelings that provided by will and saved on the mind.
Will and mind memories of an empowered monster are like will and mind memories of a god when compared to a level below an empowered monster, like a high monster. Which is crazy, considering high monsters are godlike beings when compared to normal monsters, and Sans is that normal monster.
Of course, Sans's safety measures were still holding most of those three things, but Sans originally designed the determination alternative system to hold back those three and when it was forcefully released retract them. So, those three should be retracted by the determination alternative system.
Sans broke his thumb by biting it. It hurt, yes, but pain was the only thing keeping him conscious at this point. Then, he bit his other finger.
Sans, with a sense of déjà vu, recalled the moment he had used his experience as the overlord monster to close the gate. He had awakened mind through experience in memory, and his will is safe as it possessed no harm. However, other two were dangerous. Although the determination alternative system (DAS) wasn't finished yet, Sans had used it, and he couldn't remember it at all "Oh right, DAS had retracted all those memories and mind from my overlord self, so I didn't remember most of them."sans bite his finger more forcefully
Sans's mind was extremely selective when it came to memories. Reason is so simple it can explain through examples: memories of a smart person could only be comprehended by the person himself. However, if given to other smart person that person can't comprehend it at first but with enough time other smart people could comprehend them. But when it was fool people it would need fool man to have intelligence comparable to smart people that fool don't have so that was exactly what happening to sans he can't comprehend his overlord self mind so it was pressuring his mind till it will break like o said before after all overlord monster was god when compared to high monster who are seen as god to normal monster so that mind is like mind of god and sans's mortal mind is vessel for that mind.
"I need to do something or at this rate I'll die," Sans thought. He was already broken two fingers, Sans started to look around, trying to find something to rely on.
In short, Sans's mind as the overlord was a 6th-dimensional being, existing within the mind of a 4th-dimensional body. This 4th-dimensional being could only comprehend 5th-dimensional structures. By breaking the law of dimensionality, but the 6th-dimensional mind shattered the 4th-dimensional being.
Sans walked to the tombstone beside him, using it as a pillar to lean on. His eyes revealed deep tiredness, and his mind was scattered, looking for way to survive.
Suddenly, Sans fell to the ground as his control over his body failed. This forced Sans to bite his finger until it got separated.
Sans can only see graves after graves, but in deep sight, like how many years have passed since stones were cleaned? Hell, he even sees impossible things like the life forces of himself and light particles releasing light. No, he sees even forms of things as energy that are incomprehensible to human eyes. But it landed on something underground.
"Wait, dead memories can suppress those two temporarily," Sans smiles as he starts digging the ground until a funeral pyre comes out. Sans opens it inside and there was dust.
Sans without hesitation pours the dust into his mouth.
As those dust particles enter Sans's mouth, those dust start stick with. Bones of sans
The moment they stick to his bones, they send memories to Sans—memories of a dead monster.