Cipher struggled to raise his head, to look up at the source of that voice, but the immense pressure bearing down on him wouldn’t allow it. His muscles strained against an invisible weight that threatened to crush him into the earth.
Suddenly, he felt an aura wrap around his body. The oppressive force pushing down on him released, and he could move freely again.
"He looks really mad," Maya said.
Cipher smiled weakly. You don’t say.
Then he noticed something. Maya wasn’t even feeling the pressure. He understood why he was fine now - it was because of Lyra’s help. But Maya was just... tanking it?
"Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing his look.
"Uh, nothing," he said. It was probably because she was a Saintess now.
"Anyway, what do we do? He doesn’t seem like the talking kind," she said.
Cipher looked up at the figure floating above them. The newcomer appeared to be a demon, similar to the Crimson Demon. He hovered high in the air, nearly eight feet tall and bare-chested. Rune-like markings spread across his torso, pulsing with faint light.
[Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I killed the Crimson Demon and this guy chased after me. It seems he finally found us.] Lyra said.
Cipher wore a shocked expression.
"~Wait, you did what?" he asked internally. "~And why didn’t you tell me this sooner?"
She just shrugged. [I just did.]
"You can actually withstand my aura?" the demon asked from above, seeming amused. "Well, no matter. Now that you dare to attack me, all deals are off, and I declare war on humans."
He extended his arm forward, clearly preparing for an attack. The air around his palm began to distort.
Maya brought her staff forward, ready to intercept.
Cipher looked around them. There was no way to escape. He could use Fast Travel, but that only worked on him. He couldn’t just leave Maya here.
Just as he thought this, his eyes suddenly widened as he realized something.
I guess this works too, he thought.
He grabbed Maya.
"Cipher?" she asked in surprise.
"No time to explain. Just relax and don’t resist," he said.
"I trust Brother Cipher," she said without hesitation.
Instantly, she disappeared.
And so did Cipher.
...
Moonlight Sect.
Sun Lihua paced around the Reflection Cave, her steps echoing off the stone walls. She hadn’t been able to gain any information on that man at all.
She entered the prison chamber and looked around, frustration evident in her expression.
Just how did he vanish like that? she wondered. People don’t just disappear like that.
Suddenly, Cipher appeared before her.
"But I guess they do appear just like that," she muttered.
Cipher met eyes with the Moonlight Maiden and smiled awkwardly.
"Umm, this is awkward. I don’t suppose you’ll just let me go, will you?" he asked.
She just shook her head.
"Fine. You leave me no choice then," Cipher said.
He extended his hand forward.
"Lyra, I choose you."
...
A few seconds earlier, in Cipher’s spiritual sea.
He was about to read the description of the upgraded Infinite Inventory when the appearance of the demon caused his main consciousness to snap back to his body. But since he had multiple consciousnesses, he could check it out with one of the others.
The third consciousness seemed to have taken the place of the main one, stretched out throughout the spiritual sea to manage his expanded perception. That left only the second one available.
When he looked at the description, his eyes widened.
While it didn’t clear up his confusion about the connection between the Infinite Inventory and his spiritual sea - there was no information about that - it solved his current dilemma.
After reaching max level, he could finally store living creatures into his Infinite Inventory. So long as they didn’t resist, of course.
In the real world, he instantly chose to store Maya. After reassuring her to trust him and not resist, she was absorbed into the Infinite Inventory.
"It seems this thing is really connected to my spiritual sea," he thought as he came face to face with Maya, who had just been stored.
She stood in the vast expanse, looking around with wide eyes.
"Brother Cipher?" she asked in surprise. "What is this place? How did I get here? Is this what they call a pocket dimension? Are we safe? Where did that demon go? Why does it look like space? Are those planets? Why do they look like that? Is that your house over there?"
"How noisy," Lyra said as she stepped out of the house.
When Maya recognized her, her expression changed instantly.
"It’s you..." she spoke, her voice turning cold.
She immediately placed herself between Cipher and Lyra, staff raised.
"Cipher, stay back. She’s dangerous," she said.
"No, listen..." he tried to calm her, but she didn’t listen.
Maya instantly cast SS-Rank Annihilation. A sphere of devastating energy erupted from her staff, hurtling toward Lyra.
"What a cute tr..." Lyra spoke, extending her hand casually.
But suddenly, she felt the world around her begin to freeze, locking her in place.
Then the explosion occurred.
The entire house was destroyed, debris flying everywhere. The shockwave rippled across the spiritual sea.
When the dust finally settled, Maya looked around cautiously, scanning for any sign of movement.
"Did I get her?" she wondered.
"Not quite."
The voice came from behind her.
Maya whipped around fast, but Lyra caught both her wrists, pinning them together above her head with a single hand. Maya struggled, but Lyra’s grip was absolute.
"That’s an interesting ability you have there," Lyra said, studying her. "I remember you also used it to help me against that demon. To think that you learned such a thing with just your level of strength. Very impressive indeed."
"Let go of me!" Maya demanded.
"That’s enough!"
Cipher stepped between them, separating Lyra’s grip from Maya’s wrists.
"Both of you, stop," he said firmly.
He turned to Lyra first. "Lyra, this is Maya."
Then he turned to Maya. "Maya, this is Lyra."
Maya kept her guard up, eyeing Lyra with suspicion.
Cipher sighed. "Maya, Lyra isn’t what you think. She’s a really good person and someone I’m very close to."
"Close?" both women said at the same time.
"How close?" they asked in unison.
"Huh?" He was surprised by their sudden sync.
"How close?" they asked again, their voices overlapping perfectly.
His eyes darted from one to the other. He wondered what was suddenly up with them. Why were they looking at him like that?
"Umm... very close. We’re very good friends," he said.
"Just friends?" they asked in unison once more.
His gaze shifted nervously between the two of them.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Just know we are close."
He then placed his hand on Maya’s head, patting it gently.
"So you shouldn’t attack her anymore. Do you understand?" he asked with a sweet smile.
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Cipher sighed in relief.
Now, that being said, he was in quite a bit of trouble.
He had thought of the furthest place he could go while still being in this cultivation world and had decided on the Moonlight Sect.
Only to stumble upon the sect master herself.
How was he supposed to handle this?