(Leo's POV, The Mysterious Floating Island)
"In that case," Motherak began, his deep, rumbling voice echoing softly through the chamber, "there might be some hope for you to save your friend after all."
Leo's eyes lifted at once, a flicker of cautious optimism stirring in their gray depths, as he waited for the dragon to elaborate.
"If all the Gods are taken out of the equation," Motherak continued, his tone more deliberate now, "then the only major threats you'll have to deal with are the Kings and Nascent Soul cultivators."
Leo nodded slowly, mentally translating the ancient terminology into modern terms, a.k.a Demi-Gods and Monarch's, the kinds of opponents that will be his headache to face.
"The Kings will be your biggest problem," Moltherak said after a pause, his voice deepening as though reliving memories buried under centuries of war. "They are capable of perceiving the fourth dimension and sensing ruptures in space and time. If they lock onto you, they can chase you across the stars, at speeds your golden core body could never hope to match."
He exhaled softly, his great tail curling around him as he tapped his chin thoughtfully with its tip. "Boy," he said suddenly, "do you know how we used to travel through space in the old days before space ships and slow space travel was invented?"
He asked, as Leo shook his head in denial, showcasing his lack of knowledge about the subject.
"Well, it's been such a long time, it's natural that the knowledge of those times has started to become lost."
Moltherak continued, his golden eyes glowing brighter now as nostalgia flickered across its vast, ethereal form.
"Back then, we used to travel between worlds by creating a spatial disturbance known as a space tunnel. It was an extraordinarily dangerous method of travel, for the tunnel could collapse upon itself at any moment, crushing everything within to nothingness. Countless soldiers lost their lives in those early attempts to cross its unstable passage, yet even as safer and more refined modes of space travel emerged, space tunneling remained, until the very end of my era, the fastest means of journeying between any two points in the universe."
He paused briefly, his tone softening into something that almost resembled pride.
"Even today, I doubt there exists a faster way. For in a stable space tunnel, even mortals such as yourself could move at speeds equal to that of a King."
Leo's brows furrowed slightly, his heart thudding once as he processed the words.
"So you're saying," he murmured, "that if I could somehow replicate that technique, I could escape from 'The Pit' at speeds difficult for the enemy to chase me at?"
Leo asked, as—
"Precisely!" Motherak replied, his voice carrying a faint note of satisfaction.
"If you acquire the knowledge of space tunneling, you will be able to move yourself and your army in and out of any battlefield at speeds impossible for your enemy to chase you at. For unless they are kings themselves, or Gods, I doubt there exists a conventional travel method that can replicate the same speed."
Moltherak boasted, as a vision began to form in Leo's mind.
"Not everyone can create a space tunnel, and even for you to learn how to make one, you will have to reach the nascent soul stage at the least, after which, I will embed inside you a very tiny fragment of my soul, which will act as the medium for this technique."
Moltherak explained patiently, as Leo immediately understood that this was no ordinary technique that just anyone could hope to master.
Yet if he could somehow grasp it, this knowledge alone could solve one of his greatest problems, which was to find a way to escape 'The Pit' alive.
For if a secure retreat was ensured, then the only challenge that remained was reaching his brother and bringing him back in one piece.
"Do you know, boy," Motherak said after a pause, his golden gaze studying Leo intently, "how Gods themselves travel through the fourth dimension?"
Again, Leo shook his head, silently urging him to continue.
"In essence," Motherak began, "a God can move from one end of the universe to another in an instant, if he so wishes. Yet in practice, they rarely do so, for the mana cost is astronomical. You see, even a God runs out of energy mid-way through such a leap. For them, teleporting a few million miles at a time is effortless — like flicking a finger — but that is their limit. After that, they are drained, and even though they can replenish mana rapidly from the surrounding void, it still takes them a minute or two before they can make the next jump."
Leo's mind absorbed every word, carefully mapping out the difference between divine movement and what Motherak had described earlier.
"Conversely," Motherak continued, "Kings, who cannot yet manipulate the fourth dimension, traverse the void by creating a phenomenon called space tunneling. They use their mana to press against the boundaries of the third dimension, creating a temporary distortion... a narrow corridor of sorts that runs through the folds of space. And within that tunnel, every step they take equals a thousand miles outside it.
So while it is not true teleportation, it is still close enough to rival it and faster than any other mode of conventional travel, for if you start sprinting within that tunnel, you're essentially blitzing through space at unprecedented speeds."
He smiled faintly, the flickering crimson light dancing across his form. "That was how we used to travel, back when strength and will alone decided who ruled the stars."
Leo crossed his arms, his expression contemplative, already imagining the logistics behind such a feat.
"So, what you're saying is.... With this technique, I can outrun everyone below the King level?"
Leo asked, as Motherak nodded in confirmation.
"In theory, yes. But in practice, your current body will not be able to endure the mana pressure that comes with sustaining a stable tunnel. The load will rip through your circuits long before you finish the jump. Which is why you must tier up and become a nascent soul, and then store up on fast absorbing mana stones, which can help you sustain the load for the strenuous journey. While my soul fragment can help you push the boundaries of the third dimension and create that tunnel, only you can power and sustain it, which is why your mana circuits will need to be elastic and in perfect condition for you to pull this off."
Moltherak explained, as Leo finally understood the full picture.
"I see...."
He muttered as his eyes began to gleam with a renewed resolve, the earlier heaviness in his chest replaced by a spark of purpose.
Once again, the ancient dragon had given him what he needed the most, which was a way forward where there had been none.
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