On Demon Lord Island stood a towering structure resembling a futuristic cannon the Tower of Space-Time.
Its purpose was simple: to tear open the very fabric of space-time, to shatter dimensional barriers, and plunge into the great unknown.
If one were to peer down from above, they would see that the center of the tower was hollow. It looked less like a traditional tower and more like an enormous barrel of some long-range spacefaring artillery, bristling with antennas and mystical conductors.
"Mana core functioning normally. Energy converter stable..."
Deep within the tower's core, Yoru Moonshadow was conducting one final systems check. Hovering beside him was a translucent control panel his interface to operate the Tower of Space-Time.
The interface displayed seismic charts, energy fluctuations, and radar scans, all reading optimal.
Only one thing remained.
Initiating the launch sequence.
With a sweep of his hand, a new panel replaced the previous one, presenting a glowing red START button.
"Alright then "
Just as his hand was about to hit the button, he paused.
Smack!
He slapped his own face.
"Hesitating now? How pathetic."
And with that, he slammed the button.
The moment he did, the obsidian-purple mana pillars encircling him lit up. Ancient patterns flared to life along their surfaces like veins pulsing with raw power, resembling electrified conduits without insulation.
Beeeeep
A sound echoed beneath his feet. A silver-metal capsule rose up, enclosing him. From the outside, it looked like he had been sealed inside a high-tech metal sphere.
With a snap of his fingers, the outer shell turned transparent, revealing the world outside once again.
This was his custom-built protective pod, crafted from a fusion of rare ores and lost technologies, designed specifically to withstand the chaos of the Voidstorm.
Come to think of it what about the gods he expelled? Would they survive the Voidstorm?
Technically, they should. As long as they didn't stray too far from the world's edge, they wouldn't get shredded by it.
Those idiots probably clung to the border of this world, setting up some temporary little hideaway. Maybe they even found a barren mini-world to squat in.
It was like this: if the main world were Earth, then those tiny adjacent realms would be like orbiting satellites.
Rumble rumble rumble...
A deafening, thunderous vibration rumbled from below.
The ground shook. The towering structure above him expanded like an inverted umbrella made entirely of skeletal arms, stretching open slowly.
"Mana Furnaces 1 through 10 engage at max output!"
In that instant, the entire tower flared with brilliant light.
"Initiate space-time distortion matrix!"
Above the opening umbrella structure, an enormous, complex magic formation bloomed into existence like a light-based compass. Concentric rings spun wildly, some clockwise, others counterclockwise, a few flipping entirely.
Crackle!
Arcs of lightning burst into the air. A terrifying energy surge swept through the land. Every living being could feel the ominous power rising from the island.
Some thought the Demon Lord had finally decided to destroy the world.
Speaking of which hasn't he gone through 99 worlds already? Why the hell is this still such a chore?
If this were a light novel, wouldn't he have god-tier power by now and just be able to create his own worlds at will?
To that, Yoru Moonshadow could only respond: Bullshit.
Every world had a different system of power. Most of the time, you had to start from scratch.
Crackle!
Outside the pod, electricity surged around him. The sky above distorted as the magic formation twisted into a spiraling dimensional vortex, a miniature black hole drawing in light, time, and matter itself.
Beneath it, Demon Lord Island began to crack apart. The overwhelming pull was tearing the very landmass into pieces. Buildings floated upward, then vanished into the vortex one after another.
"Hehehe..."
Inside the protective pod, Yoru Moonshadow laughed like a madman.
"Come on, come on bring on world number one-hundred-a-and..."
He paused, smacked himself again.
"Don't jinx it. Don't you dare drop a Flag on yourself, idiot."
"Time to go home~"
He smiled brightly, his voice full of childlike excitement.
This was the hundredth time he had said that.
As those words fell, blinding light engulfed everything. He could see nothing. All he felt was an immense upward force.
The pod had launched. Like a bullet fired from a railgun, it shot into the vortex and disappeared.
The vortex closed behind him.
Demon Lord Island had been reduced to rubble.
As always, sealed inside his pod, Yoru Moonshadow drifted through dimensional space like a helpless astronaut ejected from a dying spaceship. No direction, no control.
But this void was far worse than deep space.
He had no idea how long he drifted.
Suddenly, the pod shook violently.
Jolts slammed into the pod repeatedly.
It was like a reentry capsule slamming into the atmosphere but worse.
This was the Voidstorm Zone, and he had to stay completely focused.
Gulp
He downed several buff potions in rapid succession.
Veins bulged. His muscles expanded slightly. His body hardened like steel. Every line of his physique was now clearly defined, a living weapon.
He felt like he could obliterate the previous world with a single punch.
It was no exaggeration. If he didn't release this power, he might explode from within.
He suited up in his specialized armor.
Its durability was comparable to the very barrier that separated worlds.
Bong... creak...
The pod groaned. The walls warped. The Voidstorm was tearing it apart.
Soon, he'd be exposed to the storm directly.
Eventually, the pod gave way, peeling apart like the shell of a boiled egg. Yoru Moonshadow once again faced the indescribable horror of the Voidstorm.
He was like a lone human walking headfirst into a sandstorm in the middle of the desert, pushing forward against winds that threatened to blow him into oblivion.
The storm's current cut into his flesh like blades.
In seconds, his armor began corroding, disintegrating into nothingness.
His flesh followed torn away by the storm, bit by bit.
Soon, only a bloodied skeleton remained, trudging forward.
"Damn it... how wide is this storm zone this time?"
He cursed.
When his bones finally gave out, all that would remain would be his soul. If that was consumed too, it was truly game over.
No wait. Not entirely.
There was still one thing left.
The Demon King's Ring on his skeletal finger. He could retreat into it to survive.
But if no one poured energy into it from the outside... how would he get out?
It was so heavy.
His soul was getting heavy.
Was this really the end?
Ah... forget it. I'm tired. Maybe it's time to rest.
Then suddenly, from somewhere in the storm, light appeared.
And something... called to him.
"This feeling...?"
His soul quivered.
Wait he didn't have a heart anymore. So what was this?
But something was calling him. A presence. A resonance.
He felt it.
And he was ecstatic.
It was the call of the otaku. The pull of Earth.
He had found it.
Inexplicably, strength surged through him. He pushed toward the light. He reached out.
And he grabbed it.
Meanwhile...
In a certain area, inside a lively exhibition hall...
A mid-sized doujin convention was in full swing. Though nowhere near the scale of Summer Comiket, the place buzzed with energy.
At one of the booths stood a circle named:
Egoistic-Lily.