Dimensional Eclipse – Chapter 12
Internal Conflict
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Scene – Within the shattered ruins, tension rising among the group
The air around the battered camp was thick with hostility. The group, still recovering from previous battles, stood glaring at each other. The faint flicker of blue aura danced around Shirou's arm as he clenched his fist, frustration written all over his face.
Shirou – "Damn it… I really can't take all of them on right now. Not after all those fights. I've taken too much damage already. Even though my recovery rate is better than most, my body's still not in a condition to use my full potential And also They're all as badly injured as I am. I didn't think these people would be so stupid as to even think about fighting in this condition, but whatever I can't show them my weakness. If things get worse, I might actually have to fight all of them. I need to make a plan first to defeat them I need to think of something… fast."
Just as the tension reached its breaking point and it seemed an all-out fight was about to erupt, someone suddenly stepped between them.
Jessica – "Enough! All of you, stop this right now! We shouldn't be fighting among ourselves here!"
Her sharp voice echoed through the area, forcing everyone to freeze for a moment.
Fernando – "But Jessica! Look at the way he's behaving! The way he talks to us—like we're nothing! He even called you… a thorn on his path!"
Jessica – "Please, Fernando… stop it."
Shru – "No way! I'm not letting that bastard walk away after this!"
Enraged, Shru stomped forward, her aura flaring violently. But before she could reach Shirou, someone grabbed her from behind—Kaede.
Kaede – "Stop it, Shru! Calm down. Take a breath. You're injured—don't forget that!"
Shru – "So what if I'm injured?! I'll smash this bastard's mouth in! Who does he think he is?! I was quietly resting, but thanks to this idiot's loudmouth, I had to wake up and listen to his nonsense! I'm not letting him go this time"
Kaede – "Shru! Just stop already!"
Shru – "Let me go, Kaede. That bastard will die by my hands today"
Kaede – "Calm down, damn it!"
Both Shirou and Noxy stood watching the chaos, equally confused.
Shirou – "What the hell are they even doing?"
Noxy – "I have no idea."
Shirou turned to Noxy, his tone sharp.
Shirou – "So what will you do now? Do you still want to fight me?"
Noxy – "No. I've already lost to you once. And also it Doesn't look like they're actually going to fight, so… whatever. Do as you please."
Shirou – "Hmph… fine then. I'm leaving."
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone froze.
Shru – "What did he just say? He's leaving?!"
Kaede – "Does he mean… alone?"
Fernando stared at Shirou silently for a few moments, his expression serious. Finally, he spoke.
Fernando – "Fine. Do what you want."
Jessica – "Fernando! How can you just let him go like that?! How will he survive alone?!"
Noxy – "Relax, Jessica. Fernando's right. And besides… it's Shirou's decision."
Noxy – "That's right, isn't it… Shirou?"
Then, his smirk faded into a cold seriousness.
Shirou – "…Yeah."
Kaede – "Don't be stupid! You can't survive out there alone. Stop acting like an idiot!"
Shirou – "Who the hell do you think you are to question my decision?"
He walked straight toward Kaede, releasing a faint burst of lightning-like aura that made the air around them tremble.
Shirou – "Stick to your own business. Don't interfere with mine. Got it?"
Kaede froze, eyes wide, fear washing over him as the sharp aura grazed his skin like a knife.
Shru – "Ugh… what a lunatic. Fine then—get lost."
Shirou – "Yeah, I'm going. Why are you all overreacting? Calm down already… bunch of idiots."
Shru – "What did you just say, you bastard?!"
Kaede – "Please! Just stop it, both of you!"
Jessica watches Shirou leave with worried, thoughtful eyes.
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Scene Shift – outside of Runes, near the monitoring station
Near the dimension wall, a few people were trying to analyze certain things using some examination machines and technical instruments.
Officer Ray – "Taku… don't you think there've been far too many incidents lately?"
Taku – "Yes, sir. You're right. In the past few months, activity inside the rifts and runes has become increasingly abnormal."
Ray – "If I recall correctly… it all began after that incident."
Taku – "You mean… Loston?"
Ray – "Yes. Loston—the city in the northern region. One of the Empire's farthest edge City"
Taku – "Wait… are you saying all these unusual occurrences started the day Loston was wiped out?"
Ray – "It's been four years. Four years since it all began. Loston—the city of commoners. It wasn't advanced like the capitals or noble regions, but it was free. No discrimination, no class system. The empire barely paid attention to it… and that's what made it such a peaceful place. But then, one day—the northern barrier collapsed. A massive monster wave swept through the entire region. And the first city to fall… was Loston."
Taku – "The strangest part is, sir… there were no signs before the wave. No aura fluctuations, no hidden labyrinths detected nearby, no visible rifts or runes. It all just… happened. Suddenly. And it wasn't just our continent. Reports say that around the same time, similar phenomena occurred in Kronos, Valstron, and other continents as well. All four years ago."
Ray – "Isn't it a little strange? When Loston was destroyed, instead of investigating it properly, the blame was shifted onto other continents, claiming it might have been Kronos's doing because there had been conflicts between Kronos and Cairo before. But what's really worth thinking about is that similar incidents also occurred in Kronos. Surely, it's not like they would do something like this within their own continent. This can only mean that there's some other reason behind all these events. Yet, instead of figuring it out, everyone is just blaming each other. That's the real joke, hahaha—they're not taking the future of all humanity seriously at all."
Taku – "Sir, don't you think… all of this is being covered up?"
Ray – "Yes. That's what it looks like."
Taku – "By the way, sir… when will this wall finally break?"
Ray – "To be honest? It won't."
Taku – "What?! But sir, you told the teachers something else!"
Ray – "Yeah, well… they were panicking too much. I had to say something to calm them down."
Taku – "But sir, if we don't do anything—"
Ray – "Relax, Taku. There's nothing we can do. You know what dimensional walls are, don't you? You can't just break them by force. To break one means to open a completely separate dimension—and only people with that level of power can do it."
Taku – "You mean…"
Ray – "yeah Double-S Class aura users."
Taku – "S–S rank… The supreme level of aura users. There are only seven of them across the entire continent—the Supreme Seven."
Ray – "Exactly. But do you really think the empire would send one of them just to help a few kids?"
Taku fell silent, realizing the grim truth.
Ray – "They won't even consider sending an S+ commander."
He leaned back, voice dropping to a colder, more cynical tone.
Ray – "Besides… all these students are from D and C classes. Almost all of them are commoners. Nobles keep their kids in A or B classes no matter how weak they are—as long as they have money and influence. Even Stellar Academy, the one known for producing the best warriors on the continent, isn't free from corruption. Commoners climb ranks through talent. Nobles climb through status and power. No matter where you go, Taku… discrimination never disappears."
Ray's eyes darkened, his tone turning heavy and chilling.
Ray – "And that's the truth. There's nothing we can do about it."
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Scene Shift – Inside the Rift
Dust and dark mist swirled around as Shirou trudged through the eerie silence. His clothes were torn, his blade still faintly glowing with residual lightning energy.
Shirou – "I don't get it… What's happening here? How did we get trapped inside this place? And that bastard Noxy—he used our fight as an opportunity to slip away. Tch… I'll hunt him down soon enough. But for now, I need to focus on finding a way out."
He stopped, narrowing his eyes as a faint memory resurfaced.
Shirou – "When I looked at Noxy's face earlier… he seemed genuinely shocked by everything that happened. Could it be… that he wasn't the one behind this? But then… why did I see guilt in his eyes when I provoked him? What the hell is he hiding?"
He sighed, shaking his head.
Shirou – "Whatever. I should just move forward."
Suddenly, he froze. Something moved in the distance. Instinctively, he slipped behind a large cracked boulder, eyes scanning the terrain.
Shirou – "What… the hell is that thing?"
A little ahead of him, he saw a strange group of creatures with two large horns and bull-like faces, but red energy was emanating from their eyes, and their bodies were quite massive.
Shirou – "Shit. A mutated type… and not just one. There's an entire group of them. I'd better take the other route."
Keeping his aura suppressed, he moved quietly through the broken houses and tilted ruins below the ridge.
Shirou – "These broken houses… they're strange. The architecture doesn't resemble anything from our world. What the hell are houses like these doing inside a forbidden rune?"
Then, he caught sight of movement—small figures with greenish skin and sharp claws.
Shirou – "Huh? Goblins? A small horde… maybe ten of them at most."
A smirk crept across his face.
Shirou – "Heh. Well, guess I found my warm-up."
He cracked his knuckles, lightning flickering around him.
Shirou – "Goblins are usually E-rank. I can handle them easily. Although killing these won't give me any real benefit, it's good enough for a warm-up. Besides, I'm not going to find any monster cores here. Monster cores are usually found inside high-grade monsters—maybe from B to S grade, and in rare cases, even C-grade monsters. The stronger the monster, the more powerful its core. If a D-level peak aura user like me were to absorb an S-grade monster core, I would instantly jump from D to B level. Truly, finding an S-grade core is no less than hitting a jackpot—but it's far beyond my current capabilities."
With that, Shirou dashed forward—lightning crackling as he struck the first goblin cleanly through the chest.
Shirou – "That's one."
He spun, slicing another across the throat.
Shirou – "And two."
A goblin tried to run.
Shirou – "Running, huh? Not so fast."
His blade flashed, and the creature dropped lifelessly. One after another, he cut them down with sharp, precise movements—his lightning aura flashing through the shadows.
A satisfied smile lingered on Shirou's face; even after so many fights, he still had so much aura energy left, which was truly commendable. But Shirou was completely unaware of the fact that something was behind him, watching him—its deep red eyes fixed intently on Shirou.
Through the some broken houses, two red eyes emerged.
A monstrous figure stepped out—covered in slimy, dark scales, tendrils writhing around its body.
It was the same tentacled monster Shirou had fought before— B-rank monster.
Chapter 12 – End