Chapter 443: Mysterious Portal In The Abyss

Caelus gave Frieza a rough account of their time outside the Abyss. Throughout the explanation, Frieza kept trying to measure the power coming from him.

"So the power you have right now belongs to a Lesser God?"

"Yes, and you’re at that level too because of your bond with the Abyss."

With that cleared up, Caelus could finally ask about the people they had left behind.

"I take it you kept everyone safe?"

"Of course I did. Now that you’ve removed the Watcher and the Reset Rule, I can finally bring them back."

Frieza waved his hand to undo the seals, and worlds began appearing throughout the darkness. Among them was Azure Origin Planet.

"They were frozen while you were gone. For them, not even a day has passed since you left."

"Good, that’s just the way it should be."

Caelus searched the planet for Brenda and old man Welt. He also wanted to see Rachel Sterling and Albert, who had remained his friend even when everyone mocked his talent.

Sylvia was already urging him toward the world below.

"Let’s go. I’ve waited almost a year to see my brother."

They swiftly descended onto Azure Origin Planet, where Caelus located the others and snapped his fingers.

[Skill Activated: Origin Lock.]

He severed the space separating them and brought everyone to his side. Brenda arrived with Welt and Rachel, followed by Albert and Leonard.

Sylvia rushed into her brother’s arms and held him tightly. Tears gathered in her eyes as Leonard returned the hug without understanding what had upset her.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen outside?"

"I just missed you."

"You were gone for less than a day. What did you two get yourselves into?"

Leonard frowned at Caelus over her head as though expecting him to explain. Caelus smiled at the reunion, though the others were more concerned with his changed appearance.

"Why do you look so different?" Welt asked. "You look nothing like you did a day ago."

Rachel and Albert waited for his answer too. Caelus sighed at the thought of explaining the time difference all over again.

"It’s been a long journey. Less than a day passed for you, but we’ve been gone for a year."

Albert struggled to make sense of that answer.

"Did you somehow lose track of days on your way back?"

"I wish that was the problem. Come on, we should sit down for this."

A wave of his hand brought them into the mansion Welt had gifted him. Everything was still where Caelus remembered it, making his long absence feel even stranger.

Rachel examined their new surroundings in disbelief.

"You moved all of us without even opening a passage?"

"It’s easier than it looks now."

Severing the concepts of space made the move simple enough, but explaining that would lead to another round of questions. He still needed to bring one more person over for the conversation.

With another snap of his fingers, City Lord Leon appeared in the room.

"Caelus? How did I get here?"

"Sorry for bringing you over so suddenly. This is going to be a long story."

Sylvia sat beside Leonard and helped Caelus explain their journey. Welt asked questions throughout the account while Brenda listened closely to what they had discovered about their world.

As they reached the truth about the Abyss and its resets, the questions stopped. Brenda was the first to speak again.

"All of that happened while we were frozen? And the Reset Rule is really gone?"

"I removed it before Frieza released the seals. You don’t have to live with that hanging over you anymore."

Welt rose from his seat as he tried to take in the news.

"To think our world was like this all along. I wouldn’t have believed it if anyone else told me."

Caelus also had news for Leon, who had listened closely whenever they mentioned their companions.

"Mia is with us too. She’s safe in the Tier 2 World."

"Thank you for looking after her. I’d like to hear about this Tier 2 World from her as well."

Leon settled back into his seat with a nod. Once the explanation was over, Caelus took everyone above the planet to show them what his new rank meant.

His power enclosed them as they left the atmosphere. Then he released a little of his pressure and felt their breathing turn strained almost at once.

Albert struggled to draw a breath while Leonard reached for Sylvia. Caelus immediately withdrew the pressure and chose a distant barren planet for the next demonstration.

[Skill Activated: Origin Lock.]

He snapped his fingers and severed the concepts holding it together. A blinding flash lit up the darkness as the planet broke apart and scattered into countless fragments.

That settled any doubts about the power he had described. Rachel was still watching the remains when he brought them back to the mansion.

"Stay here for now. I’ll take you to the real world soon, but there’s something I need to check first."

Sylvia remained with her brother while Caelus visited the places he had once called home. He searched for anything his parents might have left behind when they disappeared.

According to Leon, they had vanished in a golden light. Jude Kross’s damaged message had urged him to reach Crown Rank, yet he was already well past that point without finding them.

His parents in the Tier 2 World were not the pair he was searching for now. The ones who had lived here in the Abyss were still missing.

He searched through the old rooms and extended his senses beneath the surrounding ground. There was nothing to follow even after he widened the search, so he eventually returned to the skies empty-handed.

Frieza was watching over the restored worlds when Caelus reached him.

"You’ve really outdone yourself. I knew I hadn’t chosen wrongly."

Caelus barely heard the praise because his search had picked up something unusual. Several hidden connections stretched through the Abyss toward places beyond the space-time he knew.

"What is that place?"

Tracing them farther revealed the same signature in every passage. They led to a shared destination and were sealed together, which meant cutting one would open them all.

He called Sylvia over and explained the discovery to her and Frieza.

"Hidden portals?" Frieza asked. "I’ve been here all this time and never sensed anything like that."

"They’re buried deep enough that I nearly missed them too. You wouldn’t find these under normal circumstances and have a higher level of Origin Lock like me."

It was clear Frieza’s Origin Lock wasn’t under the amplifications his Origin Lock was under from reaching God-Rank.

Frieza searched the area he indicated and nodded in agreement.

"Do you know where they lead?"

"Not yet, but we’re going to investigate. Stay here and keep an eye on everyone."

Sylvia accompanied Caelus to the nearest connection. As they approached, he wondered if his parents had used one of these passages to leave the Abyss.

[Skill Activated: Origin Lock.]

He carefully cut into the shared seal and opened a narrow gap. Golden light poured through it and spread across the darkness around them.

The color immediately reminded him of Leon’s account of the light that consumed his parents of the abyss. He tried to look through the opening, only to feel a powerful force pulling him toward it.

WHOOSH!

Sensing it, Caelus grabbed Sylvia’s hand and tried to move away with her. Despite their efforts, the pull dragged them straight toward the opening.

The golden light filled his vision as the passage swallowed them both.