[VOID VORTEX HAS BEEN ACTIVATED!]
Immediately, a 10-meter diameter Void vortex appeared.
Ryuk maintained his stance, his will spreading outward, while Antares watched the swirling dark mass morph from a portal shape into something more fluid, liquid darkness rapidly spreading over the entire ship.
It wrapped around Antares' leg, though he couldn't physically feel its existence.
Yet, he could sense the horrifying pull—an unseen force trying to drag him somewhere else.
But with sheer power, he endured, remaining firmly on his feet.
"How you holding up, Void?" Ryuk's voice rang out.
He stayed in place, head raised, glancing toward Void, who stood among the swirling chaos.
The vortex consumed it up to the ankles, yet it remained rooted, unmoved—thanks to its control over Void energy.
"And... did you just turn the Void vortex into a liquid state? How did you even pull that off?" the panther asked, impressed, staring at the fluid vortex.
"It should be a hundred times simpler for you... If you'd stop lecherously snuggling in bosoms all day..." he teased, earning a theatrical eye-roll from the cat.
Void stretched out a paw, a small vortex condensing at the tip.
Ryuk watched as the vortex twisted and flickered like dancing black flames for a few seconds.
Then, its circular shape shattered, scattering into darkness that slithered along its paw like a living glove.
It flowed across Void's form, and Ryuk's jaw slackened when he realized it wasn't just Void's aura.
It was the vortex itself, compressed into a liquid form and reshaped entirely.
Void had mimicked his ability, shifted the Void vortex into a fluid, and given it new form.
"So... um, what were you saying again?" the panther asked with a cocky tilt of the head. Read full story at novel•fire.net
"On a second thought, I take it back," Ryuk admitted with a sigh, prompting a satisfied huff from the feline.
"You can hold this for long, right?" Antares asked as he arrived beside Ryuk, who nodded.
"Yeah, I should be able to..."
"Okay, I'll send the message for them to continue moving," he said.
A device appeared in his hand, and he quickly sent the command.
A couple of seconds later, the ship's engines hummed beneath their feet as movement resumed.
Slowly and cautiously, they entered a chaotic spread of hanging celestial bodies, maneuvering carefully through the cracks between warped realities.
They were truly inside now.
Ryuk could feel it—countless forces pulling at him from all directions.
Sometimes, it felt like his body weighed an extra 10,000 kilos.
Other times, he felt lighter than air, almost floating off the back of the ship.
Antares was steady as stone, though he occasionally stumbled, unable to fully suppress the effects. Even so, he was clearly resisting well.
Every so often, his hand would shoot out to pull Ryuk's legs back to the ground, keeping him grounded.
But when Ryuk turned to look at Void, he was momentarily speechless.
The Void Cat had completely enveloped itself in its Void vortex, leaving only its maw exposed, likely just to flash him that mocking grin.
"Keep at it, keep at it. You're doing well, Ryuk.." Void said, his tone a mix of amusement and mockery as he glanced sideways at Ryuk, who gritted his teeth before turning to Antares.
"Ask them to speed up," he said.
Immediately, Antares sent another message, and the trio soon felt the ship's speed increase.
The ship—fully encased in a liquefied Void vortex—tore through the space between black holes and the collapsing boundaries of reality.
As they moved faster, Ryuk realized that speeding up was the best option.
It allowed them to pass through the fluctuating gravitational effects quickly, minimizing prolonged exposure.
But that also meant facing multiple distorted reality rules at once, resulting in a sharp increase in strain as he struggled to hold the Void vortex together.
Seconds turned to minutes.
Minutes turned to hours.
And hours began to feel like days, as the ship continued its journey.
A few new figures appeared aboard the ship, standing near Ryuk, Antares, and Void.
They were shimmering robotic beings, seemingly coated in a layer of techno-energy, their designs far beyond this world.
They were the Defense Technoguards—three of them—summoned by Ryuk to help shield the trio from the worst of the effects.
They were doing a solid job. A dome of techno-energy quickly formed around the trio.
Void eventually had to assist, too, as the fractured rules of reality kept tearing parts of his vortex.
He had to constantly patch them back together, just as Ryuk had warned might happen.
When Ryuk looked at the cat, a satisfied smile crept across his face.
That arrogant grin Void had been wearing earlier was now long gone, replaced with a sharp, focused expression.
Even the mighty Void Panther, a prodigy at manipulating Void, was clearly struggling due to the energy being consumed.
"And when exactly are we going to get out of this place? Or is this how it's going to be forever?" Void eventually snapped at Antares, who was checking the device.
The big guy shot him a 'What's that got to do with me?"'look.
"What? Tired already?" Ryuk teased, glancing at the cat, who snorted.
"In your dreams, goof. I've just got important things to do with my time."
"Heck, how long has this been going on... a year!?" Void exclaimed, turning to Antares, who checked the device before replying.
"Just 79 hours, 43 minutes, and 52 seconds..." he said calmly.
Void nodded but then asked,
"And how long will it continue...?"
"27,550 hours, 59 minutes, and 8 seconds..." Antares replied with a bright smile.
Void's exhausted expression immediately collapsed into one of pure despair.
But it wasn't only him—even Ryuk's head shot up in alarm.
"For real?" he asked, earning loud laughter from Antares.
"Look at your faces! Hehehe."
"No. You only need to hold on for 25 more hours, and we should be out."
"That's what Elder Celine wrote, by the way..." He added, causing both Ryuk and Void to exhale in relief.
At least the gruesome experience of holding a skill active for as long as three days was almost over.