A Sorcerer's Journey 267 Ea

"Sir, the ancient ruins are located within this world's fragment, close to the humongous creature that was connected to the stigmata key that you gave me."
Grimm reached out his palm. In the middle, a violet key levitated quietly.
Although they were both world fragments, the mysterious realm of Black Isotta was many times larger than Grimm's Demon-Hunter Castle. For an official sorcerer, the word 'boundless' would be the most suitable description.
"Huh...right under my eyelids?"
The old sorcerer lifted his hand and took the stigmata key from Grimm's hand. In Grimm's eyes, although the old sorcerer merely took a small step, he felt as though the world was about to undergo a violent transformation.
It was as if, at this very moment, a tempest was about to storm down and distort the flow of time.
The world surrounding Grimm started to blur. There was a sense that all matter was being washed away by time, leaving only a trail of shadows. Beyond the framework of the world's principles, the elemental forces that were tumbling around started to become very 'sticky'.
This was a very different world.
Within such a peculiar world, Grimm and Peranos, under the guidance of the Black Isotta sorcerer had embarked on a journey across the sticky elemental forces against the flow of time.
The endless dark oceans, the wide fields, and twisted dim forests…
After a short ten minutes or so, Grimm and Peranos, led by the Black Isotta sorcerer passed through the distance barrier of the mysterious Black Isotta realm and reached a Golden Breedsnot Fruit Tree that towered at a few hundred meters high.
"Master!"
At the peak of the Golden Breedsnot Tree was a huge bird's nest housing a gigantic bird measuring over thirty meters long. When the huge ball of a bird extended its wings, it had a wingspan of over fifty meters, a size that seemed to be able to block out the sun's rays.
There was a red comb on the head of the huge bird. Underneath it grew a single eye located in the middle of its forehead, looking absolutely awkward and out of place.
There were severed heads packed tightly around Its round plump body, wailing and lamenting endlessly. The heads appeared briefly from the unfeathered parts of the bird. It was a grotesquely disgusting sight.
Even for an official sorcerer like Grimm, the monstrous bird was a formidable enemy that was no match for him. The energy in the monster alone was enough to have Grimm in despair and hopelessness.
Yet, at this very moment, the huge bird was shivering on the grounds where the old sorcerer stood. It didn't even dare to raise its head.
The Black Isotta sorcerer paid no heed to the soul slave, just like Grimm who wouldn't even look at the Amonro slaves back then.
The Black Isotta returned the key back to Grimm and asked, "What now?"
Grimm was already stunned by the Black Isotta's spell. At the same time, he had some kind of epiphany: was that the one-eighteenth of a second?

One-eighteenth of a second was something that Grimm discovered while studying the Destructive Forces after he had become an official sorcerer.
An official sorcerer could sense the slightest loss of time. Hence, when Grimm was researching the power of Destructive Forces, he was able to discover some of its principles using the time measurement unit of one-eighteenth of a second and its corresponding theory.
But just now, it felt…
Perhaps, in the eyes of a great Stigmata Sorcerer, one-eighteenth of a second was their true measurement of time!
Could this be the difference in the hierarchy of life between a common being and a Stigmata Sorcerer who had undergone their second evolution?
An official sorcerer would have a longer lifespan and his views would have been more farsighted after he'd evolved from a sorcerer-apprentice. Had the Stigmata Sorcerer, under the same core but enhanced principles, slowed the passage of time?
When he recalled about the Shadow World, specifically the scene where the Enigmatic Prophet massacred the low-leveled sorcerers…
The low-level sorcerers had no chance to block or dodge the prophet's attacks. The Enigmatic Prophet was as swift as the shadows; those who were brushed by it suffered severe wounds while those who came into direct contact of him died instantly!
Perhaps there was some truth to Grimm's deductions.
Grimm snapped out from his stunned expression as he heard Black Isotta's question. He exhaled a long breath and recalled in his memory. Grimm pointed at a direction to the left in front of them and said, "My memories are a little faint, but it should be in that direction."
"No problem, we can walk around, there is no rush."
The surrounding space was still collapsing endlessly. After the Black Isotta's replies, seven or eight Golden Breedsnot Fruits fell on their legs. After giving some to Peranos and Grimm, he took a fruit for himself. Gulp! As he bit into the fruit, juice squirted everywhere.
"Wa…"
The Golden Breedsnot fruit at the hands of the Black Isotta sorcerer let out a cry like a baby. After a moment, it turned silent.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
In an utterly casual manner, the old sorcerer finished the golden fruit in a few large bites. He even swallowed the pits.
The scene made Grimm think of a creature that was on top of its food chain, chomping down every living being under it without a care.
This was the primal evolutionary principle of a higher creature consuming all that stood beneath it in order to break through the next tier of evolution.
It was no wonder that all creatures which were Level 4 and above were known as the World Lords!
Common sense would suggest that such monstrosity could only be born after feeding off the world's own nutrition.
Wah…
At one point, the Golden Breedsnot Fruits at the hands of Grimm and Peranos as well as the fruits that remained on the giant tree cried out in unison as if the world was about to come to an end. That still didn't stop them from being eaten.
The giant bird that guarded the tree didn't even dare raise its head.
After taking in some more fruits, the old sorcerer was satisfied and stopped eating. As he looked toward Peranos and Grimm who hadn't managed to take a liking to the fruit, he asked, "What... you don't like these snacks?"
"Umm, Tower Master, I would prefer it if Alice had sliced it into thin pieces so that I could enjoy them slowly." Master Peranos tried to force a smile.
Grimm was caught off-guard, his face deathly pale. He too tried to smile. "I'd prefer them to be squeezed into juice."
"Whatever."
The old sorcerer didn't bother Peranos and Grimm anymore. Just when Grimm thought they were about to continue on their journey, the old sorcerer swiped at the air with his finger. In a painful shriek, the huge bird that had been creeping on the ground was drawn toward the Black Isotta sorcerer!
This…
What's going on?
Shriek!
The huge bird was growling in fear. Suddenly, a black rift opened up in the dimmed sky, revealing rows and rows of tightly-packed circular teeth. It was actually a huge mouth of an unknown lifeform!
The gigantic bird was sucked into the mouth like jello without a hint of resistance.
Crunch… crunch… crunch...
The mouth, filled to the brim with teeth, opened and closed as it chewed continuously. There were the grisly sounds of bones being crushed and scraped against each other. Occasionally, green-colored blood would drip and squirt from the mouth's crevice and fall to the ground.
The gigantic bird that was alive mere moments ago was killed by the great yet cruel Black Isotta sorcerer…
Grimm could not help it. The hairs behind his neck stood up. There was a layer of cold sweat on his back.
Beneath the Mask of Truth, Grimm's face was so pale, you could even call it lifeless.
At this moment, Grimm, who was standing behind the great sorcerer, finally felt it—the fear that came oozing out from each of his cells, terrified by the unstoppable great being that could consume him whole.
The terror that it had wrought upon Grimm made him feel a sense of instinctive fear that permeated throughout his body. His body couldn't help but start to shiver.
Crunch...crunch...crunch…
After the mouth in the air had chewed for a while, it gradually came to a stop. A sense of satisfaction poured out from it as it slowly disappeared from view.
Black Isotta was about to leave when he remembered something. He turned toward Grimm, and regrettably muttered, "Umm, it probably saw that the bird was getting too plump and ate it out of greed. But don't worry little one, the contract of the Stigmata Key is still in effect. I will get you another slave and arrange for enough magical reserves for it to descend three times upon the sorcerer's world."
The old sorcerer didn't even care that Grimm had already used up the Stigmata Key once.
Grimm could only feel cold shivers running up his body. He tried not to be too obvious about it. He then thanked the sorcerer in a low voice.
Due to the collapsing space around Black Isotta's surroundings, Grimm couldn't even get to within three meters of the sorcerer to get a hold of his expressions. But he could feel that the sorcerer was laughing.
After letting out such a bizarre expression, the old sorcerer flew toward the direction pointed out by Grimm.
This time around, the sorcerers merely flew at a normal sorcerer's speed. For Black Isotta, it was an after-dinner stroll.
Grimm and Peranos followed his lead after storing away the Golden Breedsnot Fruits.

Chapter end