Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 - Chapter 1019

Chapter 1019: Gone

Alice bit her lip, her expression darkening further. She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. Her father was powerful, but he was not above the collective will of the Middle Domain’s rulers. In the end, her disagreement would have been drowned out, ignored like a ripple in a vast ocean.

Yet her heart remained heavy. She could only hope Max wouldn’t grow to hate the Four God Nation for this. She knew him too well. She knew his stubbornness, his refusal to bend, his burning pride that refused to forgive betrayal. And that was what this felt like to him—betrayal.

Alice lowered her gaze, her fists tightening at her sides. She had forced her father to bring her along on this journey. She couldn’t sit idly by, not after everything that had happened. When news of the Valora Continent reached her ears, she had cried for days. The memories of that place cut into her like knives.

Valora had been different. It wasn’t like the Four God Nation, where every smile carried calculation, where every “friendship” came with strings attached to her identity as the princess of the Phoenix God Nation. In Valora, she had found real friends. People who laughed with her, ate with her, teased her—without ever caring about her background. Without bowing or flattering or treating her like porcelain.

And now… all of them were gone. Slaughtered. Burned out of existence.

Her chest ached as she thought of Max. If it hurt her this much, what must it have done to him? He had lived there. He had grown up with those people, fought for them, bled for them. He had lost everything.

Because she understood that, she understood the state Max must be in now. His rage, his despair, his guilt—they weren’t difficult for her to imagine. That was why she couldn’t stay behind. That was why she had insisted on coming.

No matter what happened, she had to be there. For him.

The delegation of the Phoenix God Nation was escorted through the glittering corridors of the imperial palace until they arrived before the Hall of Elders. The hall itself was vast and majestic, its ceiling lined with golden arches and its walls etched with runes of protection and authority. A dozen figures were already waiting within—Emperor Hermes himself at the forefront, along with the seated elders of the Great Ruler Empire.

As Aden Fireborne and his entourage stepped inside, every elder stood in unison, their voices echoing together in solemn greeting.

“Welcome, Grandmaster Aden.”

Their respect was evident not just in their words but in the slight bow of their heads.

Lady Divine, however, did not rise. She remained seated in her chair at the side, her slender fingers delicately holding a porcelain cup of tea. She sipped leisurely, unbothered, her calm eyes sweeping over the newcomers. Princess Lyra stood near her, but unlike Lady Divine, her face was clouded, her expression dark and uneasy.

Aden Fireborne, the crimson-haired ruler of the Phoenix God Nation, nodded faintly at the greeting. His presence burned with quiet authority, the aura of one who commanded nations. “Hmm. Hermes… Divine. Take me to Max,” he said evenly, his deep voice carrying no excess emotion.

Lady Divine set down her cup with a soft clink. “Are you still angry that we chose this course of action?” she asked, her tone light, almost teasing. “You were the only one who stood against it.”

Aden’s expression didn’t shift, his calm unbroken. He shook his head. “I still don’t believe caging him until the Heavenly Lord Secret Domain opens is the right choice. But what’s done is done. The decision was unanimous. I was one voice against thousands, and my protest meant nothing.”

“Oh?” Lady Divine arched a brow, her calmness faltering for just a breath. She had expected fiery resistance, but his composure surprised her. “Well, in that case… let us go to Max.”

The group moved together through the winding halls. The room assigned to Max wasn’t far from the Hall of Elders—deliberately chosen for convenience. And though he had been confined within Lady Divine’s red cubic prison, the chamber itself was arranged luxuriously, without chains, guards, or visible security. It was a concession meant to soften the weight of imprisonment, a trick to make him feel less like a prisoner.

Lady Divine was the first to step inside, her white robes brushing against the polished floor. Aden followed closely, his daughter Alice at his side, with Hermes and the other elders trailing behind.

But the moment they entered, everyone froze.

The room was empty.

The bed was neatly made. The floor was spotless. The walls hummed faintly with residual energy, but there was no trace of Max, Lenavira, or Blob. It was as though they had vanished into thin air.

Aden’s brows furrowed sharply. “Huh? Where is he?” His calm tone cracked for the first time, his eyes scanning the chamber with piercing focus.

Lyra’s hands clenched at her sides, her heart dropping. “How… how is this possible? I was here last night! He was here. He was right here. How could he just disappear?” Her voice was tight with disbelief, panic seeping through.

Hermes’s expression grew grave, but it was Lady Divine whose face changed the most. Her usual serenity shattered as her gaze fell upon the corner of the room where her cubic prison had once stood. The faintest traces of broken runes lingered there, flickering like dying embers.

Her face darkened, her lips tightening into a thin line. “He is gone,” she said coldly, her voice low and sharp.

The room went silent. Every eye turned toward her.

“What do you mean, gone?” Aden demanded, his red hair flicking as he straightened, his voice heavy with authority. The elders too leaned forward, unease thickening in the air.

Lady Divine’s eyes narrowed, her jaw tense. Each word was spat with rare ugliness. “Max… has escaped.”

“Escaped? Are you kidding me?” Emperor Hermes scoffed, his voice echoing sharply in the empty chamber. His expression twisted with disbelief as he turned toward Lady Divine. “Your runes are the strongest in the entire world. Stronger than any runes, stronger than any binding technique. Even if I were to be locked inside one of your prisons, I would find myself completely helpless. And you’re telling me Max—at his current level—simply broke free? Impossible. He isn’t strong enough to shatter your runic prison.”

Lady Divine didn’t reply immediately. She remained seated where she was, her usually serene expression faintly clouded. Her gaze wandered across the room, settling on the faint traces of broken runes etched into the ground where the red cube had once stood. Her silence was telling—her mind clearly turning back to something Max had said long ago.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!