In a process that was quickly becoming instinctual at this point, I was already halfway out of my Vigor Heavy Armor and into my Grace Light Armor beside me, seconds after identifying the black swarm in the sky as a squad of gunships.

  “Galia, sweetie, why don’t you come down here for a tasty treat?” I said the moment my Grace suit closed in around me, the sudden crippling weakness replaced by the absolute high that was having my Grace boosted 1400-something points. I’d never get used to that, no matter how many times I experienced it.

  The unwitting chick fluttered into my arms, cooing expectantly.

  “That’s a good girl,” I said, stashing her in my inventory only after I pulled out an [Uncommon] soul crystal for her to munch on. I wasn’t cruel.

  “It might be best if I stored you as well,” I said, turning to Aerion.

  Soaked in sweat and blood even as she was, I couldn’t help but admire how utterly gorgeous this girl was as she bit her lip and shook her head. “No. I wish to learn as much as I can about this place. In your inventory, I see and hear nothing. I’d rather you carry me in your arms,” she said, looking somewhat bashful.

  “No problem,” I said with a grin, scooping her off her feet. “We’re gonna be moving fast, so make sure you hang on.”

  Her grip tightened around my neck and I folded space, hurtling myself down most of the way to the base of the radio tower before falling the rest of the way, bounding away at max speed the moment my boots touched the grass.

  Which was pretty damn fast, given the insane Grace boost this suit granted me.

  The zombies from earlier were everywhere, and the streets were just as infested as before, forcing me to slow down and pick my path.

  The crucial difference, of course, was that they no longer pursued us and probably wouldn’t unless we got really close.

  The zombies weren’t the only things we had to worry about. From the skeletons and the tentacled eldritch beings that controlled them to roving bands of armored velociraptors with machine guns strapped onto their backs, there were plenty of horrors to avoid.

  Thankfully, they stuck to the streets, allowing me to bound across the residential rooftops with relative ease.

  Despite my best efforts, the din of the heli rotors grew louder and louder until it rattled windows and whipped the air around us into a frenzy. These guys were flying low, and it amazed me how loud helicopters could be up close.

  I broke through the door of a nearby house—a single-story, older Japanese-style home—and ducked inside. Aerion and I crouched, scanning the skies to see if the helicopters would change course or land.

  The sound got so loud I thought they were about to land on our roof, but just as I prepared to bail, they flew on by, not even slowing.

  Aerion and I watched them get smaller and smaller in the sky, heading for the radio tower we’d just come from.

  Either we’d lost them, or we weren’t their targets in the first place.

  It wasn’t long before the whooping sound of the rotors faded away completely.

  “I think we’re safe,” I said.

  Aerion hummed, distracted. “Oh yes. But what fascinating machines those are. How do they function?”

  I chuckled. “With a helluva lot of technology,” I said.

  “They do not use magic to fly in such a way?”

  “It’s pretty magical in its own way, but no. Earth has no magic,” I said. “Still, don’t let that fool you. You saw what that tank did to you firsthand, and trust me. You do not want to be on the receiving end of the munitions those things can deploy. Some of their weapons make that tank shell look like a child’s toy.”

  “Incredible,” Aerion said, her eyes widening into saucers. “And again, all without magic. What a marvel your world must be.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re living it,” I said, sweeping an arm around. “You’re looking at one of the most technologically advanced cities on the planet.”

  Aerion finally swept her gaze across the old house around us, and I scratched my neck. “Well, maybe not this particular house,” I admitted. “Don’t worry. If Tokyo’s as intact as it seems to be, you’ll see plenty more where those helicopters came from.”

  “No, it’s not that,” she said, staring intently at the walls. “It’s just… this material. Does it not seem odd to you?”

  I glanced at the plaster and drywall. “Pretty similar to what you’d see on Axius, I think. Though modern architecture uses all sorts of materials, so you’ll see some variety.”

  Aerion frowned, shaking her head. “No, it’s not that. This is Valenwood, is it not?”

  I blinked. “Come again?”

  She ran a hand along one of the timbers. “Indeed. It’s Valenwood. There can be no mistake.”

  I leaned closer, ready to argue, but paused. Embedded in the wood were faint blue-gold sparkles. Clearly something abnormal, and definitely not of regular Earth construction.

  “Okay, that’s weird,” I admitted.

  “And look at this metal,” she continued, running her finger over the bedroom desk. “Is this not Voidsteel?”

  That, I had seen before. I crouched beside her, brushing my hand along the metal frame, full of suspicion, but there was no denying that luster. That unique sheen. “You’re right. It is. And pure, too.”

  I thought back to the endless work it took just to mine a handful of that stuff. If every metal object here was made of the stuff, they’d have to have used tons of it. Glancing out the window, I realized the steel-reinforced buildings all around us might be the same.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, shit.”

  “This place is practically a playground for you,” Aerion said, grinning.

  “You got that right. If even these old houses have Voidsteel mixed in…” My mind spun. What about the Skytree? Or any of the other modern towers? If those things were made with this stuff…

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Hundreds of tons of exotic material. Just sitting there. Waiting. Not to mention the abandoned cars that were everywhere…

  I grabbed the nearest metal desk and tossed it into my inventory. I had the space, and with my Mythril forge, I could melt it down at my leisure.

  “We should get going,” I said.

  “Have you any idea of where?”

  That was a good question. “Well, first we need to figure out where we are, exactly. I’ve never been to Tokyo, but uh, several of the games I played were set here.”

  “Oh?” Aerion said, raising an eyebrow. “How convenient.”

  “Yeah, well,” I said, scratching my cheek. “Japanese culture is pretty big in my world. Anyway, I couldn’t tell you the streets like a local, but I at least know the major landmarks. If we can find one, we’ll know which direction to head. Our priority should be reaching Tokyo Tower to link up with Richard and Arianna as soon as possible.”

  Aerion nodded. “If every night promises more monsters like those we fought, their abilities will prove invaluable,” Aerion said. “Especially Richard’s.”

  “Exactly,” I nodded. “That heart-bursting trick of his could be a godsend.”

  With the monsters having lost their aggression, travel was noticeably faster. Holding Aerion in my arms, I covered ground quickly, and before long, the residential blocks began to give way to more densely urban scenery.

  The buildings grew taller, smaller, and more dense. And it wasn’t long before we found something suitable.

  That was one of the nice things about Japan. Unlike the U.S., zoning laws here allowed businesses, apartments, and schools to coexist within close proximity. You were never more than a stone’s throw from a mall, café, or convenience store.

  I noticed the vending machines, too, lined up at nearly every corner, just like the real thing. Whoever or whatever force was behind this Cataclysm had done their research.

  Either that, or there was another, far more sinister explanation for all this.

  I shook my head. That was something I didn’t even want to consider. Not until there was overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

  It wasn’t long before we came upon a massive ten-story building. A mall, by the looks of it.

  “This looks familiar,” Aerion said. “It reminds me of the dungeon entrance.”

  “Structures like these are a dime a dozen in every major city. Space is at a premium in my world, forcing us to build up instead of out.”

  “How fascinating,” Aerion replied as we stepped through the shattered glass doors. “Buildings tend to be taller in Regulus as well.”

  The ground floor was lined with jewelry stores, clothing boutiques, and the occasional café. Absolutely typical for a mall. Nostalgic in a way it had no right to be.

  “Let’s head for the escalator,” I said shakily, struggling to push through the intense pang of longing that suddenly assaulted me. “There’s usually a roof deck on the top floor. It’ll give us a good vantage point. But keep an eye out for monsters.”

  Aerion nodded, though her wide eyes told me her attention was anywhere but on potential danger. “What is the purpose of this place? Does it serve your nobility?”

  “Nope!” I laughed. “Nobility isn’t really a thing back on Earth. This is for the common folk. Anyone with a little spare cash can shop here, and with credit cards, you can even spend money you don’t have!”

  “But such luxury,” she murmured. “You mean to say everyone in your world was this wealthy?”

  “Not quite,” I said with a wry smile. “That’s the thing about modern life. It lets you live better than most kings ever did. Groceries from all over the world, in any season, all just around the block. More conveniences than anyone on Axius could dream of. All of humanity’s collective knowledge at your fingertips. Anytime, anywhere. It all comes down to perspective, I suppose.”

  “It sounds perfect,” Aerion said wistfully, peering into a clothing store display.

  I chuckled. “I hadn’t meant it to come across that way, but I wonder what an average person on Earth would say upon coming to Axius.”

  They’d probably realize the value of all the stuff we took for granted pretty damn quick.

  When Aerion only half replied, I added, “We can come back later. Not like anyone’s going to mind a few missing dresses. But I’m pretty sure anything we take from here will vanish when we leave the dungeon.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” she said, looking disappointed.

  “But I might be able to Initialize a few pieces if you like.”

  Her eyes lit up again, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Stuff like this wouldn’t even count as [Uncommon]. I could Initialize a dozen or more without breaking a sweat. Besides, I can always Uninitialize it when we’re out.”

  In more ways than one, I was beginning to understand just how much of a cheat-level Blessing I’d obtained. Which only made me more nervous about the other Champions. If my Blessing allowed me this much versatility, what did Eskil’s give him?

  We fell silent a moment, but I soon broke it. “No, Aerion, my world isn’t perfect. Far from it. We might live better than anyone in history, but it came at the cost of identity and privacy. We burned through our planet’s resources instead of coexisting with it, and now we all breathe polluted air, shortening our lifespans.

  “We have plastic in our bodies, and the only ones who win are the people at the very top. You live like a king, but when everyone’s a king, no one is. You’re just one face among billions. Never able to make a difference. Never able to do anything that matters.”

  “I see,” Aerion said softly. “Still, I wonder if that is not so different from Axius. It is only those who seek out opportunity—and risk their lives—who rise above.”

  “I suppose,” I said, not wanting to dwell on it. Thinking about Earth always brought up a mess of mixed feelings. Sure, it had its marvels, but compared to what I had now? Who I had? One glance at Aerion was all the proof I needed. Even without my cellphones and my internet and my AI, I was happier here. Or maybe it was exactly because I didn’t have that stuff that I felt this way.

  “Come on. Let’s head for the roof.”

  While the mall was mostly empty, I did hear faint echoes somewhere in the distance on a few of the floors. After the hell that was last night, we didn’t dare risk exploring every floor. Instead, we made a beeline for the top.

  As I’d expected, the roof opened into a sprawling area. This one was themed like a gorgeous Japanese garden, with manicured trees, koi ponds, arched wooden bridges, and shrubs trimmed to perfection.

  A little slice of paradise perched above the chaos that was Tokyo. Aerion couldn’t help herself; she darted across the bridges, laughing as she took it all in.

  I took a few moments to just lean against the railing to soak in that view. Some people hated cityscapes, but I’d never felt that way. The endless sea of concrete and steel was a testament to human creation. Something unique in the universe. A miracle of probability and time.

  The gray ocean was broken only by the occasional park here and there. Knowing what I did about Tokyo’s size, though, even with the excellent visibility in the absence of the morning fog, what I could see—even from this high vantage—was just a tiny sliver of the whole metropolis.

  That was when I noticed the sphere.

  The sphere that floated hundreds of feet above every other building, just below the lowest clouds, at the very core of the city. It was so small, I hadn’t noticed it at first, but the thing was unmistakable.

  “Well, shit,” I muttered.

  “What is it?”

  “The sphere in the sky?” I said, pointing for Aerion’s benefit. “How much you want to bet that’s the dungeon core?”

  Aerion frowned, squinting. “It certainly matches the shape...”

  Something about it struck me as off, though what that was, I couldn’t say. The thing was just too far. We’d have to close in to know more. How we’d get up there was another huge problem. With how high it was, I didn’t see our earlier tactic of having Eskil throw us working.

  Looking down, I soon began spotting familiar landmarks. The Skytree towered above the skyline, its unique spindle shape unmistakable under the early sunlight. From there, it wasn’t hard to pick out the Shinjuku Metropolitan Building and, of course, the red-and-white Tokyo Tower gleaming in the distance. Somewhat closer than the others, but still incredibly far.

  “That’s our destination,” I said, pointing for Aerion’s benefit.

  “It’s quite far,” she said, squinting. “Are you certain this is all one city?”

  I laughed. “What you’re seeing is just a fraction of Greater Tokyo. We should be thankful the dungeon dropped us where it did. Still, it’ll probably take days on foot, especially if we’re careful about avoiding those Humvee guys and the zombies.”

  “What do you suggest?” she asked. “Surely, such a miraculous city would have had an equally superior method of travel?”

  “Well, sure, but it’s anyone’s guess whether they still work. I’ve got a few ideas. How about we talk it over a meal?”

  “A meal?”

  “Yeah. The highest floor we passed on the way here was a food court. You can find food from all over the world there. If the lights are still on, that means the power’s running, at least. And if the power’s running, there’s a chance the machines are still operational.”

  Aerion tilted her head. “But there were no people? No one to cook and serve the food.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said with a grin. “Most of these places are automated these days. Robots do everything, and if those still work…”

  I chuckled, feeling a strange warmth stir in my chest. “Then you’re about to have one hell of a culinary experience.”

  Maybe… just maybe coming back to my world for a bit wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

  Especially now that I had someone worth sharing it with.