Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Before them stood four towering shadowy figures, each one vast and indistinct yet unmistakable in form. One radiated the domineering presence of a dragon, its aura vast and oppressive like an endless sky under storm. Another burned with the noble yet searing heat of a phoenix, its presence both purifying and destructive.

The third carried the savage and domineering pressure of a white tiger, sharp and relentless, while the last emanated the deep and ancient steadiness of a tortoise, heavy and unmovable like time itself. These were the Four Divine Beasts, their forms no longer fully physical, but manifestations of will and authority shaped by ages of sacrifice and restraint.

At the center of their formation stood a young man who appeared to be no more than in his twenties. His expression was calm yet burdened, as if countless years weighed upon his shoulders. Both his hands were raised, sustaining a spherical forcefield that hummed softly with restrained power. Within that sphere floated a dark red crown and a sword.

The crown was once golden, but now it throbbed with a deep crimson glow that felt malignant even from a distance. The sword beside it carried a familiar yet unsettling aura, one that Max recognized instantly as a fragment of the evil sword.

Max and Lucien exchanged a brief glance before their eyes returned to the objects within the sphere. They both understood immediately. The crown was the crownbearer's golden crown, twisted and corrupted by the True Origin Devil Blood. The sword was not merely a weapon but a sealing anchor, a tool meant to suppress and bind the crown's destructive influence.

As Max and Lucien stepped closer, the Four Divine Beasts turned their attention toward them. The phoenix was the first to speak, its voice resonant and carrying a weary warmth. "Finally, someone has come to this place."

"We have been waiting for far too long," the dragon followed, its voice deep and echoing like thunder rolling across the heavens.

Max did not waste time on pleasantries. His gaze locked onto the young man maintaining the forcefield, and he raised a hand to point at him. "Is he the one who split Mark's soul into three?"

The white tiger shifted slightly, its shadowy form rippling as it looked at Max with sharp interest. "Mark?" it repeated, a hint of confusion in its tone. "If you are referring to your crownbearer, then you are correct. He was the one who split his soul into three parts and sealed them away, because he couldn't call him."

The white tiger's voice grew heavier as it continued. "However, he could not return to the Divine Realm. The crown was emitting an overwhelming amount of devil energy. If that energy had not been contained and restricted, your entire world would have been corrupted beyond recognition. That is why he stayed behind, sacrificing his own future to ensure the devil energy remained sealed and the people of this world were not destroyed."

Max's brows knit together as the implications of those words sank in. His expression darkened as he spoke again. "Are you saying that if the True Origin Devil Blood had fallen onto our planet directly, without being intercepted by you four, then our world would have already been turned into an abomination?"

The hall fell silent for a moment, the crimson glow of the crown pulsing steadily within the forcefield, as if answering his question without words.

"That is true," the tortoise divine beast said with a heavy sigh, its ancient voice carrying the weight of endless years. "We already knew what kind of catastrophe a single drop of that blood would bring upon a mortal world. The moment we sensed its descent, the four of us rushed to the mortal realm without hesitation. Unfortunately, we were intercepted midway by the four demons who had the same objective."

Its gaze shifted briefly toward the crimson crown before continuing. "What followed was a three way confrontation. There were us four divine beasts, the four demons, and the crownbearer of this world. We attempted to reason with the crownbearer, hoping to convince him to retreat and allow us to seal the blood safely, but the demons never allowed such a thing to happen. They attacked relentlessly, turning the situation into chaos. When the drop of blood was about to surface into the mortal world, we were left with no choice. In desperation, we forced the blood into the crown of the crownbearer, believing that the divine authority of the crown would purify or suppress it. Unfortunately we underestimated the power of the devil blood. The moment it touched the crown, everything spiraled out of control, and the tragedy that followed became inevitable."

Max's expression darkened as he listened. The sheer scale of the consequences caused by a single drop of blood made his chest feel heavy. One mistake. One miscalculation. And an entire world had paid the price.

Lucien broke the silence with a question that had clearly been weighing on his mind. "What is the origin of this devil blood?" he asked. "I have heard rumors from the demons. They spoke of a war between humans and devils in the Divine Realm. Supposedly, one of the true devils was slain in that war, and before dying, he condensed his entire bloodline into a single drop, which eventually fell into the mortal world."

The dragon divine beast shook its massive head slowly, its eyes filled with solemnity. "Wars between those two races never truly cease in the Divine Realm, but that drop of blood is not connected to any of those conflicts. We, as well as the demons who descended into this world, were nothing more than low level warriors in the Divine Realm. We were never told the true origin of that blood. Our orders were simple and absolute. Retrieve the drop and bring it back to the Divine Realm at all costs. Above all else, we were strictly commanded to ensure that the blood never fell into a mortal world."

Max frowned deeply, confusion and frustration mixing within him. "If that blood was truly so important, then why were higher level beings not sent to handle it? If stronger humans or divine beasts had descended, perhaps none of this would have happened."

"It is not a matter of willingness," the white tiger divine beast replied, its voice firm and edged with bitterness. "It is a matter of impossibility. If a truly powerful being from the Divine Realm were to descend into a mortal world, their mere presence would destabilize it. Their energy alone would be enough to crush the laws of the mortal realm and reduce the world to nothingness. That is why missions involving mortal worlds are always assigned to soldier level beings in the Divine Realm. Strong enough to act, yet weak enough to exist without annihilating everything around them."

The explanation hung heavily in the air. What had happened was not born of malice alone, but of limitations, orders, and fatal compromises. And yet, the end result remained unchanged. An entire world had been dragged into disaster, all because a power that never belonged here had slipped through the cracks.