Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The battlefield before Celestia Sanctum had become a storm of bodies, steel, divine light, and blood. The shattered gates of the great city lay in ruins, the divine metal twisted and smoking from the force of Sebastian's earlier blow. The once-unshakeable morale of the human army was broken, and for the first time since the 'Great Awakening', their formation began to collapse.

From the cracked threshold of the capital, the combined armies of vampires and giants surged forward. Their war cries echoed across the sky, answering centuries of oppression. The vampires moved in waves, led by high-ranking Lords and even two Elders, their speed and precision slicing through the paladin front lines like daggers through paper. The giants advanced with the weight of inevitability, each step pounding the stone beneath them, their war hammers and axes crashing against shields and bodies alike. Their morale had reached its peak. They had tasted the weakness of the paladins, and now they pressed that advantage with merciless momentum.

Despite being individually stronger, the divine warriors of humanity faltered. Each paladin was trained to embody the wrath and light of their goddess. But the crushing defeat of four Paladin Champions had changed everything. They had been symbols of divine invincibility—seeing them crushed in seconds had sent a ripple of doubt through the human lines, and that doubt now bloomed into fear.

Sebastian's presence was like a living spear that pierced through the heart of the enemy's formation. With both hands gripping the holy swords he had stolen, he carved through paladins in tight groups and in pairs. Their divine flames, once overwhelming, now did nothing to stop the elder warrior. Even when ten paladins had leaped at him from all angles, he met them with the same calm brutality. With each clash, a body was broken, a weapon was shattered, and morale was shattered further.

Behind him, Andre thundered through the winding city roads, still gigantic and unstoppable. His strides caused the cobbled streets to crack beneath his weight, his towering figure forcing paladins and defenders alike to scatter in every direction. Dayana remained safely cradled in his open palm, holding tightly to her notebook as her eyes flicked from one street to another, her [Lesser God Eyes] glowing with a kaleidoscopic blue radiance. She gave quick directions between bursts of motion, guiding them deeper toward the core of the city where their true targets awaited.

The chaos reached its peak when a blinding roar of trumpets sounded from within the capital itself. Reinforcements poured out—not from the military camps, but from the holy sanctum, the central cathedral of Arianka. Every active paladin within the city was summoned. Veterans from old wars, healers, exorcists, even the elite temple guards—none were spared from the call. They flooded into the streets, filling the city's alleys with blazing light and renewed chants.

Sebastian remained ahead, never once slowing. On their path, a new Paladin Champion barred the road. Unlike the previous ones, this one wasted no time and activated a divine transformation the moment the old man entered range. His body expanded, forming a monstrous winged shape composed entirely of golden light. The sky darkened around him as he raised one arm, calling down a column of divine lightning.

The bolt struck straight down toward Sebastian… And passed through him.

The energy crackled violently across the ground, splitting stone and scorching nearby rooftops, but the man never flinched. The transformed paladin shouted in disbelief, only to receive a perfectly timed, rotational punch to the center of his glowing body. The resulting impact created a visible shockwave that pushed clouds aside in a wide ring above them. Andre and Dayana both watched from behind.

"Ouch… Weren't those transformed paladins rank-A characters?"

Andre muttered as he stepped over a pile of unconscious soldiers.

"Yeah…"

Dayana agreed, clutching her notepad to her chest, eyes wide.

"Remind me never to piss off the old man."

With the path clear again, they advanced deeper into the city, kicking aside collapsed barriers. Then the world shifted.

Suddenly, the sky shuddered with distant force. A low, rolling boom echoed through the entirety of Celestia Sanctum, its depth reverberating through walls, stone, and bone alike. One explosion, then another, then several more followed in staggered rhythm—each more powerful than the last.

Though the city stretched for more than a hundred kilometers, the sounds pierced through its breadth without effort, shaking windows and sending dust from rooftops even in districts far removed from the source. Citizens who remained hidden within temples or homes flinched at the noise. Soldiers already deployed to the main gates turned sharply, confused and alarmed.

Officers shouted into communication relics, demanding reports, but there were none. The blasts had come from places that should not have seen combat. All at once, across multiple sectors of the city's outer perimeter, breaches occurred.

At first, the sites appeared untouched, forgotten corners of Celestia Sanctum's massive, layered defenses—locations abandoned or thought too distant from the front line to require urgent patrols. They were blind spots, overlooked in the urgency to reroute every last combatant to reinforce the main gates. But now those same gaps in defense exploded outward in controlled bursts of force.

Small fortified doors crumbled, tunnels built into the walls were torn open, and massive barriers designed to withstand siege pressure cracked in perfect symmetry, brought down not by brute strength alone but by precisely placed destruction.

From the haze of debris, smoke, and broken divine metal, movement emerged.

Silhouettes, only a handful at each breach, stepped into the city through those newly carved paths. Their bodies moved quickly but deliberately. Their presence was unmistakable. Members of 'No Name' and 'WNATN'. Though spread thin across the city's vast perimeter, they entered in uncanny coordination, hitting multiple sectors at once with calculated timing, ensuring that the defenders had no time to react. Each group vanished into the city's depths moments after entering, slipping into alleyways, rooftops, or underground access points depending on the layout of their assigned location.

Gregor and Thabo surged through the eastern sector, overwhelming startled patrols. Katya's summoned tulpas carved a path into the northern district. Angela went through the south wall, paintbrush glowing as she conjured shields to protect her.

Li cast a spell that disabled nearby divine beacons, creating a gap in the surveillance network. Chloe and Emir followed him through a collapsed sewer tunnel, while Kazue and Adam emerged from a hidden rooftop, darting from shadow to shadow like a blur.

And yet, for those watching carefully, one detail stood out. Among all the explosions, among all the calculated insertions and flawless entries, Drake was nowhere to be seen.

—————

In the heart of Celestia Sanctum's imperial palace, within the grand strategy hall surrounded by marble pillars and golden chandeliers, the members of Dragon Utopia stood assembled. The room was circular, with a massive polished table at its center, carved with the insignia of the Human Empire. Floating above the table, a dozen crystalline orbs projected shimmering visions of battle, showing each breach, each clash, and every group of enemy combatants forcing their way into the sanctified city.

Solène Beaumont stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, golden eyes wide with amusement. Her long, crimson hair spilled freely behind her shoulders, and a smirk twisted her lips into something between defiance and joy. As she watched the invaders tear through auxiliary districts, her laughter rang out without restraint.

"So it's true after all, the bastards actually came."

She said while Meera stood nearby, her arms loosely crossed, and her posture relaxed. She offered a small shrug and nodded.

"Of course it's true. I told you I met two of them during the 'Pantheon Eternal' expedition. They managed to catch me off guard. I pretended to be under some sort of mind control—Adam Scholar tried to infect me with one of his skills. But Zha'vrin's divine protection kept me safe."

She smiled, calm and confident.

"They believed it. I fed them enough truth to earn their trust."

Solène narrowed her eyes as she turned back to the floating projections. Several screens showed squads infiltrating narrow streets, others slipping through guardless towers, and one or two already heading toward more significant sectors of the city.

"So this was the plan. Cause chaos at the gates, force the army to concentrate there, and slip through the cracks. They wanted to split us."

Said the team leader with an even bigger grin on her face.

"They also wanted me to misdirect you. To give you the wrong locations, send our people where they'd be at a disadvantage. But what they didn't know…"

Meera added, waving a hand, and the nearest orb expanded, giving them a complete overview of the battlefield.

"Was that we control the Watchers. We've seen every move since the first step. And I already placed their team according to the original matchups we intended. No changes."

Then spoke Tenzing Gautam, arms crossed over his orange robes. He stood motionless, his bald head lowered slightly in thought, but his voice carried calm focus.

"Perfect, they expected chaos, but they will only find just demise."

At the far edge of the table, Konrad Weiss remained quiet. The man in black robes, his right glove half-peeled back to expose the tattooed curse marks along his arm, leaned slightly forward as he stared at Meera. His golden eyes narrowed, though his face stayed neutral. He said nothing, but the silence spoke volumes. He didn't believe her entirely. Even though his previous scans had shown no sign of tampering or manipulation, so he withheld judgment.

Reginald Pembroke adjusted his tie with elegance. Dressed in a flawless black suit with a top hat angled under one arm, he gave a quiet nod of approval.

"A delightful twist of betrayal reversed. Very operatic. But if I may ask…"

He lifted a gloved hand, eyes calm and voice smooth.

"What of the elder? This… Sebastian? Surely he warrants some consideration?"

The tension in the room sharpened. Solène's smirk vanished, and a vein pulsed across her forehead. Her fist slammed into the table hard enough to cause a visible crack to crawl across the marble.

"He's mine."

She said.

"Don't touch him. I don't give a damn what else happens. I'll deal with that geezer personally. He owes me. He's not leaving this city alive."

Konrad finally looked away from Meera and tilted his head at Solène.

"Understood."

Near the entrance, Lautaro Espina let out a low whistle. His messy blue hair and painted clown nose made him look comically out of place among the grim expressions, but his sharp eyes were fixed on the glowing projections.

"Damn, boss, you've got issues, can't say I blame you though. The old guy took you for a fool last time."

He muttered with a shrug and a teasing smile.

"Focus."

Said Im Hae-rin from beside him. Her tone was clipped, and her eyes sharp, her athletic frame shifting subtly as she adjusted her position.

"We're not underestimating anyone."

Lautaro rolled his eyes but nodded, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah yeah. I'm ready."

At the far wall, Ernst von Adler cracked his knuckles. His soldier's frame loomed large beneath his coat, muscles tense.

"No mercy, if they're in the city, they're fair game."

He said, voice low and edged with gravel. Tenzing stepped forward.

"We should begin. Their incursion is widespread. They count on us to scatter."

Reginald let out a soft laugh.

"Then we scatter in style."

Solène nodded once.

"We all know who we're meant to hunt. Stay sharp. Priority targets remain Adam Scholar and Emir Nassar. Meera's dagger is gone, so the remaining two must be claimed."

All of the team gave a short nod and said in unison.

"Understood."

Konrad stepped back from the table and folded his arms.

"Then let's move."

With a single motion from Solène, the entire team vanished. One by one, in flashes of energy, shadow, or gusts of divine aura, each member of Dragon Utopia disappeared from the palace. Only Meera and Konrad remained in the room a moment longer.

He looked at her once more, but she held his gaze without flinching.

He gave no sign of mistrust. But he said nothing… Then he too vanished, leaving Meera alone in the hall, watching the shifting projections of the war unfolding across the sacred capital, leaving soon after in the same direction as her leader.

—————

The wide, sunless plaza stood eerily quiet as Emir and Chloe came to a halt, their breaths unsteady, their eyes scanning the empty streets around them. Falk circled above, the mechanical bird's wings barely making a sound, but his presence did little to ease the tension in the air. Both of them looked unsure, their plan having taken them far from the others, and now, with no clear direction, a chill began to set into their bones.

Neither spoke. Their plan had been simple—move quickly, split into smaller groups, and strike targets of opportunity. But now, with the streets quiet and their allies nowhere in sight, it felt like they had walked into a trap. A cold stillness seeped into the air, heavy and unnatural, as if the city itself were holding its breath.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Then the shadow came.

A massive silhouette passed silently above them, casting a sweeping eclipse across the plaza. Both Emir and Chloe turned upward instinctively, eyes widening in alarm. Something was descending fast. It didn't land so much as melt into the earth, crashing with a muted thud that sent a ripple through the stone, its form spreading into an unnatural pool of darkness. Blackness poured across the ground like ink.

And from that abyss, a shape emerged.

First the boots, then the tailored black slacks, a slow rise of gloved hands and a fine coat. A figure stepped free of the darkness as if climbing from a pool of still water, completely unbothered. When the shadow receded, Konrad Weiss stood in its place, adjusting the cuffs of his coat with measured precision, as if he were straightening up before delivering a speech rather than ambushing his prey.

He exhaled, a small breath, and tilted his head slightly as his gaze swept over them.

"Splitting yourselves up in enemy territory..."

He said, voice calm, laced with mocking pity.

"What a brilliant strategy."

His words were quiet, but carried weight. The plaza, already silent, seemed to grow colder under their echo. Konrad's golden eyes found Emir and held him. There was no amusement in them now.

"Don't bother trying to rely on your little tricks."

He continued, voice still soft but far sharper now.

"I already know what you are. Darkness, emptiness, void—it doesn't work on me."

Emir flinched as if struck, his feet instinctively drawing back. Chloe immediately stepped in front of him, her stance lowering, protective, alert. Falk swooped down from above with a sharp screech, wings flaring wide, talons poised.

Elsewhere in the heart of Celestia Sanctum, Gregor and Takeshi had found each other somehow, navigating the rusting skeletons of an industrial sector long abandoned. The remnants of factories loomed on either side, their chimneys hollow, their windows strangely clean. Steel rails ran crooked across the stone streets, and the sound of their rapid footsteps echoed with a hollow resonance. The two moved without exchanging words, their rhythm natural, their pace driven by a shared understanding that they had no time to waste.

Then the sky split open.

A thunderous boom shattered the air as a massive boulder, larger than any transport vehicle, came hurtling down from the heavens. The sheer force of its descent sent winds howling in every direction. Gregor and Takeshi reacted instantly, both leapt away from each other, rolling across the metal-strewn ground just as the colossal stone smashed into the street with earth-shaking violence. The impact sent shards of debris flying in every direction, denting steel walls and snapping beams like twigs.

As the dust settled, two figures stood tall atop the rock.

Im Hae-rin was the first to step forward, her expression unreadable, her stance already squared. Her eyes locked directly onto Gregor without blinking, her body like a coiled spring ready to explode, but she said nothing.

Beside her, Reginald Pembroke straightened his immaculate coat with practiced elegance. He offered a polite, almost aristocratic bow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"What a shame."

He said with dramatic flair, voice carrying a mocking elegance.

"The most incompatible pair in the entire scenario, now standing against the most synchronized duo. What were the odds?"

Hae-rin shot him a withering glance and muttered.

"Shut up and focus."

Reginald sighed with amusement, unfazed.

"Of course, of course. But do forgive me if I enjoy myself a little."

Gregor gritted his teeth and Takeshi unsheathed a blade. The air between them snapped with pressure.

Closer to the central district, Katya advanced alone through a narrow street lined with white stone buildings that pulsed softly with divine radiance. Every step she took resonated faintly against the sacred cobblestone, and the surrounding light made the very air feel dense, like walking through a barrier of pressure and purity.

Her eyes remained sharp, sweeping left and right, while the fingers of her right hand hovered near her artifact deck. She could feel the divine saturation of the place trying to reject her presence, and yet she moved forward undeterred.

Without warning, a powerful gust of wind struck her chest. The sheer force of it nearly knocked her off her feet. She slid back, boots scraping against the stone, but didn't fall. Her gaze snapped forward—and that's when she saw him.

A figure stepped out from the current of wind as if it had merely parted to let him pass. His stride was silent, fluid, unhurried. Dressed in simple monk's robes and barefoot, his head was shaven clean, his eyes closed as though in meditation, even as he moved directly into her path.

When his eyes finally opened, there was no malice in them, only stillness. He stopped a few meters ahead, posture relaxed, hands by his side.

"You must have terrible karma."

Tenzing said quietly, voice unwavering.

"To end up facing me today."

Katya lowered her center of gravity, adjusting her stance with instinctual grace, her other hand already hovering over her deck. She didn't speak, so Tenzing tilted his head slightly.

"Your summons are a mockery of true Tulpa creation. You're wielding a concept born from the real world—teachings I can recall—without understanding its weight. You shape thought with ignorance. Imperfect. Hollow. A reflection of a weak mind."

He took a single step forward, the movement impossibly soundless for someone so solid in form. His tone didn't rise, but his presence intensified with each word.

"Allow me to correct that."

In another sector of the capital, Adam and Li advanced cautiously through the corridor leading to the Mausoleum of Heroes. The silence was thick, broken only by the sound of their footsteps on the polished stone. The walls were lined with towering statues of paladins, carved with lifelike precision. Their solemn expressions and battle-worn armor gave the place the feeling of a sacred tomb. But that stillness broke violently when the ground ahead exploded upward.

A massive white wolf burst forth from the cracked stone, its form ghostlike but disturbingly exaggerated. Its cartoonish face stretched in a manic grin, oversized eyes glowing unnaturally. More of them followed, dozens at first, then hundreds, leaping and skittering across the floor, laughing with twisted, unnatural voices.

Adam and Li froze just as a calm figure entered from the edge of the chaos. Ernst von Adler walked between the spectral wolves, his pace relaxed, a cruel smirk on his face. He gave a mocking nod to the two intruders and spread his arms as if welcoming guests to a show.

"You picked the worst place to explore, gentlemen."

He said, his tone amused.

"Morning is feeding time for my pack."

The wolves circled, their sharp teeth bared in glee. Ernst took another step forward, pointing toward Adam.

"Don't waste your time trying to bend them. These aren't ghosts you can control… You can't even call them ghosts, honestly, they prey on them instead."

Then he grinned wider.

"Let's see how long you last before they tear through both of you."

Elsewhere in the capital, in a wide-open zone of grass and low structures, Kazue, Angela, and Drake were moving carefully in formation. They had encountered no resistance yet. The area looked quiet, deceptively peaceful. Then Drake tensed as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned fast, hand already raised—only to be met with a painted face hanging upside down inches from his own. A squeak of alarm escaped him.

Lautaro Espina laughed as he floated upside down, arms crossed and legs bent as if sitting in an invisible chair. He spun in midair and then dropped lazily to the ground in front of them.

"You guys really are tense. Relax. You'll cramp up before the real show starts."

Drake clenched his jaw. Angela's expression didn't shift. Kazue narrowed her eyes and took a defensive stance.

Lautaro gestured around with a dramatic flourish.

"Welcome to the opening act. You're here to entertain me, and I'm here to humiliate you. That's the deal."

He floated back a few steps and gave a little bow.

"Try to impress me. But don't expect mercy. I only stop when I'm bored."

In yet another sector of the capital, the tremors of battle still echoed through the broken streets as the immense figure of André Silveira advanced steadily, his massive form towering above the stone towers and rooftops. Each of his thunderous steps sent mild quakes through the stone-paved roadways, and in the curve of one enormous palm, Dayana Valdés sat balanced and focused, her kaleidoscopic eyes glowing faintly with the active use of her skill. The wind whipped around them as they moved through the avenues with determination, and not far ahead, running with unwavering pace, was Sebastian.

Dayana raised her voice against the rising wind, shouting toward the front as she pointed down another street.

"We're getting close! The Paragons are concentrated ahead, near the central convergence point of the divine leylines!"

Her voice trembled slightly from the effort of remaining stable in André's hand, but her focus never wavered. The tension was rising with every step. They were nearing the end of their path, but they weren't the only ones who had noticed.

From above, without warning, a searing trail of fire carved a line across the overcast sky, casting shadows over the street as a blazing object descended like a meteor. It fell with devastating force, crashing into a building on the right flank with an eruption of stone, flame, and smoke that sent shockwaves through the area. André instinctively raised his free arm to shield Dayana, skidding a step back as debris rained down. The street cracked beneath his feet, but the giant held his ground. Sebastian, in contrast, didn't flinch. He merely stopped and turned his gaze toward the origin of the impact.

The dust hadn't yet settled when a figure emerged from the collapsing structure, soaring out of the smoke and debris with wild laughter. Red hair whipped in the wind, and wings of flame curled from her shoulders for a brief instant before dissipating. Solène Beaumont flipped through the air and landed in front of them, her eyes gleaming, her voice booming with excitement.

"Well, well, old fart! Did you miss me!?"

She shouted, grinning wide.

"You owe me a rematch!"

Still in midair, the red-haired warrior drew in a massive breath, her chest expanding unnaturally as her body swelled with surging power. Her skin shimmered with the telltale aura of draconic essence, thick and oppressive. Dayana's eyes, glowing with her skill, registered the sudden spike in energy. System windows exploded into view with flashing warnings:

Dayana's voice cracked in panic.

"Watch out!"

Solène's body seemed to ripple with unstable force as her limbs tensed, veins pulsing under the skin. Her back arched as her power reached its limit, and with no further warning, she unleashed a deafening roar.

"Dragon Fear!"

Another system window blazed before Dayana's eyes:

The air didn't just vibrate—it ruptured. The focused sonic wave hurtled through the street like a weaponized storm. All color drained from Dayana's face as the concentrated shockwave screamed toward Sebastian. The environment itself twisted from the force. The world shuddered as the full weight of the technique was unleashed.

André groaned, the full weight of the roar crashing into him like a wall. His knees buckled, and he dropped to a kneeling position, his hand tightening protectively around Dayana to shield her. She closed her eyes, clenching her teeth, covering her ears, and shrinking into herself. The focused nature of the skill spared them the worst of it—but only just. Any more, and both would have collapsed on the spot.

Sebastian, however, took the full brunt of it.

The blast struck him dead on, his head snapping downward from the sheer force of the vocal attack. His body remained still, unmoving, but his form seemed to tremble under the sheer weight of the effect. Solène's laughter cut through the fading echo as she launched herself downward, her right arm already shifting into something monstrous. From wrist to elbow, her skin darkened, thickened, and took on the sheen of scaled armor. Fingers extended into claws of blackened crimson, and fire curled along the jagged edges. She streaked toward Sebastian like a falling star.

"I tailored this combo just for you, old man!"

She shouted mid-dive.

"Be proud! You're one of the few bastards that actually pissed me off!"

The force of her descent carried a concentrated spear of power, a combination of momentum, magic, and hatred. Her dragon-claw hand descended like a blade meant to decapitate—an execution forged in fury. The moment of impact triggered another shockwave, clearing the air around them and dispersing the smoke and ash that still lingered from her arrival.

And there, revealed in the aftermath, was a sight none of them expected… Sebastian had stopped the claw.

His arm was raised, unmoving, catching Solène's transformed hand by the wrist with terrifying precision. Her claws sizzled with lava-like energy that dripped down onto his skin. But he didn't even blink. She gritted her teeth, veins bulging with effort as she tried to push forward. His grip held steady, unyielding. He hadn't even taken a step back.

Dayana sat in André's hand, eyes wide, watching as the world began to crack at the seams. The lava crawling down Solène's arm began to spill over Sebastian's hand and forearm, spreading rapidly. But instead of burning him, it began to peel something away. Not flesh, nor armor, but something else entirely.

A second skin dissolved. A shell, an illusion, an outer casing. It stripped itself from Sebastian's frame, starting with the wrist and moving rapidly across his entire arm. Then his shoulder, then his torso, his back, and finally, his head.

What stood there was not the aged engineer they had known.

It was a young man, athletic and lean beneath a formal crimson uniform trimmed with black and silver. His face was sharp, his hair short but raised like a flame sculpted upward, and his eyes gleamed with composed detachment. On his chest, etched into the fabric, was an insignia unlike any other—a gear carved around a humanoid skull with one mechanical eye at the center, set like a crest of metal and death.

Solène's expression contorted in disbelief.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The answer came in silence.

Before she could move, a fist slammed into her abdomen with brutal force.

It was a single strike without any warning. A perfect punch delivered with such overwhelming power that her mouth opened involuntarily, spitting blood. The impact launched her into the air, her body becoming a blur as she crashed through one, two, three buildings in a row, each wall shattered by her uncontrolled flight.

The young figure, no longer Sebastian, straightened his posture. The shredded remnants of the illusion fell away entirely, leaving behind only the true form of the construct. He stepped forward with his arms clasped behind his back, approaching the trail of destruction his strike had created. His movements were swift and confident, as though the battlefield around him barely registered.

André had risen to one knee, watching with an expression that was somewhere between awe and confusion. Dayana held her breath, unable to find words.

The young man stopped as he neared the edge of the ruined street. Solène, bloodied and scraped, was pulling herself out of a wall, panting. Her eyes stared upward in disbelief at the figure standing over her.

Then it hit her… The Ki, the inner energy from divine origin, overwhelming and crushing. As though a god from another world had stepped into her presence. Her instincts screamed danger.

The voice that spoke next was calm and smooth.

"You are not my target. But my current orders allow for collateral objectives to be neutralized."

He said with a cold gaze.

"Defeating you here may provide a significant tactical benefit. Oh, and by the way…"

He paused.

"Master Sebastian sends his regards."

Solène's dragon-eyes activated instinctively, and system alerts flooded her vision.

Her face twisted with rage.

"You bastard—"