Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The group moved toward the abandoned house with great difficulty, guided by Drake, who was constantly scanning the area for threats. The journey was slow and arduous, as several members of the 'No Name' team were still dealing with the physical after-effects of the previous confrontation. Emir and Chloe, in particular, were still recovering from the immense crushing pressure of the increased gravity.

Their Kazue, with a worried look on her face, had to use Kurayami to help them onto his back, so they could ride the giant tiger through the ruins. The Empress, in Adam's body, was also still feeling the effects of her wounds. Charles's stab wound had not yet fully regenerated, and for the first time in her existence, the Empress was feeling physical pain, a sharp, burning sensation that made her wince with every step.

They finally reached the house, one of the few buildings that was still standing in the ruined town. The building was clearly in disrepair, but it was spacious enough to shelter them all. The furniture was destroyed and covered in a thick layer of dust, but it was better than nothing. The group of the new Kazue, Nikolai, and Charles, who did not seem tired at all, remained on their feet, their eyes constantly moving, while most of 'No Name' immediately collapsed onto the floor and what was left of the various pieces of furniture.

The normal Kazue, once they were inside, began the preparations to unsummon her big tiger. She then affectionately gave him a couple of pets on his head's fur and a nuzzle.

"Thank you, Kurayami. You were a good boy. Now get some rest."

With a final, loving rub on his nose, Kurayami disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Emir and Chloe to rest on the floor. Gregor, who had been helping them, carefully placed them on a spot where they could lean against a wall, their bodies still shaking from exhaustion, while Katya, who was more emotionally than physically drained, remained close to Kazue at all times.

The rest of the group was there, the air thick with tension, and no one knew what to do. Drake, who had been observing the scene for a moment, decided to take action. He stepped forward and placed himself in front of his team, facing the three "enemies" with whom they now shared a roof: the unknown Kazue, Nikolai, and Charles. The first thing he did was demand that Nikolai release Falk, as he still had the mechanical bird imprisoned in his hands.

"Let the bird go."

Drake said, his voice firm. Nikolai, who had been lost in thought and seemed to have completely dissociated, finally noticed Falk fluttering desperately in his closed fingers. He was so surprised that he immediately released his grip, and Falk shot out like a cannonball, flying at full speed toward his team before landing safely on Sebastian's shoulder.

"If I could still breathe… I'd be out of breath right now!"

Falk said, his metallic voice filled with indignation.

"He had me so tightly I thought my gears were going to seize!"

Once the little mechanical bird had returned to them, Drake let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Alright, I think it's time to talk... What is happening here? Is there any chance that what we're seeing now is not a trick or an illusion caused by some user from your team?"

He said, looking at the other team. Nikolai looked at his two companions, then at the 'No Name' team, and began to think.

"I can't make sense of it either."

He finally said.

"It doesn't logically follow, but for some reason, I had a feeling that this little bird you call Falk is the character Isaac Volta from the 'Steam and Steel' scenario. But that shouldn't be possible."

Falk, from the other end of the room, spoke up.

"There is no doubt that I am the scientist Isaac Volta."

He said, his voice modulated to use his real voice.

"But I can attest that I do not know these versions of my supposed friends, and I certainly don't know that blond kid."

He remarked, referring to Charles. However, the new Kazue was beginning to lose her patience. She was not a diplomat, and she had no tolerance for this kind of dialogue.

"This conversation isn't going anywhere if we just keep talking like this."

She said, her voice a low growl. With that, she once again invoked a powerful sword of light in her right hand and pointed it directly at Drake.

"If you really are who you say you are, then you'll know things that only the real Drake would know, right? What was the promise you made to me after the 'Steam and Steel' scenario concluded?"

Kazue said, her eyes narrowed. The question left Drake completely confused. He had not made any promise to their own Kazue after the second scenario. In fact, he had been unconscious for most of the end of the mission due to the wounds and burns he had suffered while facing one of the temple guardians.

The blonde boy clicked his lips in annoyance.

"I didn't make any promise to you. But I do remember that you and Adam had a conversation about..."

But he couldn't finish his sentence. Upon hearing the name "Adam", both the new Kazue and Nikolai opened their eyes in clear surprise. The girl even began to frown, her face contorting into an expression of profound fury.

"I knew it!"

She finally screamed, her voice filled with rage.

"You're all cursed demons working for him!"

With that, she launched herself forward, her light sword aimed directly at Drake, who reacted immediately by using his skill [Medium Soul Sword Manifestation] to create his own spiritual sword, which he brandished while gritting his teeth. The clash of their blades was so strong that a shockwave shook the entire room, sending a cloud of dust and debris from the ruined ceiling falling down on them all. The air was filled with the deafening sound of clashing energies, and it was clear that a battle between the two of them now would not only be dangerous for the others but would also certainly destroy the small shelter they had.

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"Stop!"

Nikolai screamed, knowing this would be the worst-case scenario.

"Kazue! You're going to destroy our only shelter! We can't fight here!"

But the girl ignored him. Her face was totally filled with fury as she glared at Drake, their two swords locked in a struggle of power, neither giving an inch. The rest of the team watched, a mixture of horror and helplessness on their faces, as cracks began to form in the walls. They knew they had to intervene, but it was highly improbable that they could calm things down without causing massive destruction to the place.

But that didn't happen… Before anyone else could move, the other Kazue had taken several hurried steps forward until she was as close to the two combatants as she could be. To everyone's astonishment, she yelled.

"Final Illusion 7!"

No one understood what on earth she was talking about, but to everyone's surprise, the furious face of the Kazue battling Drake turned slightly, as if her attention had been subtly caught.

Immediately, the original Kazue continued speaking, her voice now filled with a desperate earnestness.

"It's my favorite game! No... It's our favorite game!"

At this, Drake noticed a slight variation in the girl's strength, as if it had decreased just a little. But Kazue was not finished.

"For more than a year, we had the biggest crush on the main character, Mist! We even used to dream about marrying him, and that was when we were only 17!"

With this revelation, Drake finally noticed that the strength of his opponent faltered, and he was able to push her back in the sword clash, creating distance between them. The new Kazue now had a completely confused look on her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"How is it possible that you know that?!"

She asked, her voice filled with shock. But before she could receive a response, she began to wonder.

"No, that doesn't mean anything! There could be some skill or item that allows you to see another user's past!"

But then, her counterpart said one of their biggest secrets out loud.

"When we first met Drake, we… We thought he looked a lot like Mist, and..."

But she couldn't finish her sentence. The new Kazue had launched herself at her with a furious shriek, her face now completely red with embarrassment. She let out a slash with her sword directly at the girl's feet, who barely had time to retreat and avoid the blow. Drake did not react to this attack because, unlike the previous one, the furious girl had not emitted any hostile attitude or bloodlust. It had been a simple reaction of shame, which had caught him completely by surprise.

The new Kazue yelled at her to shut up.

"How do you know something like that?!"

She shrieked. But the original Kazue simply smiled and said.

"Because I am also Kazue Rima."

Finally, things calmed down. The new Kazue unsummoned her light sword and began to rub her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment, while Nikolai and Charles slowly approached her. The long-haired guy gave her a couple of pats on the back before saying amicably.

"It's okay. After all, we already suspected something like that had happened when you and the leader started dati..."

Before he could continue, the new Kazue turned and delivered a powerful uppercut to his stomach, causing Nikolai to let out a small groan of pain and fall to the ground in a fetal position. The girl then looked at Charles, who simply raised his hands in front of him to show that he would not get involved in the topic.

After a while, when the embarrassed Kazue had calmed down, the conversation continued.

"Alright, I can believe that the other is also Kazue, but how is that even possible?"

No one had an answer, except for her counterpart, who puffed out her chest with pride and said with a big smile.

"It's obvious!"

The new Kazue looked at her with a skeptical gaze.

"How is it obvious?"

The other girl said that she was surprised that her alternate self had not seen it if she was truly her.

"But from what you've been saying and the evidence of a common origin, the only thing it could be is... that we are in another universe!"

She said happily, a declaration that left everyone confused and looking at each other. Then Kazue continued.

"The most likely thing is that the system transported us to a parallel universe, probably because of the use of the Plot Device 'What you want vs What you need', and that whatever Adam needed was here in this alternate dimension. It's a common trope in fantasy novels!"

The new Kazue's expression changed. A dark shadow fell over her features.

"Why do you keep repeating that name? Adam… Who exactly are you referring to?"

She asked, her voice low and filled with a hidden meaning. The rest of the 'No Name' team looked at each other, and Drake, his voice now serious, finally answered.

"We're talking about Adam Scholar, the leader of our team."

The Kazue near him, with a look of curiosity on her face, asked then.

"Don't you have your own Adam in your team?"

The alternate Kazue was grinding her teeth so hard that a small drop of blood began to seep from her lips.

"That... demon."

She finally managed to say.

"He's a..."

But her words were suddenly cut short by a powerful shriek, a sound so loud that it shook the building like an earthquake and caused everyone to feel a sharp, painful jolt in their ears.

Nikolai, who by this time had gotten back up, was the most desperate of them all.

"Oh no..."

He knew that the worst had happened. They had taken too long, and one of the '3 Sons of Vharzun' had probably tracked them down. A gigantic shadow, which blocked out the little light of the sunset, passed over them and landed on the ground, creating another small tremor. Everyone's hearts were in their throats, even the alternate Kazue's. She looked extremely worried and tried not to move at all. The other users did the same instinctively, hoping that whatever had just arrived would not find them. However, this hope was shattered when a serpentine, hissing, and intense voice boomed through the air.

"I always thought that the humans who were still alive on this planet were at least a little smarter than any ordinary animal."

The voice said.

"But perhaps I was mistaken. How could you possibly think you could hide from the Third Son: Zorvhael, especially when you do not stop giving off residues of non-human energy?"

Suddenly, there was silence for a few seconds. What was happening? Had he gone? Were his words just meant to scare them, and did he not know where they were? The alternate Kazue, however, opened her eyes wide as she finally understood what was happening. She screamed her final order at the top of her lungs.

"Run!"

But many of them would not be able to react in time. Luckily, Drake did. He used his skill [Heavenly Wind Step] to instantly move toward Emir and Chloe, grab them, and get them out of there. Li, Gregor, Katya, and Kazue did the same, all of them separating and running toward different ends of the house. Nikolai also reacted quickly, but instead of leaving on his own, he went toward Sebastian and Falk, grabbing them and taking them out as best he could. Charles, meanwhile, without anyone noticing, did the same, but he went toward the Empress, grabbed Adam's body like a sack, and also ran away.

It was all just in time, because an instant later, a gigantic torrent of black fire completely razed the building. It wasn't a normal fire, but a wave of voidflame, a river of pure malice and destruction that roared with a sound so terrifying it drowned out all other noises. The stone walls and wooden supports of the house vaporized instantly, turning to nothing but a faint, black ash that was swept away by the force of the blast. The destructive wave continued its course, leaving a scorched and lifeless scar on the landscape, a line of absolute destruction that consumed everything in its path until it finally disappeared on the horizon, leaving behind a final, hateful glow.