Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The abrupt appearance of Teo was a jolt of shock that rippled through the entire group. Though all present were stunned, only a handful truly recognized the man who had just saved two of them in such a hurry. Kazue, Drake, and Li all stared, their minds racing to process the impossible sight before them.

Of the three, Li was the most impacted. His relationship with Teo had been forged over countless scenarios long before Drake, Kazue, and Adam ever arrived. They were not friends in the traditional sense, but their shared history as survivors of the same team had created a unique camaraderie. His death in the Ghost World scenario at the hands of the Empress had affected him more than he had ever admitted, and to see him standing there, alive and whole, was a bizarre and unsettling experience. He kept his thoughts to himself, however, and simply watched, his gaze fixed on the man alongside everyone else.

The entire group stood frozen as the floating coffin Teo used as a platform finished lifting him out of the crater. The man finally released Kazue, letting her land safely on her feet. A sneer twisted his lips as he looked down at her.

"Well, look at this. I'm surprised to find you in such a pathetic situation."

He said, his voice a low, arrogant rumble.

"Nikolai is one thing, but you? It's strange, to say the least."

As he spoke, his eyes scanned the other users present, his gaze finally settling on the figure of alter Kazue, who stared back with crossed arms and a serious expression. In a moment of almost comical confusion, Teo's head snapped back and forth, looking from the Kazue on the ground to the one standing across the field, then back again. He couldn't seem to comprehend why there were two of her.

"Wait… I recognize the bitter Kazue I've always known… But then who the hell is this one I just saved?"

He finally said, gesturing at the other Kazue.

"It's a long story."

Alter Kazue sighed with a headache.

"I can see that."

Teo said, his eyes drifting over to familiar figures like Drake and Li, who were clearly not the ones he remembered. Alter Kazue cut him off, telling him there was no time for explanations and that they had to leave immediately.

"Why?"

Teo asked, genuinely confused. Alter Kazue was about to speak when a ferocious roar shook the ground. The Dracling, having recovered from the man's surprise attack, was once again charging at the group.

Teo turned towards the creature with a nonchalant expression.

"Oh, right…"

A confident smile spread across his face just as a shadow flickered in his eyes, revealing that his intentions were far from peaceful. It was a familiar look, one that both Drake and Kazue had seen when they first met him, while Li struggled to process the unchanged attitude of the man before him. Despite the physical differences—he was clearly a slightly older version of the Teo they knew—his personality had not changed in the slightest.

Before the Dracling could reach their position, the white haired man took a few steps forward, extending his right hand with his fingers spread. The enormous coffin—a black casket with gold trim and thick chains wrapped around it, each adorned with paper talismans as if sealing something—moved with incredible speed in the direction he pointed. It slammed into the charging Dracling like a freight train, the brutal impact stopping the beast in its tracks. The coffin pushed forward, forcing the injured monster back several meters before it finally came to a stop.

With his arrogant smile still in place, Teo turned to the group.

"There's no reason to leave."

He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I'll handle this. There's no need to worry about an injured prey. Besides…"

He added, his smile widening and talking directly to alter Kazue this time.

"You should know by now that I'm the best person to deal with cursed entities."

He then firmly grasped the main lock on the chains covering the coffin. The padlock gave way, and Teo pulled the chains off in a single fluid motion, as if they were willingly obeying his commands. He placed his right hand on the lid of the coffin and began to recite a short, solemn prayer in Latin, but it was really weird that those words were not being translated to them.

"Requiescat in pace, et surgat nunc, ut in tenebris lucem ostendat."

As he did so, a small pendant on his wrist began to glow with a brilliant white light, enveloping the coffin in a holy aura. The coffin began to float slowly upwards, and Teo finished his prayer, removing his hand.

The coffin burst open in a blinding, incandescent flash of holy energy, an explosion of pure white light that forced many of the onlookers to instinctively shield their eyes. As the brilliance subsided and the lid fully opened, a figure of ethereal delicacy emerged from within... It was a woman, her long, flowing white hair cascading like a frozen waterfall around a face of startling, almost porcelain paleness.

She was undoubtedly a corpse, yet imbued with a sublime, haunting beauty. Her magnificent gown, woven from what appeared to be the finest silk, shimmered with a pure, dazzling white, seeming to float around her as if defying gravity. The dress, though possessing the flowing silhouette of a bridal gown, was distinct in its elegant design. A pristine white cloth bandage was meticulously wrapped around her face, concealing her eyes and adding an enigmatic veil to her serene features. She exuded an aura of profound holiness and solemnity, a palpable sense of ancient power that permeated the very air and resonated deep within the souls of all who were present.

With a grace that transcended the mortal realm, the woman slowly lifted one of her arms towards Teo. He met her gesture with an equally delicate touch, taking her hand with an almost tender reverence, and then performed a formal bow, deep and respectful.

The moment was an incredible spectacle, imbued with a timeless elegance, almost as if a knight from a forgotten era was inviting a noble lady to a grand dance. Teo, with a gentle guiding touch, led her out of the coffin. As she stepped forth, the woman extended her dress, its folds expanding outwards to reveal a true grandeur, far larger and more voluminous than it had appeared while she was confined.

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Her movements were fluid, almost otherworldly. She then brought one of her pale hands to her throat, and from her lips, a celestial melody began to unfurl. Her voice was pure, a melodious sound that wrapped around the senses of everyone present, bringing with it an undeniable sense of peace and a restorative energy. Each note resonated deep within them, and they could feel their strength, both physical and mental, subtly returning with every exquisite sound.

However, the Empress, still within Adam's body, did not feel the same... She clapped her hands over her ears as if she were hearing the most deafening sound imaginable. Her teeth were clenched, and her eyes were fixed on the woman, a mixture of physical and mental agony twisting her face. She couldn't understand what was happening, but Adam's [Cursed Vision] showed her the truth.

The Empress couldn't believe it. She didn't understand the concepts of alternate dimensions that Kazue had tried to explain before. Still, she was absolutely certain of one thing: the woman before her, radiating holy energy, was her... The body didn't match her true form, but this was the version of herself she had always wanted to be. How was that possible? She couldn't hide her expression of shock and pain, nor did she notice Charles, who stood at her side, watching her without blinking.

The woman's song also reached the Dracling. The creature, which had been trying to get back on its feet to attack again, immediately stopped. It let out a desperate shriek of anguish, unlike any they had heard before, clutching its head as if the woman's sweet melody was causing it indescribable pain.

Teo didn't let the opportunity pass. He raised both hands, and two revolvers materialized in his grasp—the same weapons Drake, Kazue, and Li had seen him carry before his death. These, however, appeared larger and heavier, and they radiated an immense amount of white energy. To Drake's mind, the sight was comparable to Adam's recently acquired cursed book, both objects emitting immense power from opposite sources—Teo's holy energy and Adam's cursed energy.

Without a moment's hesitation, the man aimed, his smile never faltering, and fired both revolvers. The bullets soared toward the Dracling, each one exploding into a powerful white burst of light upon impact. The woman's song ceased, and Teo said calmly.

"Huh... you're seriously weakened. To be affected by something like that, this will be easy."

He fired again, but this time, he didn't just fire a single round from each gun; he began to empty the clips, firing so many shots that it was clear his revolvers didn't use conventional bullets, as the stream of holy projectiles seemed endless.

The Dracling, having received the first two impacts and with the song now silent, struggled to recover, only to see the barrage of bullets heading its way. Forcing its body to its absolute limit, the Dracling soared into the air with extreme speed, avoiding the frontal assault of bullets and intending to attack the users with a breath of black fire.

But it couldn't... Although it had dodged the projectiles, they did not fly past it. The bullets suddenly changed direction, turning around and heading back toward the Dracling. It realized its mistake too late. Its attack was cut short by the impact of dozens of holy bullets that found their mark. The draconian monster howled in pain once more; one of its arms hung uselessly, and its wings were completely broken. Still, it remained airborne, roaring in defiance at the humans it had been assigned to eliminate. Teo simply laughed, mocking his pathetic prey.

The woman in white began to sing again, causing another wave of unbearable pain to wash over the Dracling, which shrieked and clutched its head with the one remaining arm. Teo aimed at it and began to fire again, mercilessly riddling the monster with holy bullets. Eventually, and incapable of moving due to the woman's sonic attack, the Dracling fell to the ground, its body enveloped in white smoke.

With the monster's painful roars finally silenced, a heavy, almost reverent quiet descended upon the crater. The woman in white drifted slowly from her position beside the coffin to Teo's side, her movements as fluid and silent as a wisp of smoke. The man, for his part, approached the fallen body of the beast, watching it struggle for a single, final breath, its chest barely moving.

He looked down at the pathetic creature with a spark of cold amusement in his eyes and, with a casual, almost bored flick of his wrist, he aimed one of his revolvers and fired five final rounds. The holy bullets slammed into the Dracling's head with a series of blinding white flashes, leaving five smoking holes in its skull before the entire body simply began to slowly dissolve, crumbling into fine, gray ash that scattered on the wind.

He lowered his weapon, the smoke from the barrel dissipating into nothingness. Teo then turned to the woman, performing a deep, formal bow that seemed impossibly out of place given the carnage.

"My lady."

He said, his voice a low, courteous rumble.

"It is finished. Please, enjoy your meal."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the woman's lips in response. She opened her mouth and took a deep, deliberate breath, and from the swirling pile of ash that was once the Dracling, a tormented, ectoplasmic form was ripped out. It shrieked in agony as it was drawn with an irresistible force into the woman's delicate lips, which consumed the essence with a palpable sense of satiation and clear delight. Just as the last wisp of energy vanished, a series of system windows materialized in the air.

A profound and lingering silence enveloped the area as Teo gently guided the woman in white back to her coffin. With an unhurried grace, she obeyed, entering the casket and allowing the lid to close slowly with a soft thud. Following this, the chains and seals instantly rematerialized, coiling themselves around the coffin once more as if by an unseen will, sealing it in a final, definitive motion.

With the task complete, Teo casually dusted off his hands and, with a triumphant look now plastered on his face, walked towards his team—Alter Kazue, Nikolai, and Charles. He stopped before them, his expression a mixture of satisfaction and confusion.

"Well, that takes care of one of our problems."

He said, gesturing back to the dust pile. His gaze then shifted from one person to the next, a bewildered frown crossing his features.

"Now, the only thing left is for you to explain to me what the hell is going on here and why there are... clones, I suppose? Of some of our team members."