Somewhere else, in an indistinct location of that separate space, a place with no landmarks and seemingly no coordinates, the glowing, pitch-black darkness was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the purest white radiance in the world.
Bone-chillingly low temperatures permeated the vast area enclosed in glowing ice. It was as if the scene came straight from the insides of a frozen cavern, but there was nothing natural about it, be it its location or creation.
Of course, that unnatural location wasnāt empty, either.
Liiza stood at the very center of that uneven, frozen cave, her glowing white eyes pointed straight ahead despite their light not illuminating anything specific. She appeared to be alone, but she knew far better than that.
Searching for the twisted spaceās creator had led Liiza to a seemingly empty, faraway place, trapping her in an environment she couldnāt hope to navigate despite her proclivity in those fields.
A single step could make Liiza cross entire kilometers, while her best sprints might only move her by a mere centimeter. That was the kind of complicated location she had arrived at after splitting from Khan and the Emperor, basically trapping her.
Still, Liiza had expected a similar result. She had actually been ready for that, which was the reason behind the areaās current state. Instead of trying to escape or remaining exposed to an opponent who didnāt want to show himself, she had opted for taking control of the place.
That control wasnāt without challenges. A foreign force struggled to break free of Liizaās ice, continuously pressing on it. Yet, those frozen layers affected far more than the solid world, forcing her opponent to do the unthinkable.
Nothing could escape the ice, but energy could flow inside the area it encircled. The glowing, pitch-black darkness returned in the form of dense smoke that rose from the spot Liizaās eyes were illuminating, condensing into a humanoid, rather handsome alien.
Two curved horns made of True Chaos blew from the sides of the alienās forehead. Vast, leathery, and fuming wings unfolded behind his back, perfectly blending with his perfect cape.
The Kingās dashing face then turned toward Liiza, opening his eyelids to put his scarlet irises against her white glow. He looked young, no older than thirty, but the seriousness in his expression spoke tales of ancient wisdom.
"[Only our Father ever saw my appearance, child of the mana]," The King revealed through a strange sound that Liizaās brain instantly translated, "[And that was when I was molded into existence]."
The shocking revelation did nothing to break Liizaās aloof, emotionless face. Truth be told, she didnāt really care about that lore, but it aligned with what she had witnessed after reaching that lost location.
Even after the canvas with the Godās scarlet eyes had appeared, permitting the ascension, the King had never shown himself, planning to continue using the twisted space and simple waves of True Chaos to his advantage.
That probably was the Kingās fighting style, trapping his prey in areas he could manipulate freely. Still, Liiza had prevented that from the get-go, even pushing her influence one step further.
If it were just about the area stolen from the Kingās control, he wouldnāt have bothered showing himself. After all, his primary duty was to maintain that twisted space so that his God could continue to enforce that improvised trial.
Nevertheless, the ice had ended up cutting the King off from his connection to the twisted space, which required continuous streams of energy to remain active. If that separation lasted too long, everything would fall apart, restoring the world to its real shape, effectively making the King fail at his duty.
Therefore, the King had shown himself to deal with that hindrance directly. Yet, even when he looked at Liiza, he failed to understand how she had actually managed to cut him off from his technique.
Of course, the King could easily test that.
The King didnāt waste time in additional words or sounds and thrust his hand forward, his gesture closer to a casual wave than an actual attack.
Still, the environment didnāt take that gesture lightly. The air directly in front of the King began to bend and stretch, advancing in a wave that twisted space itself and inflicted visible consequences to the surrounding ice.
The white, frozen layers rose and caved in alongside the bending and stretching motions of that advancing wave of energy, cracking in the process.
Shattering noises resounded inside the frozen cave as shards started to fly everywhere, but Liizaās expression remained devoid of any emotion. She only lifted her tattooed arm before the advancing, twisting gale could reach her, something red shining on her palm to enhance her technique.
And, to the Kingās surprise, the advancing wave stopped right in front of Liiza, escaping his control before resuming its movement. The twisted space condensed into a sphere that hovered toward Liizaās open palm, freezing upon touching it.
The King wouldnāt have thought much about the event if Liiza had just blocked the attack. It would have also made sense for her to freeze it. That should have been the easier option in the end.
Instead, Liiza had bent the attack to her will, an attack generated from and that contained True Chaos. That energy wasnāt for the inferior children of the mana to oppose, let alone control.
"[Are you a champion of the mana]?" The King wondered.
"[That would be my husband]," Liiza replied in her native language, easily adding emotions to her voice while letting the frozen sphere fall to the white ground. "[Though he is much more than that]."
When the sphere hit the white ground, it melted inside it, spreading its energy throughout the frozen cavern, lowering the areaās temperature while intensifying its radiance.
The event couldnāt distract the King. He was still stuck on the previous, far more shocking performance, and he needed answers.
"[Inferior children canāt bend our Fatherās True Chaos]," The King declared.
"[But you arenāt your Father]," Liiza pointed out, "[And energy is energy. Shamans can control it, while I can dominate it]."
"[And what would you be]?" The King questioned.
"[Iām just a wife and a mother]," Liiza said, revealing a surprising smile as she brought her tattooed hand to her waist, her gesture and expression somehow sending a chill down the Kingās spine.