"Haha, do you feel the surging energy within it?"
"Come forth, Destroyer of Infinite Worlds, Gromos!"
Stephen roared with a hoarse voice, a smug smile plastered across his face.
Although this summoning would lead to his demise, his raised arm was visibly shriveling and withering at an alarming rate. His hunched form seemed on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
Yet, Stephen felt no regret. His eyes burned with fervent light, and he even savored the moment. The thrill of revenge filled him with an unparalleled sense of fulfillment!
"Hahaha, tremble, despair! Before Gromos, all beings can only shiver in fear!" Stephen bellowed.
Zhang Chen's expression shifted from impassive to curious, then to astonished, finally settling on shock!
Stephen laughed louder, growing more triumphant. He relished Zhang Chen's reaction, believing this was precisely the expression he should see on his enemy's face during his revenge.
With a face full of shock, Zhang Chen slowly said:
"Xiao... Xiao Ruan?"
"Gu Ji!"
In an instant, the colossal Gromos transformed into its cute, diminutive form.
"Gu Ji! Gu Ji~"
Xiao Ruan floated gently around Zhang Chen, occasionally nuzzling his cheek with its smooth head in a display of affection.
"I was wondering where you went. So you were waiting to be summoned?"
"It seems this Stephen actually has some ability to summon you!"
Seeing Xiao Ruan, Zhang Chen was overjoyed. He gently pinched one of its tentacles, smiling as he spoke.
"This... How is this possible?" Stephen's face was etched with disbelief.
"I must admit, being able to summon the demigod-level ultimate Gromos is indeed an extraordinary feat."
"If you were facing any other enemy, you would undoubtedly have victory within your grasp."
"But unfortunately... it's my pet. It won't attack me!" Zhang Chen said with a smile.
"Gu Ji, Gu Ji~"
Xiao Ruan quickly burrowed back into Zhang Chen's pocket.
"I've used up nearly all my lifespan, sold my soul, and the result of it all... is your pet?! Cough... cough..."
The light in Stephen's eyes finally faded, leaving only unwillingness, helplessness, and despair. As he coughed violently, the black energy armor on his body began to backfire. Stephen watched helplessly as his flesh and skin slowly vanished under the corrosive energy, turning to dust until only a skeleton remained, after which all traces of him were extinguished...
"Quite a formidable fellow, worthy of respect!" Zhang Chen nodded.
Then, he raised his hand and lightly touched the black hole. The violent energy within instantly repelled his hand.
"Whoa, quite the personality!" Zhang Chen's interest piqued, and he slowly reached both hands into the black hole again.
In all his previous battles, Zhang Chen had never felt the slightest resistance. But here, he clearly felt a force tearing at his arms.
"It's time to go back, stop messing around outside!" Zhang Chen said, as he himself disappeared into the black hole.
Crackle! Crackle!
A terrifying explosion and crackling lightning emanated from the black hole.
Pop!
The black hole shattered instantly, unleashing a torrent of energy that began to engulf and destroy the world that should not have existed...
Mere seconds later, Zhang Chen floated in the void, holding a small piece of meteorite fragment. The surrounding scenery faded, replaced by an expanse of nothingness. It was as if he were in space, with colorful, precipitate-like substances in the distance, and the debris of various structures and human civilization floating around him.
Here, Zhang Chen didn't need to breathe, and time seemed to have no meaning; everything was eternally still.
"What kind of world or space is this?" Zhang Chen asked himself.
"Gu Ji!" Xiao Ruan suddenly extended a tentacle, hooking onto the edge of Zhang Chen's pocket, and half of its small head emerged.
"Are you saying... this is a rift between parallel worlds?"
"This rift looks enormous!" Zhang Chen teased with a smile.
"Gu Ji!" Xiao Ruan leaped out of Zhang Chen's pocket and, after a brief hover in mid-air, opened a portal and slipped through. Shortly after, it returned, opening another portal from a different location.
"I understand what you mean. Gaps between spaces have no concept of three-dimensional distance, so whether they are large or small is irrelevant!"
"Moving here seems endless, but by tearing through space, one can easily reach adjacent parallel worlds."
"So, the world as you see it is different from ours!"
"Parallel worlds are like us walking in the same world; with each step, our position changes. But with each step you take, you enter another world..."
Zhang Chen nodded, roughly grasping Xiao Ruan's worldview. It was indeed completely different from his own. In fact, Xiao Ruan could be considered a higher-dimensional lifeform. If it possessed temporal abilities as well, it could traverse any time period in any world. All parallel worlds and all their time periods would be like history books to it.
"Gu Ji! Gu Ji!" Xiao Ruan circled Zhang Chen, its tentacles dancing as it called out.
"I don't want to ascend to such a high dimension just yet."
"I believe my mindset and state of being are not yet sufficient. For now, I can only accept being human."
"As for higher existences, it's simply too niche and inaccessible."
"While I adore you and your kind... I also love my own kind!" Zhang Chen said with a smile.
Upon transcending this dimensional level, a being's desires would change, and their entire mindset and perspective would transform. It was certain that Zhang Chen would face other troubles then—higher-dimensional beings had their own problems. Therefore, it was better to live well within this dimension. As for emotional bonds, Zhang Chen wasn't ready to let go of them.
"Gu Ji!" Xiao Ruan conceded and burrowed back into Zhang Chen's pocket.
"Then... we're going home!" Zhang Chen waved his right hand gently, and a portal slowly opened... The succubus behind him obediently followed into it.