Naturally, the ''owners'' of the fracture that led to the Dead Realm weren''t pleased when Alex first showed up in their city wanting to enter the fracture.

    But, after he showed them his diplomatic status, they could do nothing to stop him from doing so.

    Of course they tried toin to their higher ups from the Higher civilisation, but they simply told them the same thing Alex did – he wasn''t to be bothered.

    ***

    The instant Alex stepped through the fracture, a wave of blistering heat hit him like an impervious wall.

    Not the heat of summer, or a desert sun.

    No – it was like the realm itself was on fire, constantly.

    The sky above – if it could even be called that – was a haze of bronze and ck, streaked with fiery crimson clouds.

    Below, thendscape consisted of jagged canyons splitting the cracked obsidian earth, filled with flowing rivers ofva so bright they made even Alex''s Higher life form eyes sting a little.

    Mountains towered in the distance, not of stone, but of fused ore and g from constant years of thends erupting, bringing the innards of the earth to the surface. Every few seconds, you could physically hear thend groan and shift under the impossible weights on top of it.

    Overall… it was like stepping into hell.

    That was truly what Alex felt when he stepped foot on the sizzling hot obsidian beneath his feet.

    He exhaled slowly, steadying himself enough to stand straight against the pressure of the air.

    He took a step forward. Then another.

    The ground trembled underneath his feet with every step he took, like it hadn''t been stopped on for years and crumbled under Alex''s weight.

    It was like the Realm itself was watching him. Waiting.

    For what? He had no clue.

    But it wasn''t just the Realm.

    Not long after he began moving, he''d travelled a good 30 kilometres before a soft click echoed behind him.

    Alex stopped.

    Another click.

    Then a low hiss.

    He turned sharply, with energy quickly rushing into his hands as he sped Virtue''s Edge.

    ''Has Mikhail already taken notice of me?''

    He questioned internally.

    Six figures soon emerged from the fracture in the distance. Alex couldn''t tell whether they were people or not, since his Spatial Perception couldn''t detect life force – but the fact that they were six figures moving in sync already had him convinced.

    He couldn''t see them with his eyes at first either, since the mountains shrouded them from his view, but this obstacle was soon removed when they moved over the mountains in just a few seconds.

    Six Sri – all cloaked in a slick, crimson armourced with silver undertones. Their faces were covered with what looked like visors knights back in the middle ages would have used.

    The moment Alexid eyes on them, he understood.

    They clearly weren''t some expeditionists like Reluun.

    Nor were they miners.

    Not scavengers.

    Not some curious explorers.

    They were warriors.

    Awakened, and high ranked ones at that.

    Alex could tell from a nce that the six of them were all at least higher life forms with how fast they approached him.

    They moved at a simr, but slower pace than his own to reach his point.

    It wouldn''t take a genius to realise why they were there.

    They were sent.

    From Alex''s guess, sent by the people who were in charge of the fracture.

    Alex didn''t tense, staring at the new arrivals with a neutral look.

    "I was allowed to enter. You saw the documents."

    One of the warriors stepped forward, voice crackling as if he was trying to keep it hidden.

    "Allowed to enter. Yes."

    He took another step, as if trying to threaten Alex.

    "But what happens after you enter?"

    His voice turned sharp. Mocking, even.

    "Well… it''s impossible for any surveince to exist in this realm. Not even the System could spy on us here – not without intentionally doing so, at least. This ce is a Dead Realm for a reason."

    Another warrior chuckled darkly.

    "If something were to happen to you – say, a heat geyser, a sudden tectonic rupture, or even a randomva storm –"

    "Unfortunate."

    Another warrior interrupted with mock sympathy.

    "But not unexpected. The Dead Realm ims lives all the time."

    Alex sighed, palming his face with his hand.

    ''So much for being a peaceful race… These guys are just as shallow as the Federation. Their leaders tell them to not do anything, yet these guys are too greedy for their own good. Going against their own orders just because their fragile egos can''t handle some outsider entering through ''their'' fracture.''

    He narrowed his eyes at the neers.

    "So you''re going to try to kill me, and make it look like the realm did it."

    No one answered at first.

    Then a chuckle.

    "Try? We don''t even have to try for a weakling like you."

    ''Huh, now that''s interesting.''

    They clearly already knew that he was a B tier, a higher life form, since the six of them were dispatched.

    But they obviously knew nothing about his strength.

    He couldn''t me them though. Neither did the Sri leaders in the Conve.

    He''d only revealed that he was a higher life form to the Sri, and putting aside revealing Brontes'' presence as a divine beast, they knew nothing of his strength since Brontes was quickly covered up.

    Alex actually found it quite funny.

    He was always being underestimated by people.

    ''That''s just the benefit of not revealing my full strength.''

    Though, if he had revealed his strength, they might not have been bold enough to bother him in the first ce.

    He wouldn''t take that risk, though.

    Sure, there was a chance they might just leave him alone if they knew what he was capable of.

    But there was also a chance that they might just go all out and send someone that really could threaten his life…

    "I wasn''t nning on killing so soon after entering this ce…"

    He sighed.

    And pounced.