"Portal," he repeated, his grin stretching unnaturally wide, almost splitting his face.

    The sheer malice in it made everyone instinctively take a step back.

    To them, he was no longer just a monster. That smile, that aura—he was the devil incarnate.

    Some tried to steady their nerves, clutching their weapons tighter, but even the bravest among them could feel the weight of despair.

    "I’ll spare every one of you... on one condition." He raised a single finger, his grin never leaving his face.

    The woman stepped forward hesitantly.

    "W-what... condition?" she asked weakly, her trembling words showing the fear she tried to suppress.

    "Tell me about this portal. Right now. I want to see it," he commanded.

    "It’s... it’s still incomplete," she stammered, her voice shaky. "But I can show you where it is."

    He folded his arms, staring her down. "Then lead the way. And don’t try anything stupid, or this place won’t see another sunrise."

    With everyone subdued, they led him to another area. The portal itself was located a few miles outside the city.

    The people—or "Martians," as he had mockingly decided to call them—boarded their levitating trucks, their engines humming softly as they started moving.

    He followed them from above.

    His eyes scanned the barren Martian landscape, the red sands stretching endlessly in every direction.

    The silence was broken only by the occasional hiss of the trucks gliding over the terrain.

    They knew they were escorting a monster to one of their most guarded secrets, but defying him wasn’t an option.

    When they reached their destination, what greeted him was a massive metallic round gate. It resembled the ones he’d seen back in Central City, but this one had a starkly different design.

    Painted in white and orange, it gave off a strange, almost plastic-like appearance when viewed from a distance.

    The gate stood at least fifty feet tall, its smooth surface gleaming under the faint sunlight.

    Surrounding it were clusters of equipment—consoles, cables, and power sources—all meticulously arranged yet haphazard enough to suggest the project was still unfinished.

    Surrounding the portal were multiple metallic structures, each built with functionality in mind.

    ’Wait...’ A sudden thought crossed his mind.

    He quickly glanced down at his wrist. Next, he focused, and the portable portal he had before emerged.

    The system may have abandoned him, but the knowledge and creations he had built were still etched into his very soul.

    ’Does this ting still work?’

    Not wasting a moment, he closed his eyes to see if he could teleport.

    Unfortunately, there was nothing. He was too far away to feel any connection.

    ’I can’t give up yet,’

    If distance was the problem, then there had to be a way to close the gap.

    His mind raced through possibilities, each idea more complex than the last.

    But with each passing thought, he realized he lacked the necessary knowledge to make any of them work.

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    Then, like a spark in the dark, the answer hit him.

    His eyes snapped to the scientists, "Did my fa... The Monarch... give you information on how to build this thing from scratch?"

    They exchanged uneasy glances, but one of them, the same man who had spoken earlier, stepped forward hesitantly. "Yes,"

    "Sweet," he was elated.

    If he could reverse-engineer the technology and adapt the system’s methods from his portable device, he realized he could create a far better version.

    A bigger replica—one capable of storing more energy that would allow for long-distance travel.

    And because his portable portal still held the coordinates of that world, he wouldn’t need to waste time searching aimlessly. He just needed to establish a faint connection

    It would take time, but with the right resources, the technology from the Monarch’s legacy combined with his own intelligence could redefine everything.

    ’Alright, time to read more books,’ he let out a faint laugh.

    The thought amused him. Despite all his power, the thing that would really push him forward was additional knowledge.

    Life sure has a funny way of bringing things full circle.