Death... and me



Luman had told the twins that the further they went into the Swamp of no Return, the stronger the Demon Beasts would become. However, Luman also mentioned that he didn't know if he had truly got further into the Swamp or not during the time he was lost. It's just that there was a time when Luman found many stronger Demon Beasts as he kept moving everywhere.

It wasn't wrong to say that the further you enter a Demon Beasts' Territory, the stronger they were. After all, that's how most of their territories worked. If you are stronger, then you have the power to fight for better resources, which are usually located deeper inside those territories. It was basically logic. 

Even humans followed the same path. The stronger and wealthier you were, the closer you lived to the center of a big city. Even a small village with no more than a few hundred people would usually have its chief hut at the center of the tribe. 

However, different from Luman, the twins' group could tell exactly where they were going thanks to Luan's eyes. Luan knew what direction they had to go if they wanted to leave the Swamp. Naturally, he also knew how to move to the center of the Swamp of no Return.

At first, the logic of stronger beasts the further inside you went worked perfectly. After just a few years, the strength of the Swamp Beasts had risen from Void Tempering Realm to Space Bending ones. It's just that Luan could tell that they were still very, very far from the center of the Swamp.

Their travel speed wasn't an issue. Instead, the flow of space in the Swamp became more prominent as they approached the center. Luan took some time to identify an issue, and that issue was that even though they were moving to the center, their speed was reduced as well.

Kentucky was still flying at the same speed as ever, which puzzled the twins when Luan mentioned that. "Do you mean that we aren't moving straight to the center of the Swamp of no Return?" Roan asked Luan with a curious expression.

Luan immediately shook his head now that he understood what was happening. "No, that's not it, father. We are definitely making a beeline to the center. Unfortunately, it seems like the flow of space that makes one go lost started to show other issues. Even though we are moving as we should, the Space Power effect is making us slower. We are not lost, but we are not making much progress either. Think about it as if you are running on a slippery surface. Your feet gave ten steps every second, but because of the slippery ground, you only moved the distance of a single step."

Roan's eyes narrowed when he heard it. He looked around and could see the Swamp Trees, dirty, and water passing by as Kentucky continued to fly. He didn't feel like he was being affected in any way. Of course, when it comes to one's sense of Spatial Powers, even his Space Bending Realm's cultivation couldn't compare to Luan's innate ability. Not to mention that Luan had Space Element Affinity. He trusted Luan's conclusion.

"No wonder I haven't felt much difference in the flow of space ever since we left Luman's settlement. When we made our way from the entrance of the Swamp to where Luman was located, there was a consistent increase in the flow. Now, however, we have been moving for a few years, but the flow pretty much didn't change."

Luan nodded. "That's what puzzled me. Father and Uncle Rean can only feel the flow, but I can see it with my eyes. I couldn't understand why it was not changing. If anything, the further we went, the lower the increase of the flow. That's why I changed my approach and focused on our movement instead. I've been checking it for the past few days, and now I'm certain. The flow of space not only can make those inside get lost, but now that we are this far inside, it is also repealing us. If I'm not wrong, our actual speed is somewhere around 20% of what it was when we entered the Swamp."

Kentucky turned his head after hearing that. "So, what do we do then? I can't feel anything different. For me, it feels like I'm still moving as fast as I did when I left the settlement. If I'm being pulled back, I have no idea how to break through this restriction."

Rean pondered a bit before saying. "Well, it's not like we are stuck. We are moving slower, but we are still moving. It just means our journey will take longer. Since time here passes many times faster, it won't change much compared to outside. Let's not forget that the faster time effect also increases the further we go into the Swamp. By now, I don't think more than 20 or so years have passed outside the Swamp."

Luan shook his head in disagreement. "At the moment, it is fine with 20%. But that's not the problem here. I said it before, didn't I? The flow of space hasn't changed much since we left the settlement."

Roan immediately understood the crux of the issue. "Since it hasn't changed much, that means we are just too far away at the moment. If we continue moving like this, let alone a few years, we might very well take decades, if not hundreds of years, to reach our destination."

Luan shook his head. "That's already being very optimistic, father. The way I see it, we will be lucky if we ever get there. Even if we do, it will take tens of thousands of years. That's because this repealing effect will only grow. Also, who knows if other effects also don't come into play."

"That's troublesome..." Rean understood that it wasn't very good. "Well, at least we know we have a way out, so that's a plus."

Suddenly, Sister Orb's voice echoed in their minds. [I wouldn't be so sure about that.]