Wild winds wreaked havoc.
Craters had replaced the hilly topography of this region, yellow-black and hazel bolts of lightning snaking here and there.
Sprawled in one of those craters was Black, his eyes rolled back into his head.
Standing on top of him, Alan put a hand on the Sorting Hat, preventing the stormy gusts of wind from taking it away with them.
"Calling your father a bastard…" he mumbled, his breath steady. "Spoiled brat!"
He bent, held Black by the collars, and pulled him up.
Black's head was twisted beyond recognition. A fist's impression covered his face, flesh squirming, trying to remember what the shape.
"I think I overdid it a bit…" Alan sighed, flicking the rim of his hat.
The Sorting Hat rolled his upper folds like eyes. "Don't even get me started…"
Alan made Black sit as if he were a mere puppet. He slapped the twisting face many times, helping it regain its shape.
When Black came to his senses, he blinked several times, trying to remember what had happened. He failed. Not even the Ad Infinitum could bring up the memories as if someone or something had deleted them from the hard disk before he could access them.
There were no yellow crystals representing the last few minutes, either.
There was one thing, though. One feeling.
The feeling of utter terror.
Black remembered the first time he had heard his father's voice. He had considered himself half dead, then. Shaking it off, he looked up at his father.
Alan was picking his nose. The Sorting Hat almost jumped off his head, then, as he tried to rub the finger on it.
Just how strong is he? Black wondered, gulping.
"Oh, you are here!" Alan said, pulling the hat down on his head. "As I said, you have stirred a huge hornet nest out there…"
Black frowned. "When did you say that…"
"Never mind when I said that…"
"Then why bring it up at all!"
"Will you shut up for once?!" Alan flicked Black's forehead. "Gods! Anyway, before I tell you about it, you must know one thing…"
"What one thing?" Black asked.
"The Sevenfold Path of Multiverse…"
Black was about to ask, when suddenly a massive amount of information bombarded him, originating from the point where Alan had flicked him on the head.
Seven Pillars of Reality - the 7 Primary Timelines…
Seven Mirrors of Reality - the 7 Secondary Timelines…
Seven Keys of Reality - the 7 Tertiary Timelines…
Bubble Entities and the Random World…
The Outer One… and His authority…
One after another, all things revealed themselves to the Ad Infinitum, which processed each piece of information with an Elementary Proficiency of 99%.
At last, Black saw his father receiving Purple Mist and Simon's notes before The Banished punching The Existence down into the Primordial Tower, splitting the skies.
After a few seconds, Black opened his eyes, his pupils narrowing. He looked at his father in sheer disbelief. Just how strong is he?
"How did you… reach 19th floor in only 20 years?" Black asked, his Calm running out. "And how did you know… that the person in that hologram was me?"
The note shared by King Purple Mist didn't show Kai's true appearance at all.
Not to mention, his father had disappeared when Kai was but a baby. Then Kai died at the age of 16. Since his resurrection, around four years had already passed, excluding the time spent in the third stage of the Tournament of Worth.
It just didn't make sense to Black.
Kai considered himself the fastest Contestant to ascend floors. But he had a Glitch! With Glitch, came Privileges!
What did his father have? How could he reach… 19th floor in such a short span of time?!
Alan looked at his son with a touch of pity that he buried instantly in his heart. "We will discuss these questions later. I don't know what's going on with this Timeline and Death.
"The moment this… Darcie became an Anomaly, your timeline already started its metamorphosis to the Pillar Status. With all seven Pillars already existing in the Harry Potter Random World, it already bodes nothing but disaster.
"As if this wasn't enough… the Dumbledore of your timeline has gone and done something unthinkable."
Black shuddered. He remembered the ominous aura surrounding the Headmaster.
"With the help of The Order of Immortal Lotus," Alan said, his hazel eyes shining, "he went to a Pillar timeline, killed its Dumbledore, and absorbed his soul."
WHAT?!
A chill ran down Black's spine.
"It's graver than you think, brat," Alan said, chuckling. "Imagine the Dumbledore of a Pillar just disappearing like that… Haha… Those idiots are panicking. Well, they panic at everything these days. Hahaha! Cough!
"Anyway, it won't be long since trouble finds you and they will get to know about your Outer One status. Sigh! It's best to deal with your strongest enemy as soon as possible."
My strongest enemy?!
"We don't have time for these things," Alan said, getting up. "This pocket world is about to lose its ass. Let's go. I will need help from my friends."
Black's eyes widened. Help? Even this monster would need help? Just how strong is my strongest enemy?!!
But there was an even more pressing question.
"What about the Sorting Ceremony?!" Black asked. "I can't…"
Alan shook his hand. "It's alright," he said, flicking off the cigar's butt. He lit up another and said, "We are living in a moment. I will drop you here after it's all over. I hope…"
"You hope?!"
"Shut up!" Alan said, frowning. "Just watch. Your old man is about to do something awesome."
The Sorting Hat rolled its folds, grabbing on Alan's ears.
Alan waved his hand and took out a spear.
At one glance, there was nothing special about this spear.
But as Black looked at it, his head began pounding, all calculations coming to a sudden halt.
Alan Stormborn smiled at Black, bringing out a few of his mysteries.
…
He wielded the spear, lifting it, His hazel eyes bursting out with a blazing burst of light.
Hazel bolts of lightning danced across the space, covering the ordinary spear. It glowed black, golden, and then hazel, gaining a life of its own.
Suddenly, a bubble surrounded the blade of the spear.
Gura Gura no Mi - Stormborn Original —
He gritted His teeth and hacked, the buzz itself annihilating the world.
Then, as the spear came halfway down, it struck the air as if it had met a solid wall.
Crack-ck-ckkk-ckkkkkkkkkkk!
The air cracked, pieces of space falling unto themselves.
A long tear opened up in the void, blue-black winds quaking the eyes and the thoughts.
— Dimension Shatterer!!!
Alan Stormborn grabbed Black by the back of his neck and jumped into the void.
"Make sure you show them respect, you brat!" He said with a booming voice. "There all are your old man's crew members!"
…
Before the wind, Mana slapped Black's face, overwhelming his senses.
Black opened his eyes and found himself looking at a sea of hues he could have only imagined.
It was everywhere. Mana, in such a surplus amount, that it could have put the Random World of Harry Potter to shame.
Black looked around.
They were standing midair above a castle, surrounded by a massive city.
Then he looked at his father and couldn't help but experience a wave of thoughts.
Did he just… switch Random Worlds? Black wondered, gulping. He remembered the spear strike and a chill ran down his spine. Dimension Shatterer… Quake Quake Fruit… And if I am not wrong, then Conqueror's Haki… Why do I feel like these things only scratch the surface, though?
Just how strong is he?!
"After coming to the Primordial Tower," The Banished said, looking around, "I made many friends. We usually go by the name The Storm. You don't need to worry about it. It's not a big deal."
The Storm? Black narrowed his eyes. He had never heard of this Organization before.
Coupled with his servants, Kai could be considered a true Higher-floor Contestant now.
For him not having heard of an Organization meant either it was inconsequential or… he just wasn't strong enough to come across even its name.
It's not a big deal… Black repeated his father's words with an ominous bell ringing in his ears.
Before Black could ask more, Alan Stormborn thundered. "Oi! Get your ass over here! Julius!"
**************
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