He once again found himself to be standing on the desolate cliff . As he looked around he found that the cliff was a part of a seemingly endless canyon . It stretched further than Zac could see and the bottom was shrouded in a thick mist , giving the impression of being bottomless . The illusory world itself was a dull grey , as though all life had been sucked out of the area .
The most shocking sight wasn’t the canyon however , it was the enormous axe that was embedded in the ground a few hundred meters away from him . It was at least 50 meters tall and exuded a pressure that almost made Zac collapse just from standing in the vicinity .
The axe itself was simple and unadorned with a straight wooden haft . It was a double axe made in seemingly ordinary steel with curved edges . Even though it looked simple Zac felt that he was gazing at a supreme treasure just from the towering aura it exuded .
As soon as Zac’s eyes landed on the edge of the axe he stumbled backward , his face turning a ghastly white . It had felt like he was being split in two from just looking at the edge .
After regaining his bearing he tentatively looked up at the axe again , careful to avoid looking at the edges . But as he did , his vision once more changed .
The bleak dead world changed to one that could best be described as a paradise . Golden clouds hung in the sky , and there were fantastical buildings upon them . A network of translucent bridges connected the sky cities , and flying contraptions could be seen gliding about .
Zac himself was floating far up in the sky , seemingly unencumbered by gravity . Facing him was a vast celestial army . The army shone in a splendor of white and gold , and the generals radiated a terrifying power that Zac wouldn’t even be able to begin to grade . A few groups of the army were circling pillars as large as skyscrapers , and it took Zac a moment to realize the huge structures were actually supersized array flags , like the ones he had in his camp .
There were even titans among the ranks of the humanoid army , the shortest standing being at least 100 meters tall . Their muscular frames looked strong enough to carry mountains .
The army gave Zac a holy feeling , but it also emitted a monstrous killing intent , which largely seemed to be focused on himself . The very air seemed to vibrate with resentment .
Zac was terrified , as he instinctively knew that each and every one of these warriors would be able to end him without breaking a sweat . He tried to turn around and flee , but he couldn’t move even his eyes .
A sigh escaped for his lips , making him realize he was not just an incorporeal being spectating , but inhabiting a body that was out of his control . It seemed he was viewing the scene through the eyes of someone else .
His eyes suddenly looked down on his body , seeing a muscular frame covered in simple linen clothes . His feet were bare and dusty , looking as though he had walked all day without any shoes . Suddenly an axe entered his vision . It was hefted in his right hand and looked identical to the enormous one he had seen in the first vision at the canyon .
The hand holding it was extremely rough and calloused as if it had been holding and swinging the axe for an eternity .
His vision went back to the army , who now seemed to be preparing to attack . The air was rife with runaway power , almost to the point that the cosmic energy would liquefy .
Thousands of warriors started infusing cosmic power into the towering array flags , who started to shine in a white light that superseded even the pillar on his island .
Suddenly two enormous gates appeared above the army , summoned by the arrays . As the gates started to open an even stronger power started to leak out . It felt like a god’s punishment was held within those gates , and if they opened he would be destroyed body and soul .
But even against this force the being Zac inhabited didn’t react . He simply lifted his axe , and with a grunt swung it down in a vertical arc .
It was as though the world turned white with that swing , and nothing existed except its almighty arc expanding outward . Nothing could withstand it . The celestial soldiers were dismembered without managing to even muster up a defense .
The pillars shattered , and the Titans roared and tried to defend against the wave with their superior physiques . It was to no avail as they crumbled when the wave passed through them .
Some of the leaders frantically summoned awe-inspiring amounts of cosmic energy to muster up defenses that left Zac in shock . Others ripped open tears in the air itself to escape , shock and horror visible on their faces . But the blade arc pushed through and crushed the defenses like dry twigs , annihilating the last remnants of the army . Soon after even the void was split apart and dismembered body parts were thrown out of jagged rifts , and Zac could see it was the leaders that had tried fleeing through the void .
Zac’s vision started to blur , but the last thing he saw before everything faded was a hideous scar on the ground that stretched to the horizon . It looked like the world itself was maimed , and vast amounts of cosmic energy bled through the gash .
Zac’s vision returned to the canyon and the huge axe . Only now he understood it wasn’t a canyon , but the rift caused by that endlessly powerful axe-swing . The once celestial vision he had seen during the battle was gone , replaced with the empty desolation of a dead world .
Zac’s emotions were in turmoil after the battle . He had become steady as a rock after over a thousand battles on the island , but he wasn’t prepared for what he had seen . Who was that man , and why was that army trying to fight him?
Was that how a war in the multi-verse looked? If so , then earth was well and truly screwed . If someone arrived on earth with only a fraction of the power of the man with the axe , then there was nothing the earthlings could do . It would be like ants trying to stop a tank .
Furthermore , he didn’t understand why he was shown this vision . He had just gotten the skill Axe Mastery and suddenly was transported here .
As he was pondering what it all meant the gigantic axe started emitting a blinding light . When he turned his eyes over to the weapon the light intensified and suddenly the axe was gone .
In its place was a large fractal that shared the same general outline as the axe . It also emitted extreme pressure , making Zac feel as though he could somehow be cleaved in two from this pattern as well .
The fractal didn’t stay still for long , and suddenly started to shrink . When it had shrunk into the size of his palm it suddenly shot toward him like a bullet . Aghast Zac tried to dodge . It truly felt like the monstrous axe was charging at him .
It was to no avail however , and it slammed right into his forehead . Zac froze , not daring to move an inch .
Luckily the release of death didn’t arrive , and he found out he was completely fine . The fractal hadn’t cut him but somehow entered his head instead . He could now sense its existence in his mind , and it hovered there now seemingly inert .
Finally , he bit his finger making a small bleeding wound , and willed himself back to reality . He opened his eyes , still sitting in his small hideout . He was shocked to notice that he was completely soaked in sweat and drained of cosmic energy . It also seemed that hours had passed , rather than minutes as it had felt like , since the suns had moved quite a distance in the sky . But as he looked down on his finger it was whole and without any wound .
It seemed that the experience had truly been an illusion . He was already somewhat sure of that but had cut his finger just to be certain . He knew the System was no stranger to teleportation from how it sent away Hannah and her friends , and needed to know if he was in actual danger if it happened again .
For a final test , he tried to enter the mystic space once more , but nothing happened . It seemed it was a one-time opportunity he had received . He was at least happy to notice that the mysterious axe fractal actually had remained in his mind , as he could still perceive it outside of the illusion .