The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 496: Finally A Success in Escape

[Desert region of the unknown planet, Damian's POV.]

The whole world blacked out for a second as Damian felt a surge of overwhelming pain. Even his hand resting on the generator couldn't hold his weight, and he collapsed onto the sand below, his entire body aching as if he were being reforged—pain radiating from every body cell.

The Highswords in the distance noticed immediately. Some of them rushed to his side, calling out in concern. But Damian had lost all his senses, leaving behind only searing pain and the eerie, creaking sound of his bones snapping and muscles tightening.

It lasted for only a minute, but it felt like an eternity. Several healing spells landed on him during that time, yet they barely made a difference. And then—just like that—the pain was gone.

"Kid!? Are you alright? What the hell is going on?" Worldscribe asked, holding his arm for support.

Runefather took his other side, helping pull him to his feet. Evolving in the middle of such a tense situation was a reckless, stupid decision, but as his senses returned, the pain vanished completely. It was done—whatever it was.

When Damian opened his eyes again and stood up on his own, he immediately noticed a change. He had grown taller—noticeably so. But it wasn't just his height. His arms and legs felt more powerful, his lean frame now carrying defined muscle. His body felt alive, brimming with energy.

For the first time, he could match the heights of the Highswords around him. They stared in shock, their eyes wide—not just from his sudden growth, but because of something else.

A burning, almost crawling sensation spread across his arms and back. An uncomfortable heat. Damian looked down, finally noticing the source.

Chains.

Pitch-black chains wrapped around his arms, slithering up to his shoulders and back. They moved, writhing beneath his skin like a living tattoo. Damian stared at the strange transformation, surprised but unwilling to let it distract him from the task at hand. Without hesitation, he placed his palm back on the steel rod, resuming the generation of liquid mana through his aura.

"Did you.. become a second ranker?" Silverspell asked, doubt creeping into his voice.

The shift in Damian's presence was undeniable. It wasn't a minor increase in power—his role as a prestigious rune shaper had elevated him somewhere between the second and third rankers. Not quite weak enough to be a mere second ranker, but still short of the transcendent level.

Damian simply nodded. He wanted to check his status after his evolution, but now wasn't the time—not with so many people watching. Instead, he turned to Runefather.

"Help me make some tools," he said. "It'll give us a better chance at surviving."

Runefather nodded. Damian handed out Grand-grade third-ranker concentrated healing potions to the others, then began chanting the spell from the memory Prince had shared with him to teleport.

Once the runic circle was complete, Damian activated the Sigil Replication, testing whether he could copy the design instantly or if he'd have to redraw it repeatedly. Thankfully, it worked—the copy formed in the same amount of time he had spent chanting. An instant replication would have been too much of a cheat.

Even this level of assistance was a massive advantage. Without needing to redraw the runic circle each time, he quickly crafted five steel cubes, each inscribed with a spell that used the same target-based mana-locking mechanism that could open golden portals beneath them, sending their users as far as their mana allowed.

Runefather worked diligently beside him, but his hands weren't the only thing moving—his eyes kept widening, shock after shock hitting him as he watched Damian create five runic cubes in under seven minutes, all while continuously generating liquid mana.

And the most shocking part? He had only chanted the spell once.

"What do these do?" Bloodedge asked as Damian handed out a cube to each of those who had a good amount of mana left.

"It's the same spell that opened the golden portal earlier," Damian explained. "Use as much mana as you can spare if you want us to escape as far as possible."

One after another, five people activated their runic cubes, each portal launching them farther away from the demon lord. Meanwhile, Damian continued producing liquid mana, without stopping for even a second.

Finally, they crossed the ten-minute mark. Damian had just enough mana left—both from his containers and his body—to open a Waygate. He activated it with sheer intent, without chanting or using his Worldshaper Hands at all.

His target was Toph.

More than anything, Toph's safety was crucial. If something happened to him, all his physical strength and years of knowledge would be wasted. And since Toph was with Elias and Lumi last time he sensed, in the Dreamlight, there was a good chance they were still together in this world.

In Dreamlight, Damian had several liquid mana containers stored. If he could get there quickly, he wouldn't have to waste time recovering any more liquid mana.

The swirling blue Waygate opened. With one final glance toward the demon lord's mana signature, Damian and the Highswords stepped through.

—

The moment Damian could open his eyes again, he was falling.

Everything around him was a deep, endless blue. Salty sea winds burned his nostrils as he plummeted straight down—along with Poison Esper Lady and the other highswords who couldn't fly.

Thankfully, Worldscribe, Silverspell, and Lifewarden had prepared ahead of time, activating their flight spells to catch those in freefall. Worldscribe grabbed Damian, lifting him safely through the air.

They flew toward Dreamlight in the distance, reaching it within minutes. But the moment Damian saw who was piloting, his stomach clenched.

Elias and Lumi were flying it. Not Reize.

Something was wrong.

As soon as they entered the seating compartment, Damian's unease deepened.

The grotesque corpses of Highsword knights lay scattered about.

It was an unsettling sight, but regaining his over fifty liquid mana containers was a relief. He finally had the mana reserves to keep moving.

But when his eyes landed on Reize—

—All his happiness vanished.

She was… not in good shape.

>.>