Chapter 167: 167: The Mirror Realm
While the scouts and the Apokalips are fighting. Per minute, one scout or two Apokalips would fall. Caleb, although used to seeing deaths by now. He can't help but feel remorse at the fragility of human life. It's like a flame in the candle that could be snuffed out at any time.
"Don't you want to join your friends?" Roger looked at Caleb in doubt.
Hearing Roger's question, Caleb shook his head in response. "No. He said that I'm his goal. So I'll face him on my own."
"No, that's too risky. Let him go to me. You help your friend while I'll fight him."
Caleb looked speechlessly at Roger. Does this bastard think he can take care of five or seven-tier 8?
"I can't take care of the tier 8's you on the battlefield, you know. You're the only one who can do that. If it's only two, I might be able to, but they're too many."
"Hahaha... Deciding without me? Isn't it fun? However, it's really not up to the two of you." Shu suddenly arrived five meters distance from their position.
'Hayai!' Caleb took a deep breath. Well, Hayai means fast if some of you don't know.
Roger instantly arrived behind Shu with cold eyes. "It's not up to us to decide? How confident are you to send yourself near a 6th Seat Officer?"
"You'll see..."
A bright white light appeared on the crystal in Shu's hand and wrapped itself around Shu's entire body.
Roger's eyes widened as his fist passed through Shu's body like just punched the air. "Not good!"
He was about to use one of his tier 6 abilities when the white light grew brighter, which forced him to cover his eyes. Following that, the light flickered in and out of existence before it thoroughly disappeared.
When Roger opened his eyes, Shu was already gone. Immediately, he searched for Johan, but the latter also disappeared. "Damn!" he gritted his teeth. He knew that Shu's plan worked this time. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what is the white crystal that Shu uses. What is it for? Where are Johan and him now?"
With no options, Roger decided that he didn't have options but to join the battlefield and clean up the tier 8 Apokalips. It's the only thing he could do now. Then finish the battle as soon as possible and find a way to track Shu and Johan.
...
On another place. Well, Caleb doesn't know what place or if he is still on the planet. He found himself in a foreign environment filled with strange white crystals.
Where the fuck am I? Did I get reincarnated again or something!?
Caleb screamed in his mind.
"Confused? Well, you are in the Mirror Realm created by the white crystal, also known as the Dimensional Key."
Caleb turned around and saw Shu, who had a smile while explaining.
Mirror Realm?
Seeing the confusion on Johan's face prompted Shu to continue his explanation. "The Mirror Dimension is a parallel dimension that mimics Destiny World's plane of existence. It is complete with the same surroundings and inhabitants, but its visual appearance is distorted like a fractured mirror.
The most distinctive feature of the Mirror Dimension is its visual distortion. Everything within it appears as if it has been reflected in a shattered or fractured mirror, creating a surreal and disorienting environment. Mirror Dimension replicates Destiny World in terms of geography, structures, and the people who inhabit it. It is essentially a mirrored version of the real world, though with a distorted aesthetic."
Fuck! There's such a thing here!?
Caleb took a big gasp in his mind. Still, mirror realm or whatnot. This is not good for him! He was essentially trapped, wasn't he!?
Still shocked, Caleb started to look around in hopes of finding an exit. Around him, he could see all the teams and veteran scouts fighting. Except for mirror cracks in the space and air, there was no big difference outside except for the sky which reflects what's happening on the ground. Yes, the sky was a literally mirror that made Caleb feel dizzy for a while, so he opted just to look ahead of him.
As Caleb moved forward, he attempted to touch the people and Apokalips around him who couldn't feel or see his existence. Then, his hand just passed through most of them. 'I'll be damned! I'm really in a separate dimension! Awesome!'
"It's futile... In the mirror realm, the ones inside are the only capable of sensing the outside, while the outside world won't be able to perceive the ones inside. This is also the reason why I'm confident to face Roger." Shu continued to explain patiently even though Caleb didn't seem to have the intention to respond.
A minute later, after satisfying his curiosity, Caleb came to a conclusion. In the mirror realm, one of the most noticeable features is the appearance of the sky. Instead of a traditional sky, Caleb perceives it as a literal mirror. This mirror-like sky reflects what is happening on the ground, creating a disorienting and dizzying effect. This visual peculiarity sets the mirror realm apart from the normal world.
Within the mirror realm, there is a stark contrast in the way individuals can interact with their surroundings. Along with his discovery that he can pass his hand through people and other objects, which is a clear indication that physical interactions are not possible in the outside world. This makes it a challenging environment to navigate and influence. In other words, he can't ask for damn help! He had to depend on himself this time to escape!
Another crucial aspect of the mirror realm is the asymmetry in perception. Only those inside the mirror realm have the capability to sense and perceive the world outside. In other words, Caleb can observe and understand what is happening in the outside world, but the individuals in the normal world cannot perceive or interact with him. This one-way sensing creates a distinct advantage for those inside the mirror realm.
The mirror realm's unique properties have strategic implications. It provides an advantage to those who can enter it, as they can gather information and make decisions based on their observations without being detected by the outside world. Just like what Shu had said. He explains that the mirror realm is the reason for his confidence when facing someone named Roger. The asymmetry in perception becomes a valuable tool in the context of the story's plot and conflict.
This is literally a divine tool for peeking! Ahem... For surveillance, scouting, and spying! Caleb couldn't help but feel a cold chill on his back as he thought of this. After all, he has been with Shu for a year. Just how much that bastard knows about him and the others? How much thing had he used the crystal to spy on everyone!?