Xavier felt energised.

  More than he had in a while.

  He had returned to Collinsville only briefly, to inform those that were there that he wouldn’t be close enough to contact for the foreseeable future.

  Guardian would be more than strong enough to protect Collinsville, and those he was leaving in charge were the strongest people on the entire planet when the Champions were in the tower, and the old members of his party still hadn’t returned. He would have gotten a message from them the moment they were back on Earth if they had.

  Once he left this sector, the Communication Stone he used to contact those back on Earth would stop working. It was only a sector-wide stone, which meant it wouldn’t work while he was on the other side of the universe.

  The other side of the universe…

  That was still sinking in. His sense of adventure was absolutely inflamed. He remembered that moment when Adranial had given him her ancestor’s offer—that he would take Xavier on and look after his training. That Xavier would be able to experience the most powerful world in the sector.

  Part of him had wanted to do it just so he could go on the journey.

  This, at least, was a journey that wouldn’t lock him into a contract with anyone. Wouldn’t make him under anyone’s debt.

  Volkarin and Rhaalir were dubious of this plan, to say the least. The dragon had been sulky ever since Xaiver had made the decision. Xavier wasn’t really sure why Volkarin was acting this way—as though he didn’t think Xavier would be able to face the threats that these Hell Moons presented.

  Or maybe the dragon feared for his own life, considering he would be coming along.

  Xavier had offered to leave the dragon behind in this sector. Volkarin still had a long way to go until he was strong enough to stand by Xavier’s side. Leaving him at those hunting grounds had been the original plan. The only reason that plan had changed was because the C Grade Elite Hunt Squad had attacked.

  But the dragon insisted that he wished to be at Xavier’s side.

  Xavier, feeling heartened by the fact that the dragon seemed to care about him beyond what was necessary in his contract, didn’t argue.

  He wasn’t sure what these Hell Moons would be like. Romalda could only tell him so much—apparently, she’d only experienced a few of the descents, back when she was D Grade herself.

  One thing that was interesting to learn about the Hell Moons that was rather different to the Tower of Champions or a dungeon was that these weren’t instances. They weren’t private little worlds or universes where Xavier and those he brought with him could fight without the influence of other Denizens.

  They were open to anyone and everyone.

  Which meant he could encounter other Denizens that might wish him harm while he was descending through the different moons, gaining titles, and fighting stronger and stronger demons—he found he was very glad for having gone through the Class Grafting procedure.

  He knew for a fact that there were entities beyond his sector, ones that reached all the way to the first sector to ever be integrated by the System at the beginning of the universe, who had an interest in him. He’d rather his presence at the Hell Moons to remain a secret—he hadn’t even told his people in Collinsville where he’d be. Just that he would be off-planet.

  That could be anywhere.

  The disguise would serve him well—though he took an extra step, buying a full-faced helmet that would obscure his face. It wasn’t the same as shifting his shape like Empress Larona was able to do, but he didn’t think he would need to be quite so thorough on the other side of the universe.

  Xavier recalled the one and only demon he’d faced. The Nightmare. According to Volkarin and Romalda, demons like The Nightmare didn’t flourish in the Hell Moons—which meant the things that he would encounter there would be entirely different to what he’d experienced before.

  And that was where his excitement came in.

  He hadn’t known that there were places like this in the universe. Places that were like the Tower of Champions, but weren’t run by the System. Volkarin had grumbled when Xavier had asked what other places might be similar to the Hell Moons, telling him he wasn’t ready, but had finally relented after Xavier had given him a large chunk of beast meat from his Storage Ring—he figured using food to encourage the dragon’s answers was a lot better than simply compelling those answers out of him.

  Volkarin mentioned a few places, though he did not appear in a mood to elaborate on them—The Heavenly Rings. The Moors of Mazdakar. The Tower of Doom. The Thrice Cursed Dungeons.

  There were many more such places, but the dragon refused to elaborate on them.

  Still, even hearing of the ones he mentioned, and the three Hell Moons of Demonica themselves, made something burn within him. He needed to journey to these places. Needed to complete all of them—perhaps not in the next three years, but Xavier had a hell of a lot longer than that in which to do what he needed before the ultimate threat he would need to face came about—whatever it was that would one day end the universe.

  As long as I survive the ones that come before it.

  He couldn’t help but think of the Spirit of Time’s words the last time he had summoned her, when he’d been facing the Elemental Dragon on the hundredth floor. She said that too many unfoldings had the potential for making the very fabric of reality weak.

  And that when a hole was formed, things could get through.

  Xavier had already seen that happen, with the spirit that had taken over the Elemental Dragon and taken it back into the void between universes.

  He often wondered if whatever else was within that void was what had destroyed the other universes out there. He still didn’t know how the System allowed him and other Denizens to travel from one universe to another in the Tower of Champions. Did it somehow transport them through that void?

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  He pushed those thoughts from his mind. They were not his focus in this moment.

  His focus, right now, was in leaving his sector.

  Xavier was standing in the middle of the forest near Collinsville, somewhere secluded enough that he wasn’t worried he or the others would be seen. He could have easily have created a portal back in his quarters, but he wanted to step through the portal with Volkarin by his side, not in his Companion Cube, and the dragon was already far too large to fit comfortably inside his quarters.

  He summoned two things from his Storage Ring. First, was a door, one that stood independently on a frame on the ground in front of him. He needed something to put his Universal Travel Key into, after all.

  The second thing he summoned, of course, was the Universal Travel Key.

  He eyed the door and was reminded of the dial that Empress Larona had in her Personal Space, the one that she could turn, and it would activate a portal to another location.

  It made him think of her Personal Space—a portable headquarters. He’d been using his quarters in Collinsville as a base of sorts, returning there using his Portal Stones. But those were sector-wide Portal Stones, not universal. Which meant returning to his quarters wasn’t something that he’d be able to do for some time.

  Where he was going, he wouldn’t have a homebase. He also couldn’t rest between different “floors”—descents—when he reached the Hell Moons.

  Volkarin, Rhaalir—piloting the Spirit Golem—and Romalda, with several undead minions at her back, stood behind him in the clearing.

  Xavier raised the hand holding the Universal Travel Key. “I’ve never actually used one of these before.”

  “It’s simple enough,” Rhaalir said. “When you turn the key, think of the place you wish to go. The System will know where you’re trying to go. It will facilitate the making of the portal.”

  Xavier inclined his head. That was rather different to when he was creating a portal himself using his Portal spell. He had to be familiar with the place he was portalling to—had to have seen it or been there before, and have the location embedded into his memory.

  He was glad that wasn’t the case with this key. That would likely have made this journey impossible for him to go on any time soon.

  Xavier turned the key in his hand. “All right,” he said. “Time to do this.” He stepped up to the door and slotted the key into the lock. As he turned the key, he thought of the place he wished to go.

  Thazamar. The first of the three Hell Moons. Specifically, the entrance to Thazamar—the last thing he wanted was the System to misinterpret his will and send him straight to the final descent. As strong as he was, he knew for a fact he wasn’t powerful enough to face whatever was down there.

  Xavier opened the door. A portal shimmered in the doorway. Before creating this portal, he’d spoken to the others about how it might work. Clearly, it wasn’t large enough for Volkarin to step through it—but it didn’t need to be. This portal didn’t function in the same way as the ones he was used to. The dragon simply needed to touch the portal for him to be transported to the other side.

  Xavier released a breath. He was about to step into the unknown. More than anything he’d experienced before—more than even the different floors of the Tower of Champions—he knew this would be his most thrilling adventure yet.

  He also knew it would be the most challenging one. Volkarin’s worry weighed heavy on him. The dragon still did not think this was a good idea. Did not think that Xavier was ready. His concern was heartening and frustrating at the same time. Rhaalir, too, was dubious of this course of action. It was only Romalda who looked eager. Though she also looked a little… Manic. It made him wonder what her motivations were.

  The woman had only just been restored back to life. Why was it she was so eager to step through this portal and head to the Hell Moons? Was there more there than she’d let on, more to this journey than finding somewhere for him to train and become strong enough to thwart the threat coming for the Silver River sector?

  He had to shrug away those thoughts. This was the course of action he was going to take. There would be no turning back—not in a short period of time.

  He looked at his Universal Travel Key’s description.

  {Universal Travel Key}

  This is a teleportation device that allows the user to create a portal every six months to anywhere in the local universe. The portal is one way and only lasts for ten minutes. The portal does not reopen again for a return trip for one month.

  This teleportation device does not work between alternate universes.

  One month. I doubt I’ll be ready to return by then.

  The others, knowing more about this than him, had informed him that the return portal could be delayed—one month was simply the earliest it could be opened. He wished the description had been more clear about that.

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Xavier removed the key from the keyhole and touched the shimmering portal in the doorway.

  The travel wasn’t instantaneous. Not like portals usually were. He felt as though he was floating in a black void of nothingness, without the ability to even see his own body. Without the ability to move his limbs.

  He had no way of knowing how long he’d spent in that black void before turning up on the other side of the portal. It could have been mere seconds, or it could have been several days.

  When he reached the other side, he stepped forward, making room for those that were about to arrive behind him. At the same time, he took a moment to take in what he was seeing.

  This wasn’t the first time that Xavier had been on a moon. The hunting grounds he’d trained Volkarin and the Spirit Golem at, the same place he’d faced the C Grade Elite Hunt Squad, had been on a moon.

  But that moon hadn’t been what he traditionally thought of as a moon—it had been a lush place full of life.

  This moon, Thazamar, was incredibly different.

  The heat was the first thing he’d felt. The first thing he’d registered. It was hotter than the hottest place on Earth and was only tolerable at all because of his enhanced body. The ground itself looked as though it had never seen moisture, much like the ground of the moon that rotated around the Earth. Except where that was grey, this ground was red, like Mars.

  But unlike Mars, parts of this moon were on fire. The fire raged in great swathes over the landscape. Just from where he was standing, he was able to see at least three different volcanoes, all of which were currently spouting lava from their tops, which ran off to create long streams that flowed down burning rivers.

  It didn’t look as though anything was alive in this place. Not as far as he could see, anyway. But he knew that wasn’t the case. He knew that there were plenty of things alive here—they just weren’t outside.

  They were within the tunnels and caverns deep underground.

  Volkarin, Rhaalir, and Romalda appeared, one by one, behind him. Each was silent as they took in the new landscape. Each looked just as enthralled by what they were seeing as he did.

  The portal closed behind them, the doorway disappearing like it hadn’t even been there.

  “Thazamar,” Volkarin growled in his deep, dragon voice.

  The others did not speak. Even Romalda, the one who’d suggested he come to this place, was silent. Xavier couldn’t help but sense a hint of fear from the woman.

  Good. She should be afraid of this place, if it’s all she said it was.

  The entrance to the first descent was standing in front of them. A tall mound of rock that protruded from the surface. It was on a large plateau of stone, the same plateau they stood upon, that rose above the streams of lava that flowed around the three massive, constantly active volcanoes.

  The entrance was a simple archway of smooth metal with runes that glowed a fierce red etched into it. Xavier couldn’t help but think of inscribing when he saw those runes and wondered what each of them meant. He’d seen runes enough times—on people’s skin, on weapons, used as part of rituals—that he thought it might be wise to begin to learn something of them.

  Perhaps he should actually open An Inscribers Handbook.

  “One step through there takes us to the First Descent,” Romalda said in a hushed voice. “Are you ready, Xavier Collins?”

  Xavier raised his chin. He drew the sword at his hip—The Lost Bone of a Dead God, his soul bound weapon. It still felt strange, wearing this armour, especially the helm that covered much of his head. But, especially with his Farscope ability being so far improved, it did little to obscure his vision.

  He expanded the wings at his back. On the other side of the universe, he wasn’t worried about people seeing he was dragonkin. Surely there were millions of dragonkin out there.

  “I’m ready.”

  Xavier stepped through the archway, entering the First Descent of Thazamar, the first of the three Hell Moons of Demonica.

  The End of Book 5

  Accidental Champion!

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