Chapter 511 – Hellish frost [17]

Setting aside my earlier idea of storming into the castle and dragging the owner outside by kicking and punching him for being such a terrible tenant, I realized I had forgotten a rather important detail before actually getting to the point of... well, kicking and punching the damn tenant out. How exactly was I supposed to get inside?

I mean, there was this enormous gate at the entrance, practically screaming, “This is obviously the way inside”. The problem was that this didn’t mean the gate would simply open through some convenient bit of magic the moment I got close to it. I stopped in front of it for a few moments, staring at the massive ice gate. Maybe there was some kind of mechanism.

Some hidden mechanism. A specific way I was supposed to interact with it. Or maybe I just needed to knock... No. The more I thought about it, the more idiotic it seemed. Knocking a few times on the gate and waiting for someone to answer didn’t exactly strike me as the most appropriate way to break into the castle of someone I was planning to forcibly evict in the near future.

That being said, what exactly were my options? The most obvious one was probably just punching the gate until it fell down. It wasn’t exactly an elaborate plan, but considering the circumstances, that had worked for me before. The problem was that, to be perfectly honest, I practically had no other options.

My communications with Emily had disappeared completely, so for all intents and purposes, I was on my own. I also couldn’t just stand around waiting for too long, because there was absolutely no sign that the situation was going to stabilize. Quite the opposite, actually. It was getting worse. No, scratch that. It wasn’t just getting worse. It really was getting worse.

I sighed as I stared at the enormous gate in front of me. Of course, there was another alternative. I could simply blow it up using my anomalous thermonuclear ability. It was a pretty extreme option, I’ll admit. It would also be loud as hell, probably attract the attention of anything still in the area, and, as an added bonus, come with a spectacular display of light, heat, and destruction.

But, in the end... It was still an option. Because of all those thoughts, I ended up standing in front of the gate for a while, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the situation. I hadn’t been standing there for that long, to be honest. Thirty seconds, maybe? A minute at most. Even so, in that moment, it felt like much longer.

I simply had no idea what I was supposed to do from here. Blowing up the front gate was definitely an option. The problem was that I had absolutely no guarantee doing so wouldn’t cause something much worse to happen. Like... I don’t know, a massive avalanche of snow suddenly crashing down into the middle of the city. It was a completely ridiculous possibility.

But considering everything I’d already seen happen in this place, it wasn’t exactly a possibility I was willing to dismiss. Personally, I’d rather not find out whether my theory was right or wrong. Especially because, if it was right, the entire city would be the one paying the price.

So, in the end, even though the solution I chose might have seemed a little stupid, and, to be completely honest, I thought it was pretty stupid myself, I decided to go with the method that seemed least likely to turn an already complicated situation into an even bigger disaster.

My left foot moved first. Then my right. I kept walking, moving toward the gate while trying to figure out exactly what I intended to do once I reached it. To be honest, I still had no idea. When I finally stopped just a few inches from the gate, I came to a halt.

I was far enough away that I wasn’t actually touching it, but close enough to reach it simply by raising my arms. For a few seconds, I just stood there, staring at the massive structure in front of me as if it might somehow reveal what I was supposed to do on its own. It didn’t.

The gate didn’t magically open either, although I was already expecting that not to happen. Nor did some kind of hidden mechanism appear, or, better yet, an automated attack. I’ll admit, that last possibility was actually one of the things I’d been hoping to find.

After all, it would be much simpler if the gate simply tried to kill me. At least then I’d know how to get started. I sighed. My first attempt, therefore, was the most obvious one. I reached out and simply pushed against the gate... Nothing. It didn’t even move. I pushed a little harder.

Nothing. Even harder. Absolutely nothing. In the end, all I accomplished was becoming increasingly frustrated as I stood there with my hands pressed against a structure that seemed determined not to cooperate with me. I slowly pulled my hands away. That was... Useless.

It was difficult to think of another word to describe the attempt. The gate hadn’t moved even an inch. I couldn’t say that was unexpected, but I couldn’t deny that it annoyed me a little. After everything I’d already dealt with, being stopped by a freaking gate was becoming particularly frustrating.

For a moment, I simply stood there in front of it, thinking about what other methods I still had at my disposal. It didn’t take me long to remember one. I possessed an anomalous ability called [Anomalous Presence], which allowed me to completely erase my existence from sensory perception. It was an extremely useful ability and, among other things, could be used to pass through physical objects.

Maybe it would work. Without thinking too much about it, I activated the ability and reached one of my hands toward the gate. My hand moved forward normally... Until, as it approached the surface, I felt something strange. It simply stopped. There was no visible barrier. No physical resistance. I couldn’t even identify anything between my hand and the gate.

And yet, I couldn’t pass through it. I pushed a little harder, trying to force my ability to work the way it was supposed to, but the result remained exactly the same. It was as if [Anomalous Presence] itself was refusing to pass through the gate. I frowned. That was... Strange. Very strange.

I could pass through other things using the ability, so why was this particular gate preventing me from doing it? Well, that was frustrating. I tried to think of other methods. Preferably ones that didn’t involve simply smashing the gate open through sheer brute force. Maybe there was some hidden mechanism, an alternative entrance, or even some smarter way to open this stupid gate... I couldn’t think of a single thing.

Actually, the more I tried to come up with a different solution, the more irritated I became with the whole situation. It was as if this damn gate was deliberately challenging me to find a way through without simply destroying it. In the end, though, I realized that maybe it didn't matter. This anomaly was playing dirty.

So I would, too. I sighed and slowly brought one hand behind my back. Energy began to gather in my palm, enveloping it in an intense glow as the thermonuclear authority within me started to respond. I was simply going to blow the damn gate apart with my thermonuclear anomalous ability.

It was a simple solution. Direct. And probably completely unnecessary. Or at least, that was what I intended to do. Because before I could even unleash the attack, a creaking sound echoed through the chamber. Grrrrrrr... I blinked. The gate had moved.

“Huh?” My hand remained suspended behind me as I stared at the enormous structure in complete confusion.

Slowly, the gate began to open. Without any hurry, its massive sections pulled apart, gradually revealing what lay on the other side. I lowered my hand, letting the thermonuclear energy slowly fade away... What the hell had just happened? Had I somehow triggered a switch without realizing it?

Maybe some mechanism had been activated by my presence? Or had this place simply decided to cooperate after seeing me about to destroy it? I had no idea. In fact, the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. But, either way... My original goal had been accomplished. The gate was open. Was this a trap? It sure looked like one.

Actually, I could remember several movies I'd watched with scenes practically identical to this. A character enters some mysterious structure, finds a huge and strangely silent hall, everything looks a little too beautiful to be true... And then something horrible happens.

It was always a trap. That said... I wasn't afraid. It was hard to feel afraid when, most of the time, I was the one making other people afraid of me. Besides, after everything I'd already been through, a mysterious door and an empty hall were hardly enough to make me turn around and leave.

The thought held my attention for, at most, three seconds. Then I simply shrugged and walked inside. The interior turned out to be a massive entrance hall, the kind of place I'd expect to find inside an ancient castle. The space was vast and extraordinarily spacious, with towering walls that seemed to disappear far above my head.

And there was something even stranger. The place was clearly much larger on the inside than it was on the outside. In the world of anomalies, though, that was hardly surprising anymore. After everything I'd seen, it would almost be stranger to find a building that perfectly obeyed the normal laws of physics. Still... It was beautiful.

I had to admit that. I continued walking through the hall, my footsteps echoing softly through the empty space. It wasn't long before something caught my attention. Ahead of me stood what appeared to be a throne. Sitting upon it was a statue of a bearded man wearing robes that looked as though they had been carved entirely from crystal. The statue had a solemn, imposing presence, as if this place had been built specifically to serve as his domain.

Scattered throughout the enormous hall were several gigantic ice statues. Knights. Or at least, that's what they looked like. Some held swords, others spears, and all of them stood completely motionless, frozen in different poses like a silent honor guard protecting the throne. I stared at them for a few seconds.

Maybe it was just pessimism. But for some reason, I was beginning to get the strong feeling that these statues were going to start moving at any moment. And honestly? If that happened, I wouldn't even be surprised. I put the imposing and unsettling statues out of my mind and turned my attention back to the figure sitting on the throne.

For some reason, I had the strange impression that it was looking directly at me, although I couldn't be certain. Its eyes didn't even seem capable of moving, and yet there was something about that expressionless face that made me feel like I was being watched. Anyway... What was I supposed to do now? Just destroy it? Or was there some kind of purpose behind this sculpture? Maybe I should just break it and find out what happens.