The Outergod's Avatar-Chapter 86: Void -

Izikel was weak—and he knew it.

Right now, he was relying on Sophia to protect him on this so-called crusade.

’That’s not a good look for a hero’, he thought bitterly.

I need to get stronger.

He was still swimming in self-loathing when Dremlin’s voice snapped him back to the present.

"Lord Izikel, are you ready to continue?" Dremlin asked, sword resting casually in one hand.

Izikel hesitated for a few seconds before responding. "I think we should stop here for today. We can continue tomorrow."

He dropped his sword and turned to leave.

"What? Where are you going?! You need to train if you want to get stronger!" Lyzah shouted after him.

"I’m tired," he faked a yawn with very little effort.

Her brows furrowed. "If you keep this up, you’ll never be as strong as me."

Izikel didn’t even stop. "Who the hell wants to be as strong as a gorilla?" he shot back with a smirk.

He ignored whatever she yelled next, letting her words fade behind him as he disappeared into the small patch of woods behind the house. The trees there stretched out, eventually merging with the wider forest that surrounded the Old Tree. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"How did that loudmouth brat even get so strong?" he muttered as he walked deeper into the trees.

I guess some people are just born lucky, he thought, shrugging.

After walking for a while, he finally stopped.

"This should be far enough."

Izikel needed to grow stronger—but not just with a sword. There were other ways.

He approached a tree, marked a crude target on its bark with a blade, then stepped back and summoned his gun.

The revolver materialized in his hand, its cold grip strangely comforting. Immediately, he felt his soul energy begin to drain.

"I’m not that far from the house but it’s as if the Altar isn’t doing anything," he sighed.

"He glanced back in the direction he came from. Even here, he could faintly sense the exact location of his Altar, so there was no way he could get lost."

He raised the gun toward the target.

This would be his first time firing it at something other than his own head. He had to focus.

He took aim, squeezed the trigger—

Bang!

The shot went wide, completely missing the tree.

The loud blast echoed through the forest, shaking the silence.

"Even after machining the cylinder gap and sealing it as tightly as possible... it’s still this loud," he muttered, staring at the weapon in frustration.

"Hopefully the sound doesn’t reach the house."

He took aim again and fired.

This time, the bullet struck the tree—though it missed the target.

At least I’m hitting something, he thought, faintly encouraged.

He continued practicing, pausing only to let his soul energy recharge. Each shot rang out like thunder in the quiet woods.

Bang!

Another miss—closer though.

Bang!

This one hit just a few inches from the center of the target.

He was about to celebrate when he heard a twig snap behind him.

He froze.

Slowly, he turned—

"...Lyzah."

She stood there, arms folded, expression unreadable. But her eyes—her eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Izikel... What is that weapon?" she asked, stepping forward.

He glanced at the gun in his hand, suddenly aware that he hadn’t dismissed it.

"This? It’s called a gun."

"A... gun?" she echoed, tilting her head. "I’ve never seen anything like it."

She moved closer, curiosity blooming into awe.

"Yeah. I found it a while ago and I’ve been keeping it a secret, so please... don’t tell anyone."

His plea seemed to go unheard. She was transfixed.

"How does it work?" she asked, reaching out.

Izikel quickly shifted the gun away. "It’s dangerous. I can’t let you play with it."

That was the excuse—but the real reason ran deeper. Lyzah was a Divine believer, with her soul energy awakened. Touching something created from his soul energy could expose him.

She pouted. "Come on, just let me see. How dangerous could it be if you’re allowed to handle it?"

He shook his head. "You’ve seen enough. Let’s head back before the others start looking for us."

"No! I want to see the gun," she insisted, like a stubborn child.

Izikel sighed. "Fine. But promise you won’t tell anyone."

"Promise," she said quickly. "In the name of the Verdant Mother."

Reluctantly, he extended the gun, hoping she’d be satisfied with just a closer look. But the moment it was within reach, she snatched it from his hand.

"Lyzah, don’t—!"

His heart nearly stopped as she studied the gun, holding it by the barrel and swinging it like a toy.

"So this is what’s been making all that noise?" she asked, more amused than alarmed.

That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.

"Yeah... but seriously, don’t wave it around like that. I told you, it’s dangerous."

He gently took it back from her, fingers brushing hers.

"Let’s go."

They walked in silence, back toward the house.

He didn’t respond. But inside, he was still trying to piece together the most important part of the encounter.

Why didn’t she feel it? Why didn’t she sense the chaos in the weapon?

All this time, he had assumed anyone who touched something forged from his Dream would immediately sense the chaotic energy. But maybe he was wrong.

Maybe once created, the items truly became real—separate from him. They didn’t radiate his energy unless he willed it. They weren’t just illusions or projections; they were solid, autonomous creations brought to life through his soul energy.

That meant... the only real danger was someone sensing the chaos directly from him.

A small wave of relief washed over him.

This way, it won’t be too easy to get discovered.

And for now...

That was good enough.

He was still swimming in self-loathing when Dremlin’s voice snapped him back to the present.

"Lord Izikel, are you ready to continue?" Dremlin asked, sword resting casually in one hand.

Izikel hesitated for a few seconds before responding. "I think we should stop here for today. We can continue tomorrow."