Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 973: Sixth Zone

The time of the Nightmare has arrived once more.

Alice and Miki found themselves by the branch of the fifth zone. The entrance towards the sixth is before them.

Nothing else had changed.

No strange girl humming a tune while running after them.

It’s as though they returned to the point before the anomaly. The point where they should’ve been sent out of the Nightmare.

"Seems like we’re exploring the sixth zone today right?" Alice asked as Miki nodded her head.

"Ideally we clear it while minimalizing deaths. We don’t know how many zones there are but the fact that a siege didn’t happen is giving me a bad feeling." Miki sighed. "Something has changed and we need to find out soon."

Alice agreed. If it was just her exploring the Nightmare, it would be difficult to properly do so without dying.

But if they’re working as a group, the chances of bailing each other out from mistakes was a lot higher.

Not only that, but she could even tie ropes around people to pull them back if they’re about to fall.

Miki bit down on some chalk while Alice did the same.

Since they’re exploring a new place, having as many people as possible was ideal.

Even if the number of beasts increase.

After all, with their offensive power, dealing with them shouldn’t be an issue.

As Alice summoned Alyss and a few others that Miki recommended, she gave Alyss a high five with a knowing grin.

Alyss did the same.

Even though her appearance was veiled by the fog, Alice could practically see the grin behind that fog.

As for Miki, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at Alyss.

Their silhouettes were a complete match after all.

Even if the disposition is different, it was too identical.

When questioned, Alice simply replied with Alyss being the voice in her head. It confused the others but Miki understood.

"Alright, we have a balanced group of eight. Two front liners, one ranged, one caster, two vanguard and two healers. Objective is simple, go as far into the sixth Zone as possible. Kill whatever comes our way, keep an eye out for hints to what the boss could be. Any questions?"

Miki swept her gaze across the group.

No one had any questions, all of them were itching to go.

A smile appeared on her face. This was the most confident she’s been since entering the Nightmare.

Tonight, the progress they’ll make will overshadow everything they’ve done thus far.

###

Wind howled through the city as cruel mimicry of the real Grand Cathia stood tall amidst the fog.

The threes were clogged with overturned carriages and broken buildings, remains of barricades that had failed during the sieges.

Miki stepped forward first, spear grounded lightly against the stone. Her posture was relaxed, chin slightly lowered, eyes scanning every window, every broken archway.

Thanks to Alice’s training, her focus was now razor sharp.

She could detect the weaknesses present in their formation. The angles of which enemies could attack.

But these weaknesses didn’t last long as both Alice and Alyss would shift slightly, covering for the gap.

To her right was one of the tanks. Shield already lifted.

To her left, the other mirrored him. Tower shields, builds focused solely on absolute defence.

Every attack that would come from the front would have the damage mitigated by a maximum of 80%. Then, what little can bypass the defence will also be mitigated by another 30%.

An absolute wall that will cover for the team.

Behind them were Alyss and Alice.

Alice’s build had very little changes.

Still the rapid fire crit build that allowed her maximum burst damage while also taking advantage of her spells.

Alyss on the other hand, finally had a build constructed just for her.

She bounced on the her feet, loosening her body up.

No visible weapons, just black bandages wrapped around her forearms and knuckles.

In the distance, cries of beasts started to echo out one after another.

A giant horde that couldn’t have been possible without Alice’s presence.

One scaled towards having 8 people in the zone.

The tanks moved first.

Running forward, they slammed their shield into the ground as a protective barrier was created. The beasts lunged out from the shadows but the barrier absorbed the impact.

Claws shrieked against metal, teeth snapped inches away from their faces.

The ground trembled from the wave and the barrier was showing signs of collapse.

The caster exhaled slowly behind the formation. He waved his staff and a violet light burst forth, rippling down from the sky.

The road ahead warped, shattering and breaking into countless fragments rising like teeth.

It felt as though a part of the city came alive in order to funnel the monsters inward.

Alyss vanished.

A grin appeared on her face as the world lost its colour.

In the next heartbeat, she was already falling towards the centre of the monsters.

*RUMBLE!!!

Flames burst out from her arms as she transformed into a fireball. White lightning crackled as all of the flames converged into a single orb.

Grasping that orb, Alyss clenched her fist and pulled back her arm.

A path of red stretched on before her.

One that reached the heart of this horde.

Destruction Point!!!

*BANG!!!

Punching down right before landing, the ground was immediately melted as fire burst out from her fist. A pulse of raw destruction that swept the battlefield in flame as the beasts howled in pain.

Their flesh set ablaze while those closest to the centre were erased without a trace.

The tanks activated their secondary skill, blocking the shockwave from the attack while Alice whistled in awe.

That kind of raw attack, she wanted it too. Unfortunately, she wasn’t using a build that’ll allow her to do the same. Her attacks were more precise, perfect for killing bosses but struggled against a large horde.

Standing up in the centre of this flaming pit, Alyss let out a slight laugh.

The creatures that managed to survive lunged.

*CRACK!!!

Alyss’s fist shot out faster than they could react. No wasted motion.

The skull was caved in with a dull crack as its body burst apart.

Two more pounced.

Alyss spun low, lifting herself into a hand stand as flames enveloped her feet. Two quick kicks to completely destroy the beast’s head as their bodies collapsed into the fire.

She moved like water slipping through cracks, weaving through the horde without stop.

Each punch, each kick, meant another victim.

A large shadow loomed over her. Alyss twisted on her ankle and performed a high kick without jumping.

A perfect standing split that fired a streak of fire through the beast’s skull.

Miki shivered instinctively.

’Ah... so she was the one that’s been kicking me.’ She thought inwardly.

Those kicks... she was far too familiar with them.

The invisible wounds on her body ached as she recalled their training.

"Don’t waste all of your energy! This is just the first wave!" Alice called out as her arrow split the air, whistling across the battlefield and lodging itself firmly into a flying beast’s chest.

*BANG!!!

Without being able to react, Pale Lance erupted inside its body, breaking the torso apart.

"Jokes on you, my gear lets me refund energy based on kills and actions. You’ll run out of energy before I do, even if I go all out!" Alyss laughed, clashing her fists together as several red paths appeared in front of her.

Alice’s arrow dropped down from above, pinning a beast to the ground and creating a platform for Alyss to jump from.

Leaping off the corpse, Alyss jumped into the wave without care. She didn’t need wait for the rest of the team.

Even when fully surrounded, her focus was razor sharp. Nothing could scratch her.

Behind her, Miki advanced. Her eyes locked onto Alyss’s movements as she understood this was the state she wanted to achieve.

This level of focus.

Being able to pin point exactly what to kill first and what to dodge.

Of course, even with Alyss and Miki charging into the horde, the wave of beasts was too big. Some of the beasts simply ignored the duo and lunged after the tanks who protected the backline.

Emerald lights filled their bodies as they continued to push the beasts back.

The caster wiped out groups after groups, his equipment passively giving him energy regeneration so that he can cast without stop.

It wasn’t a fast regeneration but it definitely helped.

Alice made sure to kill anything that would threaten to break through.

Her arrows killing priority targets with deadly accuracy.

Her eyes darting across the entire battlefield, recording every battle, every attack.

A large flying beast that tried to bypass the frontline? Break the wings then use another arrow paired with a skill to push it towards the ground, towards Alyss.

The group became a blender, shredding through the beasts within the nightmare and progressed one step at a time.

Some beasts took multiple shots but Alyss and Miki took care of that.

Even though Alyss had large area attacks, her main build focused on taking down singular targets!

Slamming her fists into the torso five times, Alyss linked up the fire marks before pressing her palm against the sternum.

*BANG!!!

A giant cavity opened as the beast collapsed on the ground.

Clenching her fist a few times, Alyss was satisfied with the power of this build.

Indeed, having synergistic equipment and skills made things easier. There was a limit to how much brute force can accomplish, even with impressive physical control.

But more than that, this was the first proper battlefield she shared with Alice. Alyss wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.