Chapter 295: No Tea Party
Coop took a moment to admire the vast armies of Primal Constructs as they milled around their castle-like fortresses. The legions of invaders created a dramatic sprawl of gray metals. As they swarmed protectively around the final objectives, they established a stark contrast to the desert of dark brown dirt.
It was quite the scene when viewed from a distance.
The fortresses that the invaders surrounded were islands of activity within the otherwise stagnant underground. The directionless light illuminated the structures on the outside while the lusterless metallic walls barely contained splashes of sinister red from the control points glowing within.
The setting made Coop nostalgic for Ghost Reef, with its pristine beaches standing out among the shallow tropical waters. He caught himself sighing wistfully as he gazed upon the last remnants of the invasion.
After a few moments, he shook his head, focusing on the tremendous metallic armies instead of memories from home. As expected of the single largest settlement on the planet: there were a lot of enemies seeking to claim it. Coop would have plenty to sink his teeth into. Shinjuku Gardens would make a suitable end to the underground grind.
Eight Siege Bosses were present, demonstrating the first time in the Underlayer Event that a civilization shard was assaulted by more than four. Other than that, each objective was also protected by over a million assorted Elite Primal Constructs and 30 animalistic Field Bosses.
Double the number of Siege Bosses was quite an escalation. Coop couldn’t blame the locals for making little progress. Having two of the enormous Prime Constructs covering for each other was a massive increase in difficulty that went beyond simple addition.
For Coop it hardly changed things, but for everyone else, he could see how it would be an overwhelming challenge. He remembered how his first Siege Boss made him run around the beach at the end of the first event. A pair would have been impossible at the time.
Coop was different now. His stats were hardly recognizable, he had new skills in his arsenal, and he had accumulated tremendous amounts of experience.
His ethereal armor continued to emanate wisps of spectral mana, perfectly balanced with dark particles of abyssal power. The two energies swirled together, behaving like a single entity, reminding him of the time that had passed, even just within the Underlayer.
His spear was pretty much the same, with the tip catching the Underlayer’s illumination, glistening with danger. He tightened his grip on the weapon before loosening it a few times, enjoying the reassuring sensation of the familiar manifestation held between his fingers. Aesthetically it may have changed but it was the same reliable spear as it had been in the beginning.
The corners of Coop’s lips angled upwards ever so slightly as he found it within himself to get a little excited, despite the stress and fatigue that had crept up on him.