Chapter 392: Eternal Starvation
Moving stealthily would have taken too much time. Since the aliens were more numerous than one could count, it was a better use of their time to engage them directly. The strongest among them were Elites. As such, it didn’t take long to wipe them out.
"I’ve been wondering." Enzo exclaimed, keeping his distance from the corpses.
"While their tentacles can infect us, that only works if they can actually damage us, right? So, in theory, the weakest of the bunch... Lower and Higher tier aliens should be powerless since they can’t penetrate our skin, right?"
Michael nodded. "Correct, but I don’t advise you to risk it."
"Of course I won’t!" Enzo scoffed, throwing a glance toward Richard. "He, on the other hand..."
Richard frowned. "Don’t look at me like that! Just because I can form a protective layer over my skin doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk it!"
Enzo chuckled. "Come on, didn’t you like gambling?"
"You little..." Richard gritted his teeth. "Even if we’re of the same realm, I’m at the Peak while you’re a mere Early Grandmaster. Don’t test me!"
Michael didn’t Interrupt the friendly banter. It was a welcome way to vent some of the pent-up stress from exploring the unknown.
In order to observe the surroundings better, he needed a higher vantage point. Soaring upward, Michael rose high into the air, his eyes locked on the horizon.
"More aliens than you could ever want..." He murmured.
Unfortunately, there were no signs of any man-made structures. If there were humans here, they surely were masters at remaining concealed.
"Perhaps I can briefly sweep across the area... It would be more time-efficient." Michael considered until a voice called out to him.
’Above you!’
Heaven’s Judgment, currently in shield form, served as an extra pair of eyes for her owner. Since Michael had been too focused on the threats below, he hadn’t considered what might be above him.
Alarmed, he raised his gaze to the looming spiritual crystals. Among their vibrant color, he spotted silhouettes that had rested at the top, now plummeting toward him in free fall.
Every one of them was a member of the Hreh’tar’s alien race.
However, rather than simply using the corpses they had once been laid in as mere nourishment, they had spread throughout the bodies. The human structure proved to be ideal vessels, explaining their similar appearance.
What was once human had been altered. Their heads were gone, replaced by writhing, gruesome tentacles that still clutched shards of spiritual crystals, having fed on their concentrated power to augment their own.
To make matters worse, in their hands they gripped weapons. Since the Hreh’tar hadn’t consumed the entirety of their hosts, they were able to utilize the once existing neural pathways to wield them with the same precision their vessels once had.
The silver lining was that, with their appearance, the involvement of the cultists was all but confirmed. Otherwise, there was no other way to explain how humans’ corpses had found their way into the subterranean civilization. At least the crew was on the right track.
The downside was that Michael, currently high in the sky away from his comrades, suddenly found himself surrounded by dozens of such creatures, plummeting toward him.
Which by itself wouldn’t have been cause for concern... If they weren’t all in the Overlord tier.
"Goddammit!" Michael cursed, descending at full speed. If he stayed exposed any longer, who knew what else he might attract?
"I can’t believe I, out of all people, got careless." Michael detested his own stupidity, reuniting with the crew.
They needed only a second to glance at his expression to know a foe was approaching. Looking upward, they paled at the sight.
Normally, it was advised for two Lords to handle a single Overlord. Yet the crew were all Grandmasters with the exception of Michael, and they had to be careful to stay clear of the writhing tentacles.
Overnumbered and overpowered on unfamiliar terrain, their chances didn’t look good.
Should Michael order them to fight, they would have done so without hesitation... but it wouldn’t be a lie to say that every fiber of their being screamed to run.
"What are you waiting for?" Michael spoke in a steady voice despite the tension. "Run!"
Letting out a collective sigh of relief, the crew bolted from the area at full speed.
A part of them had steadily been growing overconfident after winning the tournament... Their quickened pulse served as a nice reminder of their own mortality.
"I can’t believe that I, of all monsters, am retreating like this!" Devil bellowed, frowning, arms crossed, standing tall atop Cyberfang’s head.
Since the mechanical beast was built for speed, the crew rode on its back, with Claire’s mecha moving alongside them, firing her thrusters to keep up.
Unfortunately, they were far from clear. Once the Overlords collided with the ground, they sprang toward them at full force, like a hollow army eager to increase its numbers.
"Don’t fire." Michael instructed Claire. "Any loud explosion could attract even more attention. It would be wiser to keep your projectiles in reserve."
Thankfully, Victoria wasn’t bound by such limitations. Conjuring a bow made of flames, she fired one blazing fire after another... More to slow down the alien swarm than to kill them outright.
Her Inferno proved ineffective. The Overlords simply charged forward like wild bulls.
"My bullets shatter on impact like toys. They barely slow them down." Leo complained.
"They’ll reach us at this rate." Michael grumbled, throwing a look toward Amelia. "Can we go any faster?"
She gritted her teeth, supplying Cyberfang with even more electricity. The eyes of the mechanical beast glowed brighter, accelerating to the upper limit.
"We just might make it." Bryce exclaimed, throwing a worried glance toward his granddaughter.
Ava’s eyes shone with determination, pointing to the side.
"Let’s use the large tower-like pillars to hide from them!"
With no other option, they changed course.
Leaving the Overlords’ sight, they half-circled the pillar. Once out of view, Cyberfang’s claws extended. By embedding them into the hard rock, the beast began to climb upward, with Claire’s mecha following close behind.
Reaching the closest hole, they entered the pillar without slowing their ascension. How the Overlords’ senses worked was a mystery, so it was wiser to create greater distance, just to be safe.
They traversed through the pillar’s passages like ants navigating the twisting tunnels of a colossal nest.
No one uttered a word. Only the faint echoes of Cyberfang’s metal paws striking the ground and Claire’s thrusters resonated, breaking the otherwise tense stillness.
Only when they reached two-thirds of the pillar’s height did they stop. Gazing past one of the numerous openings, they noticed the Overlords still on the ground. They had broken off, searching for Michael’s crew to no avail.
With their safety assured, the crew were finally able to relax. Some stumbled onto the ground having used most of their energy reserves.
Though their relief didn’t last long. Enzo, still cautious, observed the hollow plains and noticed an irregularity in the far horizon.
"Hey... what is this?"
Michael followed the gesture.
In the distance, a colossal figure loomed, easily a kilometer tall, radiating the overwhelming aura of a Monarch.
The disfigured monster clung to a faraway pillar, its immense tentacles stretching for kilometers to reach the towering ceiling. One by one, it tore spiritual crystals from their places, dimming the vivid light with each theft. Bringing them to its enormous maw, it devoured them greedily, driven by an unending desire to quench its eternal starvation.
A grimace etched itself on Michael’s face. This place had turned out to be far more deadly than initially anticipated...