Chapter Thirty-Three: Fierce Battle

After a bout of probing attacks, Ferrin realized that the monster before him was not especially dangerous in itself. Its method of assault was extremely simple: it moved via a form of teleportation and then used its shape-shifting, sword-like arms to strike. The teleportation was troublesome, but aside from that, there was nothing that required particular caution.

The real problem, however, was that the monster could not be killed.

Ferrin had already severed its body more than once, even employing the “Blade of Annihilation.” Delin’s mace had smashed the creature into pieces several times as well, but none of it availed. Its body always managed to regenerate swiftly after being shattered, clinging to Ferrin and Delin like stubborn toffee. The situation had grown somewhat vexing.

Now, only one use remained for the "Blade of Annihilation," and it would be another twenty-three hours before the skill would be ready again...

Ferrin darted back, narrowly dodging a blade of light that almost cleaved him from the air. With a flick of his wrist, several cold flashes streaked from his fingertips, piercing the monster’s body and nailing it to the wall. Immediately, the cat-eared maid surged forward, gripping her mace and swinging it with all her might for a home-run strike. But just before Delin’s mace landed, the "3D Model" let out another ear-piercing shriek, contracting into a point of light and vanishing into thin air.

It certainly fled quickly...

Watching the creature disappear once more, Ferrin frowned. The monster had mass, and could be struck, but that was of little use. Even nailed to the wall, it could break free. Ferrin had tried more than once to carve open its body in search of a hidden core. Unfortunately, the monster seemed well aware of Ferrin and Delin’s intentions. At times, it would rather be smashed to pieces by Delin than be dissected by Ferrin’s scalpel.

Yet, their attacks were not entirely in vain.

The monster, having teleported away yet again, did not immediately counterattack. Instead, it hung from the ceiling like a spider, its two eyes shining with a blinding light, glowering fiercely at the two not far away. It opened its mouth, emitting a series of rapid, telegraphic ticks and beeps—a form of communication, perhaps, but one that neither Ferrin nor Delin could comprehend in the slightest.

Though he hadn’t found the core, it seemed they could still wear down its strength...

Ferrin raised his head, a faint smile at his lips as he watched the monster. At first, he had feared it would use its uncanny mobility to play hide and seek with them; if it had, there would have been little he could do. Later, though, Ferrin discovered that the creature could not leave this core area—no matter how it teleported, it always reappeared within the same bounds. That alone was reassuring.

But the only remaining question was—how much longer could Eluca and the others hold out?

“I really can’t hold out much longer!!”

Eluca, face drawn in distress, tossed aside her overheating laser rifle and snatched a submachine gun from her belt, firing another burst at the doorway. A fresh storm of bullets erupted, keeping the zombies at bay as they tried to surge into the room during the lull.

“How much longer?” came Chris’s cool inquiry.

“Fifteen minutes!” Eluca replied at once.

“Keep it up.”

With that, Chris turned away, facing forward again. The warehouse entrance was a scene of carnage; zombie corpses were piled so high they formed a barrier against the enemies behind. Yet, after the initial wave of pathfinders was slain, Eluca and her companions now faced a new threat: a horde of mutant rats, each the size of a human head, scuttling like spiders across walls and through cracks. These were far trickier adversaries.

Eluca’s anxiety was not just because Ferrin had left them behind. No, what truly drove her to the edge was one thing—her ability’s duration was nearly up.

Awakened abilities fell into three categories: passive skills, sustained skills, and ultimate skills.

Passive abilities were always available, as natural as breathing or eating for humans—usable anytime, with no special restrictions. Ferrin’s “Sever,” Chris’s “Absolute Lock,” and Corona’s “Psychic Sense” were such abilities.

Sustained skills, on the other hand, lasted for a set duration after activation and then ended when their energy was depleted, only usable again after recovery. Eluca’s "Fierce Firepower" and Ferrin’s "Swift Shadow" belonged to this category.

Ultimate skills were possessed only by the most powerful—like Ferrin’s "Blade of Annihilation," unlocked at the fourth level of "Sever." These were devastating, irresistible abilities, but with many limitations. Ferrin, for example, could use his "Blade of Annihilation" only three times a day, each effect lasting but five seconds—a severe constraint.

Eluca’s "Fierce Firepower" was an energy-consuming sustained skill: once activated, it doubled her firepower for nearly an hour. But if she applied it to too many weapons at once, that time halved. Now, facing this black tide of rats, their blood-red, frenzied eyes glinting, Eluca felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. If only she had an RPG, she would have fired without hesitation, blowing up as many as she could!

“I don’t think I can last much longer. At least let me rest a bit... Sister Narcissus...”

“Three minutes.”

Chris was silent for a moment before answering. Then she stepped forward, raised her shotgun, and took aim at the surging mass of mutant rats trying to break through the firepower web. Her eyes widened, strange blue rings swirling within them, spinning ceaselessly. In her vision, one rat after another was swiftly locked onto by the blue rings.

She pulled the trigger.

With a deafening roar, dozens of metal pellets erupted from the muzzle. Instead of flying straight as physics would dictate, they changed direction, as if guided, shooting at all angles and boring into the heads of the mutant rats. With sickening pops, brains burst, and every rat attacking Chris exploded in a shower of blood, wherever they might be. In an instant, more than half of the writhing mutant rats were annihilated.

Phew...

Seeing this, Eluca wiped the sweat from her brow, slumped against the wall, and set aside her smoking weapon.

“Thank goodness Chris is here. Finally, I can catch my breath...”

She glanced up at the hole Ferrin had cut in the ceiling.

“But really—what on earth are the Commander and the others doing up there...?”