Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Battle in the Abyss Part Three

…Catch the bandit, catch the leader!

I stared at the black sun hanging high in the sky, deep in thought.

Hmm, it’s about a hundred meters above the ground, not an unreachable distance.

Although these grotesque little monsters are individually very weak, their sheer numbers make them overwhelming. They have already scattered throughout the village. Without an army of similar size, we can’t handle them. If we continue killing like this, the monsters will wipe out the villagers before I can kill all of them.

Moreover, who knows if that thing in the sky will summon another wave? This has no meaning at all.

…I can’t think too much about it. I’m alone, so I’ll just bring down that thing in the sky first.

With a decision made, I urged my feet to move on the ice spears, extending towards the position of the black sun. Dodging two sharp blades, I raced forward on the ice spears.

At full strength, a hundred meters was just a moment away.

Fifty meters… thirty meters… twenty meters… ten meters!

Black smoke rose from my body, wrapping around the frost-covered scythe. The dual protection of frost and abyss ensured the weapon’s output would be maximized.

“Huuu—”

Exhaling deeply, I leaped toward the black sun, raising the scythe with all my might.

“Swoosh—”

The black sun was easily torn open, and terrifying black smoke poured out, instantly engulfing my body.

If it were a human, they would probably be consumed entirely by now.

Too bad, this doesn’t work on me!

Rather, being wrapped in black smoke gave me a sense of security, as if I were home, feeling quite comfortable.

“Clang—”

A cold light flashed again in my hand.

Hmm, something seems strange…

…Something’s wrong! It didn’t feel like cutting through solid matter!!

An ominous premonition rose in my heart, and I instinctively raised the scythe in front of my chest.

“[Abyssal Language] Slaughter.”

A low whisper echoed nearby.

In the next moment, countless blood-red tentacles stretched out from the black sun’s opening.

“Damn it…”

“Bang!”

Halfway through cursing, I was interrupted and started rapidly descending.

The descent was incredibly fast, accelerating more and more. The intense sensation of weightlessness even made me feel like I needed to urinate. This was way more thrilling than bungee jumping.

This was hundreds of meters up in the air!!

I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die…

Terrified, I closed my eyes, curled up, and hugged my head, using all my strength to drive the black smoke to envelop my body tightly, waiting for the impact.

“Boom—!!”

I was like a black meteor trailing flames, crashing into a partially collapsed house. Upon landing, I immediately sank into the ground, without the anticipated bounce-back.

The immense impact left me momentarily dazed, my ears buzzing incessantly, as if my soul had detached from my body, unable to feel anything.

It felt like a century had passed, or perhaps only two seconds. Sensation gradually returned, followed by the sound of objects collapsing with a loud rumble.

The half-standing house suddenly collapsed, burying me under a chaotic pile of rubble and debris.

“…Ugh… Uwaah—!! Cough, cough…”

Dust choked me, causing constant coughing. My waist felt like it was being torn apart. The heavy object pressing on me made it hard to breathe, and I felt an urge to cry.

It hurts so much, I feel so miserable, I want a hug from Grandma Claire.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

Suddenly, there was a sound of something slicing through the air.

I was startled, ignoring the pain in my body, and immediately summoned the power of frost again.

Now wasn’t the time to be delicate.

“Crack boom—”

Ice spears erupted from the ground, breaking through the heavy objects, pushing me aside with great force. I rolled uncontrollably.

“Boom boom boom—!!”

Before I could roll far, three massive black blades crashed down, the resulting explosion sending a hurricane that once again sent my small frame flying.

“Yaah—”

My body arched gracefully in the air. Panicked, I flailed my little hands, trying to adjust my landing posture.

But it was futile.

“Dong.”

A dull thud, my head hit the ground first.

“Waaah!!”

As soon as I landed, I scrambled up. Holding my head, tears welling up in my eyes, I let out a low sob.

This really hurt. I felt a big bump forming on my forehead.

My eyes red with anger, I glared fiercely at the sky.

Why?

We’re both from the abyss.

But why! Why can you fly!?

“[Abyssal Language] Slaughter.”

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

The massive black blade struck again.

“Slash, slash, slash, I’m so annoyed!!!”

Humph… Is that all you know?

Another ice column burst from beneath my feet, sending me soaring over ten meters high.

Not enough yet.

I lightly tapped my toes downward.

“Crack!”

This time, the ice column was formed in mid-air, propelling my body upward another dozen meters.

“Swoosh—swoosh—”

Sharp blades kept coming at me from the black sun. While dodging them with all my might, I continuously created ice columns to lift myself higher.

A sharp pain shot through my waist, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.

I was now less than twenty meters away from the black sun.

I held my breath and released a dense black smoke, enveloping my entire body once more.

Still not enough, it needs to be denser. Compress… compress… compress again…

“Boom.”

The black smoke swirling around me condensed into a white-glowing black fireball, surging forward like an arrow, colliding with the black sun once more.

“Bang.”

It didn’t have the expected explosive force; instead, it easily broke through.

I’m in! I felt a surge of joy, stretching out my left hand to grab the thing hidden inside.

“Ah—!!”

“Rumble—!!”

The black flames exploded suddenly, filling the sky with blinding white light.

The black sun had no resistance against this explosion and was instantly scattered.

Finally, I pulled that thing out of the black sphere, dragging it down with me.

In mid-air, I tightly hugged the monster’s arm with one hand, raising my right scythe to strike it fiercely.

“Ding—”

The immense recoil made my arm tingle.

“Au—!!”

The monster roared angrily, shooting out countless tentacles to wrap around me tightly.

“Ah—!!”

The frost aura froze the surface of the tentacles, creating a layer of fine frost, which instantly reduced their grip.

I freed up my right hand again, using all my strength to smash the large scythe repeatedly onto the monster.

“Ding—” “Ding—” “Ding—” “Snap—”

Finally, I managed to cut through, but the scythe broke, its blade stuck in the monster’s chest.

I discarded the broken handle and punched the monster’s ugly, dog-like face with my fist.

One punch, then another.

I recalled Uncle Doyle’s hearty laughter.

“Bam, bam, bam…”

Damn this guy!!!

We both crashed into the ground outside the village.

“Boom—!!”

When I landed, I deliberately placed the monster under me as a cushion, causing the ground to crack.

And I rolled several meters away again.

“Cough, cough…”

I spat out blood.

Half my body was bruised, and my internal organs felt displaced.

I lay on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Two consecutive falls from such heights left me severely injured, unable to move due to the pain.

What about that thing? Is it dead!?

“Awu—!!”

The monster seemed largely unharmed, quickly rising and floating in the air. Only then did I get a clear look at its full form.

Its upper body was wrapped in thick black smoke, revealing familiar black armor. Its wolfish head had two massive horns standing erect. Its lower body was entirely red tentacles, constantly twisting and writhing, making one’s hair stand on end.

“[Abyssal Language] Fellow of our kind, what are you doing? Why do you block me?”

The monster didn’t attack immediately but tried to communicate with me.

That’s good. I’ll try to stall for time until I can move again.

“[Abyssal Language] Cough… why kill?”

“[Abyssal Language] We follow the will of the gods, correcting the order of the world.”

???

“[Abyssal Language] What… are you talking about?”

“[Abyssal Language] We only follow the will of the gods.”

“[Abyssal Language] …the will of the gods? Knock it off, you’re killing innocent people!”

“[Abyssal Language] Are you trying to save these inferior beings… foolish emotional constraints.”

No point in arguing. The monster abandoned any attempt at conversation, raising its withered right hand.

It’s over. I should have gone along with its words. Why argue!

I struggled to get up, desperately trying to stand.

Not yet, not yet!

If I die here, Elia, Barry, and the grandmother from the neighboring town, everyone living in this area, will be doomed.

“[Abyssal Language] Slash.”

As if passing a death sentence.

In the next moment, a scorching white light suddenly appeared far away, a thick beam instantly engulfing the monster’s body.

“Roar—!!!”

The beast’s roar shook the heavens and the earth. I turned my head and exclaimed in surprise.

“Big White!”