"So Big Sister. What’s the plan?" Carl asked, turning to Mirabella. His golden angelic aura hummed in stark contrast to the oppressive, suffocating dark energy permeating the bunker’s corridor.

​"Truthfully, I don’t know what is waiting ahead, but we can’t abandon Grace’s family, at least we should know what happened to her mother and sister." Mirabella said, walking forward. Her mind was already mapping out escape routes, calculating the structural integrity of the lead-lined walls against potential King-stage area-of-effect attacks.

​"Don’t touch anything, and be careful... Adira. Move ahead, use your powers to peel the faces of these cocoons. I want to see their faces."

​Adira nodded, and flew forward. She closed her eyes, channeling her endless spirit energy. The fairy’s connection to the primordial elements created a localized vacuum, pushing back the abyssal miasma. She raised one hand, stretching it towards the thick, tar-like cocoon:

​"Break."

​BAM!

​The clash of high-tier spirit energy against the dark web caused a sharp shockwave. All the faces on every single body before then shattered, the hardened webbing cracking like porcelain, revealing the faces of the victims. Some were reduced to nothing but bones, the marrow completely siphoned by whatever nightmare had trapped them, while others were decaying, with maggots all over.

​"Gosh!!"

​Carl and Grace gasped, covering their mouth and nose in disgust, the sheer visceral horror of the mass execution overloading their senses. Even Cupcake held her breath from the smell, the tiger’s sensitive olfactory receptors overwhelmed by the concentrated scent of death.

​Mirabella stared at her group, assessing their mental fortitude, then at the bodies. "Let’s keep going." She said, rushing forward, the group quickly following behind her.

___

​[Outside.]

​"I pray that little girl is alright." Kent said, as the rest of the group walked out of the building. His legendary class sword rested heavily on his shoulder, the brief respite doing little to ease the tension of the apocalypse.

​Aurelia and Hitachi turned around to the six: "What girl?" Aurelia asked in confusion, having been entirely occupied by her internal panic regarding the stoic guy beside her.

​Austin sighed, and went ahead, explaining everything with his usual lack of tact:

​"It’s like this, then like that, and like this, later turn to this, and this." He explained, his hands gesturing wildly to summarize the tragic discovery of the diary and the descent into the bunker.

​Aurelia slowly nodded her head, piecing together his chaotic summary. "So they are searching for cues about Grace’s family. Didn’t know Mirabella is this considerate." She said, realizing their ruthless captain possessed a hidden, protective core for her own subordinates.

​"Haven’t you noticed something is strange?" Hitachi asked, turning to Aurelia. His crimson eyes were locked onto the flow of energy in the environment, his combat instincts detecting a massive anomaly in the local aggro mechanics.

​"Yes! I Indeed noticed this!!" Aurelia yelled, jumping to her feet, stunning the newcomers with her sudden, explosive energy.

​"What do you notice?" Daniel asked in confusion.

​"Look over there!!" Aurelia pointed at the sky, miles from the building.

​The group turned to their heads towards the horizon, seeing countless flying monsters moving around in circles, like vultures, circling a carcass. The sky was literally darkened by their numbers, a massive swarm of high-level aerial beasts.

​"What are you saying?" Austin asked in confusion, scratching his head.

​"A while ago, there were Ogres searching for us. We hid... But those monsters, I am pretty sure they already noticed us, but none dare attack." Aurelia said. Her assassin’s perception, boosted by her recent leveling, allowed her to sense the hostile intent radiating from the swarm, yet something held them back.

​"How are you so sure? Maybe they haven’t noticed you two at all." Rose said with a slight frown, relying on standard stealth logic.

​"Oh really? Why don’t you make a light show for us." She said, crossing her arms defensively.

​"You must be crazy! The Captain told us not to draw attention to ourselves! So why the hell would I do that?!" Rose snapped at her, terrified of drawing the wrath of the gateway guard.

​"I just want to confirm it, come on, those monsters aren’t even strong... They are at most, Lv300 to Lv400 monsters, and two world Bosses." Aurelia said in a calm tone, her words stunning the six. The casual way she dismissed entities that would have wiped out an entire military division just months ago highlighted the terrifying pace of their progression.

​"Umm... Sister, did you hit your head somewhere or something?!" Austin asked in confusion, rubbing his neck:

​"What? She is here!" Aurelia pointed her finger at Veronica, the mind-controlled Fourth World Boss Beast lady standing silently in the shadows. "She will fight with us!!" She added, calculating the overwhelming combat power they possessed with the puppet on their side.

​"....?!"

​The group were dumbfounded. Using a captive high-realm entity as a meat shield was incredibly dangerous.

​"Come on! Just do it!" Aurelia yelled at Rose, who simply shook her head, looking away, refusing to break the Captain’s stealth protocol.

​"Fine! I know a way."

​Aurelia walked towards the destroyed iron gate, her energy flaring, and screamed to the sky, intentionally maxing out her vocal cords:

​"Hey you fucking monsters!!!! We are here, come get us!!!!" She screamed loudly, her voice resounding all over the quiet city.

​".....?!!"

​The group, and even Hitachi was dumbfounded, staring at her in shock. Breaking stealth in a World Boss territory was akin to suicide.

​GRAAAAAAAA!!!

​Countless monsters roar sounded all over Queens, heavy footsteps sounded all over, rushing towards them like an avalanche of flesh and steel.

​"...?!"

​"Are you crazy?!!! Do you want us to be open target?!!!" Rose yelled at her in horror, her staff already glowing with defensive magic.

​"My goodness, she is crazy!" David sighed, pulling out his runes, and turned to Hitachi: "Won’t you at least do something?" He asked.

​"Why? I also want to test out my theory." Hitachi said, hugging his sword, not even looking at the group behind him. His mind was dissecting the territorial boundaries. If the monsters outside the estate refused to enter, it meant a creature in the estate exerted an aura of absolute dominance. He needed to see where that boundary line was drawn.

​"Shit! Not only her! You’re also crazy!!" Rose yelled: "What will happen if this anger the Captain?!!"

​"I will take full responsibility." Hitachi answered flatly.

​"I will also take responsibility!!" Aurelia yelled from the destroyed gate, standing proudly.

​GRAAAAAA!!

​A spatial distortion ripped through the air. A monster instantly appeared behind her, utilizing a speed skill, shocking the whole seven.

​"Aurelia!! Behind you!!!" Austin yelled in terror, rushing forward.

​"This is what I am scared of!!" Rose yelled, and stretched forth her legendary class staff towards Aurelia:

​"Helm of advancement!!" She yelled, as green light surrounded Aurelia, boosting her Assassin’s stats. The buff instantly spiked Aurelia’s Agility and Perception by 300%, time seeming to slow down for her.

​She quickly looked over her shoulder, seeing one of the massive Ogre standing right behind her, its massive battleaxe weapon dropping towards her skull with bone-crushing force.

​"This?"

​BOOOOM!!!!