Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 947: Third Arrival

Fear felt different when you stopped drowning in it.

Erwen stood at the edge of the fog. A mirror that reflected the Nightmare.

He took a single step forward, falling through the fog as his world spun.

And as he fell, gravity inverted in ways that defied the natural order. He closed his eyes, anchoring himself to where he wanted to be.

The sense of falling disappeared.

There was no impact.

Instead, he was now standing before a fractured reality.

The cosmic sea beneath his feet, constellations etched in the depths while the earth hung above.

Fog retreated behind him. There was no reason for it to act as a gateway now.

The harvest this time was far less than what he had originally anticipated.

Perhaps it was due to the intervention of a new variable.

Not only that, but there was also the mechanical girl controlling the cannons around the city.

A part of him was happy. Happy that the city managed to find fighters of this calibre to help out in their time of need.

But another part of him felt frustrated.

Frustrated that the harvest was cut short.

Of course there was always the option of force. But...

From what he noticed, doing things by force while the split haired girl was there won’t be easy.

There seemed to be a conflict between powers when she attacked the fog but even so, he could tell she was holding back a lot.

Despite seemingly being a caster type, her perception and physical power seem far superior to most close quarter fighters.

Like himself.

In order to defeat her, fighting upfront wasn’t going to cut it.

He’ll need to do some preparations if he wanted a good harvest for the next siege.

Preparations that can force the laws of the Nightmare on the battlefield if they clash once more.

He descended into the cosmic pool beneath him.

The world folded downwards, layers peeling back like pages in a book.

He continued to step through the empty zones devoid of Hunters. Only the beasts who roam aimlessly and the Lurkers who await their next victim.

After a moment, he arrived at Grand Cathia’s spiralling nightmare.

Fully intact and undisturbed.

Good.

Erwen straightened his sleeve and continued onwards.

The Nightmare was a combined effort of everyone within the vicinity of Grand Cathia.

Observing the structure of the Nightmare gave him hints on what was happening in reality, the thoughts hidden in their hearts.

Their fears.

And...

It was rather easy to spot the zones that were constructed by those who lived above.

The privileged ones who did nothing to help the city, ready to flee the moment things go south.

Just staring at the Nightmare Zones gave him the urge to destroy everything.

This sickness plaguing the city, this disgust clogging up his chest.

He wanted to purge it as soon as possible.

But keeping this place intact had a use. He needed the parasites to be alive and well. He needed them to cause unrest within the city.

Erwen paused in his step, a frown on his face.

"I wasn’t aware that a guide was sent to help me."

This place should be entirely up to him after he defected.

There shouldn’t be anyone sent to help.

"Oh I wasn’t sent, you don’t have to worry about that." An elegant laugh echoed out as butterflies began to appear.

Fog gathered and a witch appeared siting on her floating staff with her legs crossed.

"Then why are you here? I believe the guides have their own jobs to worry about rather than concerning themselves with farming fear during the day." Erwen frowned.

There was a warning that everyone attached to the Nightmare received.

A warning about a certain witch.

"Hm~ I do have my own job but... I have a bit more free time than others." Monika giggled, narrowing her eyes on Erwen.

"Just don’t interfere with my job."

"I wouldn’t say I’ll be interfering. Just a small request since you met one of the subjects I’m observing." Monika followed behind Erwen.

He frowned.

If Monika was observing someone and only appeared just now...

It must’ve been someone he saw during the siege. A new face.

Was it the mechanical girl?

No, the nightmare didn’t have tether on her. She was observing from elsewhere.

Then...

The split haired girl.

The one he was cautious about.

"!!!"

Widening his eyes, he immediately summoned a blade and turned around.

*CLANG!!!

He blocked an invisible strike.

"Ohya? Hmm... I’m starting to think I’m losing my touch." Monika tapping her chin.

"First it was Vene, then the others and now you. Everyone is on guard against me now." Monika pretended to shed a tear.

"And to think we used to be on such good terms."

"What’s the meaning of this?" Erwen frowned.

Whatever she had just tried to do, he couldn’t allow her to succeed! Every fibre of his being was warning him against her.

Especially within this Nightmare.

"Jeez, I just want a small favour. The others are still alive aren’t they? The more you struggle, the more annoying this becomes." Monika tapped her finger, looking to restrict Erwen’s movements.

However...

Taking a single step back, a boundary formed around him where everything was slashed in an instant. A perfect defence to stop attacks from breaching.

"Gosh, you’re really not going to make this easy are you?" Monika sighed.

Hopping off her staff, she tapped her toes against the ground.

*BANG!!!

Erwen unleashed a slash behind him that tore up the ground as cold sweat covered his back.

"So annoying, just let me make a small~ modification okay? You won’t die." Monika pouted.

Erwen’s slashes were surprisingly ’accurate’.

It wasn’t just a simple matter of slashing apart the area. But rather, it was targeting her directly.

Even if she turns herself into fog, his slashes will no doubt land.

An attack to cross any distance so long as it ’collides’ with her.

"Even a small modification may stop me from being myself. This job, it has to be done by my own hands. So I politely ask you to refrain from doing what you seek to do." Erwen narrowed his eyes.

They were still ’playing around’ for now. Neither of them have even showed a fraction of their abilities.

Right now, he could only hope that she steps back with this.

"Hmm... that won’t do." Monika stopped smiling.

She wanted to ’know’ which meant taking matters into her own hands.

Information gained from others are subject to bias and perception. And imperfect transcript of what had actually occurred.

She couldn’t allow that to happen.

Monika tilted her head, her eyes losing their playful shine.

The butterflies around her froze and the world seemed to halt.

Erwen took a deep breath.

He focused his mind, his body gradually fading into a state of zero.

His only goal...

Prevent Monika from tampering with his body!

In that instant, several hands breached his defensive line.

With a single motion, countless slashes were woven into a net to defend against the onslaught.

And through the gap that was created, Monika’s hand slipped through, aiming for his chest.

*KRK!!!

Erwen stabbed forward, his blade piercing her palm, up her arm, through the elbow and into the bicep, finishing at the shoulder.

"Aren’t you the perceptive one." Monika praised, ripping her arm free and reconstructing it with fog.

A deliberate show to prove that she was unharmed but it was rather difficult to trick his gaze.

Moving her arm, Monika let out a sigh.

Dealing with Erwen was possible. Killing him wasn’t an issue.

But modifying him without killing him? When he puts up this kind of resistance?

"What a pain." She groaned in annoyance.

Pausing for a moment, she made eye contact with Erwen.

"!!!"

"Should I just erase you?" She asked, face to face with the man.

He tried to slash at her, to prevent her approach but his wrist was held by Monika’s hand.

Her spare hand tried to touch his chest but her fingers were grabbed by Erwen’s hand.

A stalemate. He couldn’t prevent her approach but she couldn’t make the modifications she wanted.

Kicking her in the stomach to force her away, Erwen flicked his wrist and a crimson moon appeared overhead. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Monika narrowed her eyes.

*Clap

"Okay~ That’s enough." A new voice interrupted their conversation. A girl wearing nothing but a simple white dress. Nothing else.

"Let’s not fight okay?" She smiled happily.

If Monika made him worried, this new arrival made him want to flee no matter what. He sheathed his blade and glared at Monika who seemed annoyed yet helpless at the girl’s arrival.

"I just wanted to turn him into a camera for me. You didn’t have to show up you know? Does the boss know?" Monika sighed, regaining her joking tone while sitting on her staff.

The girl tilted her head and stuck out her tongue.

"Nope. I snuck out hehe~"

"Then you should go back before he scolds you. I’m leaving, it’s too much hassle if you’re getting involved." Monika turned to leave through the fog.

A pair of fair, cold hands cupped her cheeks.

The girl’s smiling face in front of her.

"You shouldn’t lie like that."

Letting go of her face, she placed several invisible butterflies into Monika’s hand.

"Bu bye~" She waved happily.

Monika glanced back at the two. Without saying anything else, she left the zone, causing Erwen to let out a sigh of relief.

But the danger isn’t over yet.

The third arrival.

"Erm... if Nyer asks don’t tell him I was here okay?" She held a finger over her lip and quickly evacuated, leaving Erwen with questions flying through his mind.