Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 970: Multiple Pillars

"See anything down there?" Miki asked with a slight frown.

"Nope. It’s as the reports say. Even with my eyes, I don’t see anything. Not a single speck of Nightmare energy." Alice shook her head.

Currently, they were on a mechanical mount flying through the sky in order to scout out the surrounding area for any potential signs of a siege.

But it’s as though the world fell silent.

Of course, Alice took the opportunity to scout in a heartbeat since she’d rather be out here than in there where Suyin and the others start testing their theories.

"What do you think about this?" Miki asked, taking a deep breath along with a sigh.

"Hmm... Not sure but I wouldn’t drop my guard. Especially when the Nightmare is involved." Alice yawned, resting on the metal mount lazily.

"How much do we even prepare?" Miki clenched her fist.

This couldn’t go on. Explore the nightmare, wait two days. Explore the Nightmare, repeat.

Sooner rather than later, civilian moral will completely break apart. They’ll question whether or not this can truly be resolved.

Once they give up, it’s harder to rally people together.

And if that happens, it may as well be the death of this city.

"Why don’t you call for some reinforcements. Maybe if you combine a few cities together it might help." Alice suggested because pausing.

"You realised already yeah?" Miki smiled bitterly.

There were only three families left against the Zenia’s. Calling for reinforcements elsewhere is just inviting disaster into their own walls.

Alice scratched her chin.

"Shall I be brutally honest with you?" She asked.

"When have you not been honest?"

"That’s being honest. This is me asking to be brutally honest." Alice sat up with a serious look in her eyes.

Miki hesitated.

"Go for it."

"This city is going to fall if I didn’t arrive with Suyin. You would’ve died during the last raid because you got to fixated on one opponent. The power of the collective is great and all, but think about what you’re fighting against." Alice didn’t hold back.

"The power of the collective only works when you’re on even footing. That siege can be classified as a natural disaster. If I wanted to wipe out the city, do you think everyone combined can even stop me?" Alice snapped her finger.

Above them, a singularity formed in an instant as an obscene amount of energy burst out from Alice’s body.

"Even with this level of power, I’m not convinced that I can take on some of the enemies I might face. What can you possibly do against them as a collective? I need to ask you one question." Alice stared Miki in the eyes.

"How much help have you turned away at this point because you dislike heroes?"

Miki didn’t respond. The state of the city was enough of an answer.

"Call in old favours. Get help from others. When disaster strikes, you need an equal force. There’s no shame in calling for help, what matters is what the things you want to protect are safe."

"But won’t they just crumble again once that pillar breaks?" Miki sighed. She wasn’t aggressive this time, even when Alice was refuting her beliefs.

She was simply...

Tired.

"When... he left, the mess he left behind... Do you know how long it took for us to get back on our feet? To try again against the Nightmare?" Miki smiled bitterly.

"Hm... I suppose so. But must you go out of your way to only get one hero? Who said each city was limited to just one?" Alice scratched her hair.

"What do you mean?"

Alice thought about it for a moment before activating her Sigil.

A small metal pillar appeared.

"This is your hero yes? And this pillar supports the city." Alice asked as Miki nodded.

"He left and it crumbled. Am I correct?"

Miki nodded once more.

"So what’s stopping you from replacing that pillar with more?"

Alice created three more identical pillars.

"But how’s that different to what I’m suggesting? Power of the collective." Miki frowned.

Alice rolled her eyes.

"How can you be so smart yet so dumb." She groaned.

"Wha!?"

"Who said this is the same? Normal people can become the pillar for heroes. Look closely." Alice sighed, enlarging the pillars.

Miki spotted it on the bottom.

Countless tiny sticks supporting the main structure.

"Yes, not everyone can become a pillar. But if you reject everyone who can become one, you’ll never start on making the foundation. And if you think about it... aren’t you a pillar already? So if you can have one, why not have more?" Alice pointed to Miki.

With Miki at the front of everything, this city continues to function.

"Huh? Me?" Miki blinked her eyes.

"Yes who, who else but you? I know you used to have a connection to the Underground. Even if it’s split right now, shouldn’t you be able to rally the half that isn’t on the Zenia’s side? I don’t know the state of the other cities, but I’m sure the information you’ve gained from the Nightmare is precious." Alice yawned.

"If you share that, wouldn’t that give their sacrifices more meaning? It’ll give the other cities a spark of hope as well. Not just Grand Cathia." She waved her hand lazily.

Miki frowned.

There were other issues in doing this. Inviting others into the city, unrelated ones at that may break the moral she’s been carefully maintaining this entire time.

How would the people feel if the blood sweat and tears they put into this was just taken by others without care?

They’ll rage, they’ll feel anger.

They won’t cooperate.

If she wanted to call for help, she had to be careful with how she does it.

One that doesn’t jeopardise pride of this city.

Alice knew this issue as well but that’s something for Miki to figure out.

She didn’t want others to lead Grand Cathia so she must lead it herself.

Make the decisions, the calls.

The alliances.

At most, Alice can be there to help her solidify things but Alice can’t be the one to do it.

If she did, it’ll be no different to what the hero did. Once she leaves, this city will crumble again.

But if Miki makes allies, create more pillars to support the city.

Even if one falls, another will take its place.

That’s the only way this city survives.

’We can’t stay here for long after all. We also need to travel.’ Alyss chuckled.

’That we do. Helping the Nightingale family is only one step along the way.’ Alice nodded.

It was a shame they couldn’t fight properly during the last Nightmare. But now that the foundations are put in place, they’re ready for the next.

Miki exhaled slowly through her nose.

"Heroes are symbols of hope. And people need that. With hope, they’re able to walk towards the future. I can’t deny that my role in this grand machine has become something akin to that. Even if it may be arrogant of me to say so." Miki glanced down.

"Let’s go back. There’s a bunch of things I need to sort out now and not a lot of time to do so." She sighed, turning the mount around.

"Need some help with that?" Alice offered.

"Perhaps. There might be a few hard headed individuals that I struggle to reign in."

"So you need strength, is that what you think you’re lacking?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Strength is one thing. I don’t prefer to use it, especially not at the negotiating table. At that point, it’s not a request build on connection but rather coercion. Something that weak can be broken on a whim." Miki shook her head.

"But that doesn’t mean strength isn’t needed. It’s what allows you to partake in the discussion. Without sufficient strength, no one will give a damn to the words I say."

Alice grinned.

"And you’re exactly right. It’s a cruel world after all. When everyone has a chance to become godlike in strength, who gives a flying f*ck about what a grain of sand tries to say to you?" Alice glanced up at the sky.

Of course, not everyone was like that. But the majority get drunk off this power.

It’s much easier to sin and get drunk than it is to uphold honour and pride.

And power is one that leans towards sin.

"Unfortunately it does seem to be that way." Miki nodded before hesitating.

"When it comes to physical fighting, you’re one of the best that I know of. Stronger than my father, stronger than... Erwen. But I can’t have you defeat him. This is Grand Cathia’s problem and it should be solved by the people here. Once he is gone, then things can change.

"But if someone else defeats him, we lose our identity."

Alice rested her chin on her palm.

"So what do you want from me?" She grinned.

"I want you to teach me how to fight. Properly fight. I want to defeat the dangers approaching this city."

’Ah~ Another poor soul lost. Do you think she can handle the training like Jin? At least he had the foundation.’ Alyss smirked.

’It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t have the foundation. We just have to lay it out for her right?’ Alice narrowed her eyes.

Of course, the other reason would be to escape that damn experiment department.

Their methods felt more like mental torture than actual experimentation.

Seeing Alice’s grin, Miki felt a shiver.

"There’s only one thing I can teach you in short time. Something that’ll significantly help you boost your strength."

Miki swallowed her saliva.

"I’ll properly teach you about Absolute Zone."