Abyss Descension: I Perform Rituals to Evolve In The Apocalyps-Chapter 51: Surface

His presence alone was enough.

The others watched him in complete silence, not daring to interrupt whatever unseen, sacred rite had just occurred between man and monster in the deeper veins of the Abyssal Burrow. Kev’s breathing was steady, though his bloodied shoulder throbbed with every motion. His cloak, now more tear than cloth, trailed behind him like a ragged banner. And in the unbearable hush that accompanied him, each member of the group felt the same thought burrow into their hearts—

If this man falls, we all die.

No one said it aloud, of course. That would have been sacrilegious. Blasphemy of the worst kind. But they all knew it, deep in their bones.

There was a weight to the way Kev looked at them—his eyes scanning each face, silently accounting for every presence, every breath. He wasn’t just checking if they were all still there. He was calculating. Strategizing. Protecting.

And then he spoke. Just once.

"Let’s move."

That was it. Two words. No lecture. No complaints about how reckless they might’ve been. No reminder of how close they had come to death. Just instructions. Clear, direct, and absolute.

Like scripture.

They obeyed immediately.

Weapons were gathered. Bags were slung over shoulders. Wounds were quietly bandaged with strips of cloth torn from sleeves. No one asked where they were going. No one dared to question the path. Because when Kev said "move," it wasn’t a suggestion. It was a declaration.

And though the Abyssal Burrow stretched endlessly ahead of them, filled with unspeakable horrors that could tear apart the average man with a twitch of their claws—none of it mattered.

Because Kev was walking ahead.

And they would follow him into hell itself, if that was what it took to survive.

Several days passed with them trapped in the Abyssal Burrow.

During that time, they have all gained supernatural strength.

Even Wang Yuxin have become a deadly killing machine that could one shot an adult human.

They also found books. Kev translated it for the group, feeling their understanding of the abyss.

A map was also discovered.

The group gained a proper understanding of the abyssal burrow they were trapped in.

....

Thud!

Kev’s boot slammed against the uneven ground, splashing muck and blood in all directions. The walls of the Abyssal Burrow pulsed with dampness and an unnatural stench, the stone veins twisting like decayed arteries. Screeches echoed behind them—high-pitched, unrelenting. Revenants.

"Don’t stop!" Kev barked, glancing back to ensure the group was still together. "Move! That thing’s still chasing us!"

Lena sprinted beside him, her knife stained black with coagulated blood. Her breathing was sharp, but steady. Behind her, Agatha hauled Sidhu, who was limping badly—his leg torn near the calf.

Parvi brought up the rear, crossbow in hand, reloading mid-run with mechanical precision. Wang Yuxin ran beside her, sweat dripping off his brow. Doctor Bell clutched a metal case to his chest, trembling.

"We’re nearing junction seventeen!" Lena shouted over the noise. "Should be a left turn into the escape shaft!"

"We take that tunnel, we might trap ourselves!" Parvi warned, loosing a bolt back into the dark. A wet thunk followed by a shuddering scream confirmed another Revenant had fallen. But they didn’t stop.

Behind them, the creatures clambered over each other—skeletal limbs, half-rotted torsos, glowing blue nuclei buried inside their cracked chests. Each nucleus pulsed with energy. Only destruction of those cores would put them down.

"We don’t have time to argue!" Kev growled. "Left! Now!"

They rounded the corner into a tighter tunnel. It narrowed suddenly—stone grinding against shoulders. One misstep, and a person could break an ankle or worse. Kev shoved Doctor Bell forward.

Agatha glanced behind. "They’re crawling on the walls!"

The first Revenant lunged—half-human, half-withered nightmare. Its nucleus glowed bright inside its exposed ribcage. Agatha spun, threw a dagger—shlick. The blade struck bone but missed the core. The creature hissed.

Parvi didn’t hesitate. She flipped her crossbow vertically and fired. The bolt tore straight through the nucleus. The Revenant convulsed violently, its skin decaying in seconds, before it dropped like a puppet with cut strings.

"Don’t slow down!" Agatha shouted, already chasing the group.

Up ahead, the tunnel ceiling dipped, forcing them to crouch. The walls trembled, dust falling from above.

Sidhu hissed in pain. "I can’t... my leg—"

Lena didn’t hesitate. She slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled him forward. "You’re not dying here. Just keep moving."

Doctor Bell paused and looked back. "If we don’t seal this tunnel, they’ll follow us all the way to the surface!"

"We don’t have explosives!" Wang Yuxin snapped.

"No." Bell opened the metal case. Inside, three glowing vials pulsed faintly. "But we have volatile extracts. If I mix the compound here, the reaction will—"

"Do it as we run!" Kev barked. "We’ll give you thirty seconds, no more!"

Bell’s hands shook, but he pulled two vials free and began mixing them in a small metal chamber strapped to his belt. Behind them, more Revenants appeared—five, no, six. Their steps were unnatural, spasmodic, and swift.

Parvi grabbed a bundle of sharpened steel rods from her side pouch and threw them like darts. One pierced a Revenant’s knee. It stumbled but didn’t fall. Kev turned and rammed his spear into its core—splintering the nucleus. Another one down.

Agatha grabbed a loose stalagmite from the wall and hurled it at a second creature, knocking it down.

"Tunnel ahead is collapsing!" Wang Yuxin yelled. "It’s unstable!"

They pushed through into a wider cavern, the air thick with spores and dust. Roots dangled from the ceiling like nooses. Across the cavern, a platform hung above a pit—an ancient elevator lift system used by the old miners.

"That’s our ride!" Lena cried out.

Kev glanced back—Bell was still mixing. "Hurry the hell up, Doc!"

"I need five seconds!" Bell screamed, his voice cracking.

A Revenant lunged from the side wall, jaws wide. Parvi stepped in front of the doctor and jammed a short blade into its open mouth. With a grunt, she shoved it until the tip pierced the glowing core behind its throat. The creature spasmed and collapsed at her feet.

"Now!" Bell slammed the compound shut, and a thick green mist began to leak from the canister. "Set! We need to run or we’ll go with it!"

They sprinted. The air behind them shimmered as the compound ignited. A second later, a boom tore through the corridor. Heat scorched their backs, and the tunnel walls split. Rocks rained down. The Revenants nearest the blast were crushed under rubble, and the others hesitated—disoriented.

The group reached the lift platform. Sidhu collapsed to his knees. Kev and Lena yanked the rusty lever, and the ancient chains groaned as the lift began to rise.

"Come on! Come on!" Agatha shouted, watching the edge.

Revenants poured into the cavern, snarling, some missing limbs, others crawling.

Kev grabbed a javelin and hurled it downward. It skewered two of them—but more replaced them instantly.

Wang Yuxin threw a burning torch into the pile below. The fire caught on the lingering chemical mist. Flames spread.

The platform shuddered as the chains strained. One snapped—sending the lift tilting dangerously.

"We’re too heavy!" Kev roared. "Throw something off!"

"No time!" Lena cried.

The Revenants leapt—three of them reached the edge. One landed on Sidhu.

Agatha was faster. Her dagger flashed—cutting through its spine. The core spilled out and she crushed it under her heel.

Kev grabbed the second by its throat and smashed it against the railing. It screeched, clinging on.

Doctor Bell stabbed the last with a scalpel, but it did nothing. Wang Yuxin pulled a wrench and jammed it into the creature’s chest, exposing the core. Parvi didn’t hesitate—she crushed it with her boot.

The lift groaned again, then leveled. The last chain held.

Finally, they rose into a small chamber—lit faintly by flickering emergency lights. A massive hatch sat in the ceiling.

Kev pulled the emergency lever.

Grind. Clank. Whirrrrr.

The hatch opened, letting in a gust of fresh air.

Sunlight.

For the first time in hours, the group saw the sky.

One by one, they climbed out.

Kev was the last. He reached up, gripped Lena’s hand, and pulled himself through just as a Revenant’s arm clawed up from the rising lift.

Without hesitation, Kev slammed the hatch shut.

Boom.

The last sound from the Abyssal Burrow was the creaking lift collapsing into fire.

Silence followed.

The seven of them lay on the grass, breathing heavily. Around them, a wide expanse of forest stretched out—calm, indifferent.

They had escaped.

For now.

Kev sat up slowly and looked at the horizon. "We’re not going back down there."

Agatha exhaled. "Good."

Lena just stared at the sky. "Let’s hope whatever’s left... stays buried."

The surface was not what they remembered.

Not exactly.

The first thing that struck Kev was the silence. Not the comforting hush of a quiet morning, but a deeper, oppressive stillness—as if the wind itself feared to whisper. Trees stood like gaunt sentinels, their bark stripped raw in places, branches clawing at the grey sky. The sunlight was pale, distorted through an atmosphere thick with particles that drifted like ash.

Kev adjusted the straps on his cracked armor and moved forward, step by step, one foot sinking slightly into the muddy ground with each stride. The others followed, each showing the wear of their flight from the Abyssal Burrow. Sidhu limped, leaning on Lena’s shoulder, his wound wrapped tightly in gauze. Doctor Bell had tied his coat around his face, using it as a makeshift filter. Wang Yuxin’s wrench remained in his grip, knuckles white, even when there was no danger in sight.

"Doesn’t smell like rain," Parvi muttered, squinting at the clouds. "Smells like... rot and metal."

They didn’t answer.

Instead, they walked.

Hours passed.

The terrain was uneven—more than it should’ve been. Roads were cracked like broken ribs, power lines drooped with snapped cables that swayed uselessly in the wind. Abandoned vehicles lined the ruins of the highway they eventually found—most covered in soot, vines, or blood. Kev paused near a rusted-out van, its side scorched black, windows punched in from the inside.

"Burn marks on the ground here," Agatha said, kneeling. "Circular. Something exploded."

"Controlled detonation?" Wang Yuxin asked.

She shook her head. "Panic detonation."

They moved on.

Sometime near dusk, they reached a broken billboard by the side of a defunct gas station. Half the sign read:

"STAY INSIDE. AVOID THE INFECTED. TRUST IN ORDER."

The rest had been scratched out with what looked like claws.

The station itself was hollowed out. Shelves overturned, food looted, anything valuable long taken. A handprint stained in dried blood decorated the freezer door. Kev checked behind the counter and found an old radio, which he tried to turn on out of habit. Nothing. Not even static.