QT: Against My Will-Chapter 575 - 8.92 - The Ethers - Monster Heist
Joe Tyrrell formed a small black hole. Just when it seemed the Ethers would be swallowed by the void, they broke free from its gravitational pull, as if they were immune to its effects, "What the fuck are these?"
The team’s faces were lined with exhaustion; it was evident they were running out of options.
"Retreat!" Tia’s voice echoed across the communication channel. "Fall back to the secondary defensive line. We are fighting an enemy that’s both intangible and physical!"
The Ethers weren’t here to fight the LADs but to cause as much damage as possible.
Everything had to be reevaluated. Every strategy, every battle plan—they were all potentially flawed, based on a lie that had been carefully planted by the enemy.
"We have to find a way to trap them in their physical state, long enough to strike effectively," said Nathaniel, taking advantage of the exact same time the claws made contact with his skin to cut off the Ether’s head, "It seems like they can only harm us when they’re solid."
Tia nodded, taking in Nathaniel’s words. "That’s a critical insight. Maybe we can develop a magic spell that compels them to maintain a physical form."
In the heart of battle, the LAD’s minds worked like well-oiled machines, analyzing threats, assessing situations, and devising new strategies — a skill they had cultivated both within and outside the barriers.
Nathaniel observed as the Ether, with its severed head, regenerated, sprouting a new one in its place, "Even physical injuries hardly slow them down; they regenerate almost instantly."
Curses escaped the lips of everyone present. At this rate, they were really going to go extinct!
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
’~Where did you obtain the teleportation scrolls?’
’From hubby’s ex. They finally came in handy.’
’~Just admit you didn’t know how to use them.’
’囧...I just didn’t want to waste them.’
Bing Shi wanted to return to the place beyond the second layer — to the one Douglas had led them before. She told him they were looking for a priceless treasure, wondering where his gut feeling would lead them.
For Ethers to reveal their existence, that place had to contain something of significant importance.
’Dai An, You should go into hiding too.’
’~I’m good.’
Bing Shi had been a ticking time bomb for far too long, and this was a nice chance to let it loose.
The shadowy Ethers hissed and recoiled, unable to breach the formidable defenses that now surrounded the masked person — Shina Night.
Bing Shi plunged into the depths of her consciousness. A torrent of malicious energy erupted from her body in response, colliding with the shadowy entities with unparalleled might.
"What are you trying to hide from me?" she asked in a whisper, beckoning the Ethers to express their thoughts, "I know you can understand me." Gods had their own language, one that could be understood by all.
The Ethers, overwhelmed by this emotional assault, found themselves compelled to create some distance.
The intensity was so potent that it reached into the tiniest particles of their being. The air grew heavy, the winds howled mournfully. Even the once-vibrant plants within her domain withered and contorted, their leaves weeping a sickly substance, and the very earth seemed to convulse as if nature itself recoiled in agony.
Bing Shi had shown that she could touch them, and in a battle of wills, even the smallest touch could leave a bruise.
But then, just as they seemed to waver, the Ethers regrouped. Their mental power surged back stronger, overwhelming Bing Shi’s willpower.
"Your kind has to die!" they howled in unison, "We will never forgive!"
"It’s the truth I desire, not your forgiveness," Bing Shi said, looking around her surroundings, "What are you trying to hide from me, hm?"
With a mental push that felt like tearing through the fabric of reality itself, Bing Shi unleashed a new wave of onslaughts. The accumulated emotions merged and condensed, transforming into a singular, potent form of pure energy that struck in all directions.
"You will not leave here alive!" the Ethers growled in response. The strongest Ethers have all left to attack the cities, and not many remained. But they still had the favor of nature!
The ground beneath Bing Shi’s boots suddenly yielded, forming a big abyss that swallowed her whole. She quickly activated her X-ray goggles as she fell deeper inside the deep crack.
’This is it, Dai An. Our treasure hunting is finally yielding some juicy fruits!’
Dai An, sharing in her sense of awe, nodded in agreement, ’~And all without a map!’
There was a bit of blackmailing, and some heavy cheating, but how else would they ever get answers to their countless question marks about this world?
’I’m not ready to part with this body just yet,’ Bing Shi checked the state of her protective suit from the system shop. She had geared up as much as possible, but who knew what the final BOSS had in store for her — if there was one, to begin with.
Being hurtled towards the earth’s core, the temperature rose rapidly, and the walls seemed to pulse as if this world itself sought to imprison her within its molten heart.
Bing Shi’s curiosity burned brighter than ever as she contemplated the sight that lay below her.
’Oh my goodness. Do you see what I see?’
Dai An nodded internally, ’~What is that?’
’I’ll show you in a while. Can you contact Felicia? Tell her to...’
Bing Shi instructed Dai An, then took a deep breath and screamed out of her mind.
|"HUBBYYY, HEEELP MEEEEE!"|
On the outside, it might look like he was allowing Bing Shi to confront danger alone. In reality, there was always someone who was ever-ready to be summoned by her side, like a steadfast guardian.
She and her husband had reached a stage where they would mock death itself in the eyes. He hadn’t gained the power to confine her within four walls but to safeguard her, even if she dared to challenge the whole universe.
Bing Shi was a constant challenge. The mishap with Leon had made it clear that he needed to forge an even stronger body for their journey ahead.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Meanwhile, the slaughter within the first layer continued.
The once-bustling cities now lay in ruins, their towering structures reduced to rubble by relentless earthquakes and ravaging storms.
Amidst the chaos, an urgent alert echoed through the city’s remaining communication systems.
A voice resonated through the tumultuous airwaves, carrying a message of hope amidst the despair.
"Soldiers assist the survivors and head to the designated portals and bring all your belongings with you to the southern barracks. Do not delay! Your lives depend on it!"
"That voice... Felicia?" Douglas frowned as he heeded to the orders. The soldiers had been sending whoever they could inside their space rings and had already grouped up. There was nothing left to protect. Everyone could only await their death while putting on a fight.
Victor asked Nora about Shina’s situation as he looked for Elera and his daughter.
Nora couldn’t reach out to Shina no matter what she did, {My monitoring had malfunctioned again.}
Victor still felt that Shina was alive so put her situation aside, "What does she plan to do at the Southern Barracks?"
When Victor used the portal to appear at the designated spot, his eyes almost bulged out when he saw the majestic spaceship in the skies, "..."
The LADs were fending off the Ethers while the soldiers helped to move up the reserves despite the disastrous floods and earthquakes.
"..." Even Nathaniel was surprised by the treasure Shina brought back from her ’adventure’. He’d roamed beyond the second layer himself, but never had he stumbled upon anything as futuristic as this.
’Did you know something about this?’ he asked Ziek, who had trained his omnipotence here.
’Just some hints about this world’s past, but not this,’ Ziek exclaimed, wiping his dirty face as if he’d just crawled out from beneath a car. ’There’s a whole goddamn graveyard of spaceships swimming inside the earth’s core. This one is relatively new compared to others, around two hundred years old.’
The ship was encased in a thin barrier, and one could only wonder about the immense power source that had sustained it for so long.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
In ages long past, this world had faced a devastating invasion by entities similar in looks to the LADs, known as the Ancient Invaders.
These ancient invaders were driven by a relentless hunger for the world’s magical energies and resources, which they sought to harness for their own purposes.
Because of them, this world’s inhabitants had endured unimaginable suffering — their once-thriving ecosystems had been ravaged.
The memory of that dark period has never faded from the world’s consciousness. The collective emotions and spirits of the deceased inhabitants were woven into the very fabric of the Ether’s existence — the guardians of this world, whose origins were shrouded in tragedy.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Trees and vines sprouted in the Spaceship’s direction. Ethers, agile as ever, leaped and darted like streaks of shadow — their advance, unchallenged and unstoppable.
Henry picked up the space ring from the ground, his expressionless face finally showing a ripple of emotion as he gazed upon his mother’s lifeless body.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
An Ether halted before Linda, the omega who had come to live with Henry’s mother. It raised its shadowy claws as if to inflict upon Linda the same cruel fate that had befallen the woman who had tried to shield her.
"Why betray us?" The ether’s voice trembled with sorrow, echoing like a wrenching cry, "You were our kin." It conveyed its profound sadness in an ancient language that Linda had no way of understanding.
The omegas, known by the Ethers by another name, used to be cherished as the world’s original inhabitants, known for their deep connection with nature and the creatures that roamed the land.
However, some individuals had decided to upheave this world’s harmony — The Legendary Sigma(s) as most did know them by this name — fell in love with the ancient invaders, and had taken on a form of omegas the ancient invaders were familiar with.
Before the barriers appeared, the Ethers intentionally destroyed every knowledge of the ancient invader’s origins, ensuring no outside aid would come. They’ve taken on the appearance of the ancient invaders to reduce suspicion.
However, the legendary sigma(s), the only ones who could recognize their disguise, had tried to stop them. Despite the ancient betrayers being in the wrong, the Legendary Sigma still decided to protect them behind the first layer of the barrier.
Countless times, they would ask the Ethers for a truce and peaceful coexistence, and countless times, the Ethers would be betrayed along the way.
The following generations, with their newfound power, would do nothing but bring ruin upon everything this world held dear.
For centuries, the Ethers had been diligently preparing for this moment, studying their opponents. Countless sacrifices and trials had been endured by their comrades, who had been brought inside the barrier as test subjects.
To prevent a similar situation from occurring again — The Ethers expanded the range of the EMP to remove this world from external detection. Any incoming ships that breached the atmosphere were swiftly dealt with and neutralized.
