Chapter 165
Irene Foxis. Her entry into the alley was purely by chance. An eerie premonition had tugged at her sleeve.
The Fox, drawn by that ominous feeling, unwittingly witnessed the scene.
Perhaps it would be flawed to dismiss it as mere coincidence. In short, the girl had simply followed her instincts.
<F1>—You are on the verge of transcendence.</F1><F1>—If slow, you will reach it in three years; if fast, you will reach the stars within a year.</F1>
She was treading the Threshold of the Stars.
It was a period when her foundational body transformed, and her senses were at their sharpest in life—a so-called 'transitional period' that those approaching transcendence often experience.
Thanks to this, Irene's nerves were sharper than ever. With the added unique 'instinct' of the Beastfolk, the girl's acuity surpassed its limits.
This time, it paid off handsomely.
*Something's off.*
She was on her way back from shopping at the Shopping Street, as usual.
The Fox suddenly detected a murky aura nearby.
Following the foul stench emanating from it, she discovered an alley where a dozen or so people had gathered.
There, familiar Pink Hair was surrounded by unknown assailants.
Irene leaped without hesitation.
And now.
Ugh...!
*Clang! Crash...! Thud!*
The girl was fending off attacks pushing in from the front.
Even in the Darkness, afterimages wreathed in Flame bloomed.
Her sword tip swayed calmly.
*Swoosh-!* A Sword Strike surged from above.
The Fox evaded with a slight turn of her head, then channeled energy into her sword.
Immediately after, her flame power intensified for a moment, as if oil had been poured on it. The unleashed blaze brilliantly enveloped the surroundings.
It was like a Flame Flower devouring the dawn.
*Whoosh-!*
Hup...!
With a battle cry, she unleashed a Strike.
The surging Flame tore through the Pitch-Black, engulfing the enemies as a crimson storm.
The Shadows caught in the current were strewn about, leaving behind only flesh and the smell of burning.
However, those who had blocked the attack stood calmly.
*Whoosh-.*
When the smoke cleared, the assailants stood there. All of them were blood-red Robed Figures.
......
A very familiar emblem was etched on some of their epaulets.
Irene immediately discerned the enemy's identity.
*The Heretic Cult.*
It was an unforgettable emblem.
She still remembered the time she had been abducted to their research lab. The intense hatred etched into her mind was not easily erased.
The Fox cut down another approaching enemy.
Her eyes quickly scanned the current situation. Her mind worked furiously.
*What... how did this happen?*
The Heretic Cult suddenly appeared. Moreover, figures wearing golden epaulets shimmered at their side.
Even though they were scattered, Irene saw through them. They were none other than the forces commanded by the <F1>Businessman</F1>—his direct elite unit, the 'Hunting Dogs'.
Irene took a deep breath and maintained her composure.
*No way.*
She had heard rumors that the two factions had joined forces at some point. But she never imagined they would be orchestrating something like this.
*Shing-.*
The girl's emotions remained undisturbed.
Instead, she calmly suppressed her emotions and sought a way to break through the situation. This was something she had learned while with Yuda over the past year.
*The Hunting Dogs... are not a particularly threatening force.*
However, complacency would only be a dagger to her. Irene calmly steadied her breath.
And then, she aimed the burning blade inward.
<F1>—Stop this nonsense and get lost.</F1>
Although she had declared it with great momentum, the situation was not particularly favorable for the Fox.
As mentioned, the Hunting Dogs were merely annoying. They weren't particularly threatening opponents.
The problem, however, was the man at the front, who appeared to be leading the group. He was dressed in rags. Beyond that attire, an eerie aura emanated.
The girl made her judgment even from the brief atmosphere.
*......That one looks dangerous.*
For now, he wasn't stepping forward, merely observing from behind. But there was no telling when he might change his mind.
The Fox furrowed her brow.
This is the worst.
Regrettably.
Irene's condition hadn't been good lately either.
Perhaps because she was treading the Threshold of the Stars, her abilities felt suppressed compared to usual.
Her Ultimate Skill, the Crimson Flame, also frequently became unstable.
Under these conditions, dealing with the Hunting Dogs and subduing that Ragged Man seemed far from easy.
Of course, total annihilation wasn't the only condition for victory.
Is the area blocked by a Barrier?
An unknown boundary separated the entire alley. The Fox calmly scanned the reddish background.
Since a high concentration of mana had been deployed within the Academy, the Faculty would soon notice the anomaly.
Even if they had hidden their tracks, it was impossible to deceive every eye.
The girl estimated the time until other reinforcements would arrive.
*Roughly... ten minutes from now?*
It wasn't a pleasant conclusion.
Although she was holding the enemy at bay for now, once a full-scale clash began, she would be overwhelmed.
Especially that Ragged Man over there—he was not an opponent she could challenge with her current strength.
His sheer presence alone made the difference in their power levels insurmountable.
From a brief assessment, he was on the level of an Astro Vice-Captain.
Just facing him felt suffocating.
Haa...
There was no way she could envision victory against him.
Only a chilling pressure made her shoulders tremble.
As she dwelled on the moment, a voice naturally brushed past her ears. It was advice she had received once.
<F1>—Never go against the flow.</F1>
<F1>—The natural order is absolute law.</F1>
<F1>—If you, a mere creature, try to defy the stars, you will surely pay a price worse than death.</F1>
Is there really no way? She clicked her tongue lightly.
Around her, the corpses of those cut down early on lay scattered.
What remained before her were five Hunting Dogs and one Ragged Man.
Hoo...
She struggled to steady her ragged breathing.
Her sword tip pointed towards the sky.
Just as she was about to make her next move, a chilling presence suddenly licked the back of her neck.
Crushed by the overwhelming killing intent, the Fox froze in place.
At the end of her trembling gaze, the Ragged Man stood.
*Thump-.*
Quiet footsteps approached.
The man who had not stepped forward until now had finally moved.
An eerie atmosphere pressed in, coiling around the surroundings.
His lips murmured softly.
*Time is short. Deal with it quickly.*
His voice was strangely clipped and broken. A finger, rusted like an old Iron Cage, pointed into the air.
Following this, a faintly colored Incantation echoed.
*Oh, Annihilation... Adorn. The dawn.*
Was it the moment of activation right after? A storm raged on one side. The mana surging nearby gathered, soon covering the surrounding space in Pitch-Black.
The spreading Pitch-Black completely obscured the vision within the Barrier.
Irene, caught in the current, squeezed her eyes shut.
And, not long after
She lifted her eyelids again.
......?
They stood in a completely different place.
A chilling wind brushed against her spine. The familiar scenery of the Academy District, so peaceful moments ago, had vanished.
Before her eyes lay a cemetery, permeated with a cold aura.
It was none other than a Domain deployed by the Ragged Man.
*He was a Domain User...!* Irene wore a look of dismay.
A sharp chill colored her cheeks.
The Pitch-Black backdrop was utterly desolate and eerie.
In the center, where despair and bone dust were scattered, the Ragged Man held an old shovel.
Behind him, only broken crosses and damaged gravestones stood in rows.
The man stared at the fox with dead eyes.
*Respond to the call.*
A twisted utterance.
It was the final phrase completing his Domain.
The surging mana began to take form.
*Rumble-.*
Simultaneously, something began to pour down from the blackened sky like rain.
It was none other than thousands of coffins, carrying The Deceased.
They struck the ground in countless numbers. The objects falling from above were quite threatening.
*Bang! Crash!*
Pitch-Black boxes plunged into the dirt one after another.
Afterward, the coffin lids opened in unison. Broken fragments appeared, and Shadow-like figures writhed and burst forth beyond the dawn.
They were corpses so steeped in mana that their forms were distorted.
Skeletons, plastered with rotten flesh, stumbled across the ground.
A momentarily overwhelming sight.
What, in the world...
Irene muttered blankly.
It was as if she had come face to face with Hell.
Yet, even in this horrific situation, the Necromancer merely gave his commands.
His cold voice, mingled with despair, reached out.
*Fill your hungry bellies.*
Amidst the corpses gathered like an ant colony, the voice dropped. The soulless dead answered their master's call.
The Deceased, without waiting for anyone, began to rush towards the Fox.
Their decaying steps turned the Cemetery into a pandemonium.
Grotesque screams tore through the silence.
*Kieeeek!!*
Had their vocal cords rotted away?
The monstrous roars, too distorted to be called voices, echoed in her ears.
Poisonously gaping Pitch-Black fangs swarmed towards her.
The intersection of murderous intent and greed played a dirge.
"Damn it...!"
She was surrounded on all sides.
The Fox hastily unleashed her Flame, driving back the surging Specters.
But it was not as she intended. Despite the crimson flames, the corpses relentlessly charged.
They surged forward, breaking through the blaze.
The girl ultimately had to confront them one by one with her sword.
*Slice-!*
Crimson lines streaked through the air.
The trajectory of her sword was drawn straight and true. The scattering flesh, along with the flames, painted a picture of contempt for the dead.
The onslaught, so terrible it made her arms numb, was relentless.
Nevertheless, Irene slaughtered the corpses one after another.
*Thwack, Splat-!*
The sound of skulls shattering.
The enemy's numbers were overwhelming.
Whether they were receiving a buff within the Necromancer's Domain or not, the strength of charging The Deceased was abnormally powerful.
Moreover, the unaddressed Hunting Dogs were constantly looking for an opportunity.
At the very front, the Necromancer himself was swinging his shovel.
Despite her fierce struggle, the Fox was gradually losing ground.
There's no answer.