๐๐ถ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ล
After slashing the pertmul, I pull the sword out of its big body since I didn't have the strength to fully slice it.
I looked at it and saw the abyss getting disintegrated. I made sure to stab it in other spots to confirm its kill. But looking at it, The abyss was slow to split itself so the abyss around the body was killed easily. The abyss-covered pertmul revealed a dark green body with a hexagonal pattern, I only looked at it for a second before I discover something.
I look at the abyss about 500 meters from me.
'Does that mean that the farther away from their core or something, they are slower?
They seem to not have any effects on the beings they infect and dominate but they themselves are far slower.' As I think about such things, my death perception alerts me about my back and at that moment someone screamed. "Behind!"
I dodge to the side due to instincts and fear while spinning around to block whatever was behind me with my blade. Quickly repositioning, I dash at the pertmul but it was blocked with its two hands before hissing at me with its raspy voice.
This particular pertmul was an older one when I was skimming about its information but from what I gathered the humanoid body of this snake monster is the actual pertmul.
In truth, they actually haven't been born yet. The giant snake is similar to a pregnant woman, gathering food to feed her unborn child and when the pertmul is born, the mother's upper half becomes replaced with the pertmul's upper body while retaining the lower half of its mother's body which of course kills the mother. As the pertmul grow old their upper half becomes one of a snake and the process is repeated.
I take 3 steps to the pertmul and immediately slash horizontally in the neck. Since I was faster due to my natural-born agility apparently, I was able to get a clean hit.
I stab the head and the rest of the bodies lightly to make sure the abyss was finished off then I look at my companions.
Astoria was efficiently reusing her arrows fighting the pertmul at close range while Alice and Freya were supporting each other. There were screams of pain from both male and female adventurers and artificials being melted by the abyss but I didn't care about it all.
It was not like I knew them or anything besides, my party members are the only ones who'll probably be inconvenienced by my death. If I was going to kill myself, I rather not trouble anyone.
I joined up with Astoria and communicated with her. "The abyss seems to be slower when they're away from their group or whatever you call it, so try to kill them before it arrives."
I say in a volume only she can hear, I was still unsure after all and I didn't want to be looked at with those eyes again. She merely nods her head before shouting loudly, relaying what I said to her, I become troubled but it couldn't be helped.
As if trying to remind me that I was on a battlefield, I sense death from below and I quickly dragged Astoria with me.
A giant abyss spike came out of the ground where we were. It quickly tried to go back into the ground but it was slow so with a slash, I easily slashed it.
"Uhh, you can let go now," Astoria said to me. It seems I was holding her hand a bit tightly.
Letting it go, Astoria speaks once again. "Thanks." I only nod my head.
Astoria charges at the enemy again and I bottle up my feelings once again only fueling my hatred before I ready my blade once again and meet the pertmul halfway.
Letting them attack me like always before counter-attacking again. It took some time but we defeated all 104 pertmuls that charged at us.
The commander in the back spoke loudly again.
"Adventurers, advance and meet the abyss and try to repel them, this may be easier but it is far more dangerous if you screw up!"
Our group charged far more carefully than before since 25% of our group was already dead.
I stick in between where Astoria was on my left and Alice and Freya on the right so that I can sense death in their vicinity. As we approached the abyss which was as big as a lake with Hinu in the middle of it.
The abyss quickly shot a spike at one of the adventurers. He dodges quickly but his fingers were still hit.
It eats through the fingernail and then through the fingers but as that was happening, the adventurer drops his mace and grabbed a knife in his waist and although hesitant, sliced off his hands.
The healer quickly heals his bleeding arm and we look back at the abyss and keep an eye out for attacks. Thankfully the artificials took the front so we used them as shields.
It quickly dodges our stabs especially with me due to the katana being a slashing weapon. The abyss quickly killed the artificials and even some of the adventurers which put them in a chaotic state. I stayed calm not caring for their deaths and keep on stabbing and slashing.
I felt silly when I see this group miss all their hits. I felt somewhat shaken but I didn't waver even after my death perception was practically useless once again making me a below-average swordsman.
'So much for that eh? how the hell did I forget about that?' I ridicule myself once again.
Eventually, we manage to get momentum so as time passes, the more we hit manage to hit them.
The abyss overwrites Hinu's command forcefully retreated after their relentless assault. I look at this group and saw about half of us dead around me.
Other than me, they were in low morale including the soldiers in the back
"Call upon the next group!" The commander had a face as if he was forcing himself to be strong seize what little time we had.
"Your group took the majority of the creatures they absorbed so this will be easier!" He shouted.
When I look around, Likru was nowhere to be seen, it seems he had served his purpose.
I also realized that it has only been two hours since the battle has started and the majority of was spent trying to repel the abyss far enough so that we change groups.
I joined my party as we walked back into the camp, they all had complicated expressions with exception of me who was expressionless as always.
"Are you not scared, Himura?" Alice asked me, the other two looked at me.
"I just have a good mental defense."
'Who would've known that trying to kill yourself every night and still managing to act normal in the day can make you pretty apathetic?' I added but I didn't voice the silver lining that I just discovered, only choosing to stay silent after that.
She smiles before speaking. "I'm impressed, I wish I have such defenses."
I realized it later but they were closer than usual to me as if trying to find comfort near each other then finally I realize it. They were genuinely scared or shaken.
This may be a fantasy world but this was still real life and my party members were just normal people with their own problems, not some strong fighter that doesn't have any morality and kills whoever wrongs them like in some light novels.
My heart aches knowing that I had no idea how to comfort them other than being near them.
As we reach the camp they were in pretty low morale and even lower after seeing us. Our group didn't talk much as we rest and my party decided to go back to Kliyer to take their mind off it while also buying food.
As we return to the camp after several hours or so, the entire camp was more silent with only the gold-ranked adventurer keeping them intact.
A little farther from the camp were many small light green tents made for four people. Since it was already dark, we decided to head inside.
There were four small sleeping bags in barely enough extra space. I took the bag farthest away from them and the others took the rest.
Looking away from them to sleep, I suddenly hear the three having a conversation.
"Hey Alice, Freya?" Astoria first spoke.
""What?""
"Do you think we'll survive this?"
""..."" The two remain silent before rustling.
""F-Freya?""
"We'll be fine let's just cover each other back okay?" It seems Freya has hugged them as she speaks.
There was another rustling sound and Astoria spoke. "God, you really are the mother of this party."
"Hey who gave me that title?!" Freya spoke only finding out now the second title the adventurers of Bellken gave her.
Astoria and Alice laugh in amusement regaining some of their morality.
"Let's...just hope that we'll be fine."
"Yeah, let's hope so..."
Their conversation ended like that as they head back to sleep. As always I headed to sleep not bothered by the events that happened.