Myrra and the enforcers surround the First One the moment the mana disappears. Dozens of attacks crash against the carapace, damaging it, destroying limbs, and wounding the ant, as it constantly regenerates.
(Attacking!) Sophie sends, and I can feel her skills and the web she was preparing reaching towards the ant.
The moment she does so, I realize that this is what the First One was waiting for. He doesn't even turn his body or anything, but I know he immediately detects where Sophie and the others are. A shockwave explodes near him, pushing himself toward where the others are and avoiding the attacks I throw at him.
(He is after you!) I quickly send.
I use the anchor I left near them to teleport, but my skill is interrupted by a strong pulse of mana from the First One.
Fuck.
I boost my body, rushing after him, the javelin in my hand constantly fights against me, as the black mana inside the blade threatens to break loose.
When I reach them, they already stand against the ant, thin threads of gray mana flickering around them, Maya, Hadwin, and Biscuit in front facing him.
Min-Jae is shooting huge chunks of buildings at the ant, his new eye glowing, but he seems to be unable to use his new attack against the ant. Tess is constantly moving her javelin to attack and defend.
I dash from behind the First One, armor surrounding my body and [Redistribution] activating and trying to slow him. However, the skill slips off of the ant, unable to grasp him at all. [Resonance] doesn't damage him, and the massive amount of mana he is drawing is impossible to disrupt.
Taking a risk, I activate my trait for the first time, an intense pain immediately engulfing my head and eyes, and the overload of information threatening my sanity. An amount of information that seems to be impossible for a human to accept.
A beautiful and impossible number of waves constantly floating around and permeating everything. Small particles fill the atmosphere and every living being. Hearts pumping the mana that flows through our bodies. Connections based on mana. And something more.
I watch as the mana around the First One moves in sharp patterns while the ant seems like a giant bonfire and everyone else is barely a spark.
Sensing it, he turns to me, and that mana coils like a snake and surges against me.
Groaning in pain, I deactivate my trait, unable to handle it any longer. I hold the javelin in front of me. The weapon absorbs mana for a moment, until the blade cracks. Suddenly, the mana explodes into the surroundings, just for an instant. Then, it converges into a single spot, forming a floating pitch-black orb that begins to absorb all the mana close to it.
This forces me to push my body upwards and fly over it to rejoin the fight.
Meanwhile, The First One dashes against the group. He endures a gray arrow several times stronger than the one that hit the Reanimated tree’s barrier. Dashing through it, he redirects small bits of it, forming mana projectiles that take the attacks in his stead. Meanwhile, he regenerates his body as it takes damage.
A shockwave destroys Min-Jae's projectiles and multiple buildings as well. Maya gets thrown away, her body broken and mangled.
Tess's Primordial lightning pierces his body, but the ant regenerates. Tess uses an abyssal anchor which only pulls him for a moment before the ant destroys the epic item with a snap of his mandibles.
A blast of kinetic energy depletes all the energy I was storing and erupts, destroying a few buildings and throwing him to the side. His armor absorbs most of it, and the destroyed parts regenerate. He rushes again, right towards Sophie, who has her hands on the shoulders of the twins.
For a moment, the First One, and all the ants in the city with him stop. Some of them even start attacking each other, and Sophie starts tearing the threads that connect the First One to the rest of the Colony, taking over the network he created.
Another gray arrow splashes against the black ant, and he regenerates, slower this time, still using mana to absorb most of the attack.
Myrra and the lynthari arrive as well, surrounding him with a constant barrage that crashes against his durable body. A strong gravity field pins him to the ground, while flames burn him and ice surrounds his carapace. Myrra launches an attack using projectiles made of a multicolored, glass-like material. Meanwhile, the enforcers begin creating a barrier around the ant, covered in inscriptions, all twelve of them working in unison.
Even through all this, the First One starts moving again, slow step after step on constantly regenerated legs. His mana gradually increases and he pushes against Sophie's [Manipulation].
Two enforcers fall dead, mana projectiles they were unable to stop penetrating their heads.
Biscuit gets thrown away with a shockwave while protecting Isabella.
The ant redirects another gray arrow, his body regenerating faster now, even as Isabella and I maintain a combined assault. The constant blaze of our gold and azure flames melting the buildings around him.
A tricolored orb I shot at him gets absorbed and he shoots it back at us, forcing us to defend against it. I constantly need to redirect the First One’s attacks while keeping up the damage and attempting to cut off the connections.
Eventually, Sophie's skill weakens, and even the twins tumble down.
Our preparations finally complete, my eyes meet Lily's. I move back and reach towards the black orb. Mana starts radiating from my body, and I [Focus], forcing the orb under my will and changing its shape. I feel blood in my mouth and warm mana flowing into me through the crown. I activate the circuits etched into my arm and reach out to grab the black dagger I’ve created from the orb.
All sounds disappear from the area, and I watch my severed right hand fall as if in slow motion. Immediately, I move behind the floating dagger and watch as it absorbs a surge of golden flames directed at me.
Another snap sounds and Hadwin's body is cut at the waist, falling to the ground in two pieces after he shields Sophie and the twins. The ants' attack pierces through Hadwin's shield and sword, then cuts through his armor, yet despite its strength, it is unable to reach the people Hadwin is protecting.
Lily begins to move towards Hadwin, but another snap echoes and she stumbles, with both of her feet severed and Hadwin's head split in half.
I fail to stop these attacks.
Immense mana radiates once again, this time emanating from all the ants surrounding us. It creates a field that makes movement and even breathing nearly impossible, forming an area that encompasses the First One and our group.
The black ant turns and looks towards me and launches another attack that gets absorbed by the black mana dagger between me and the ant. It's not even a serious attack.
The First One snaps again, and multiple enforcers die while trying to protect Myrra.
Still in shock, I stand there, my eyes on Hadwin's body, until the First One tracks where I am looking and a concentrated shockwave erupts from the ant.
Feeling as if my body is about to break, I reach through the domain and stack a number of infused barriers in front of Hadwin. But the ant shatters each and every one of them while still looking at me, and breaking the last one the attack tears Hadwin's body apart.
A memory of his feelings flashes through my mind from the time Isabella made us feel them. His gentle affection for the kids, the hint of sadness behind it all. A man striving to start a new life and bury old memories, slowly beginning to care for kids who bring him immense joy as he watches them enjoy life.
A memory of the two of us fighting, over and over again. Him trying to kill me. Him apologizing. The first floor, the second, even the third. His expression when he got the rare shield he was so happy about.
The world feels as if it slowed down, and I deactivate the hold [Focus] has on me and just use it to manage my skills. I take the crown from my head and throw it to the ground, the sound of it deafening in the silence. That makes the First One tilt his head. Our eyes meet, and I create a hand from mana and touch the black dagger floating in front of me, the inscriptions on my skin activating.
And then I start walking, each step unhurried. My eyes keep staring at the First One while my trait activates once more, a myriad of information and a whole new world opening to me, threatening to overload my brain.
I glance at the black dagger, and the entirety of my mana moves, the dagger dissolving, the blue mana of my conjured hand turning black, and bits of that mana even flowing into my body and through my circuits.
The First One also takes a few steps. Watching him with my trait, the mana around him burning bright like a bonfire.
As we head towards each other, he starts to hesitate, each step becoming slower and more careful.
At some point, he stops, and skills activate around him.
Watching all of it with my new eyes, I cut his skill apart. I disrupt his attempt at teleportation, I destroy the buildup for his shockwave, and a single barrier I create blocks his snapping attack, cracking afterward.
[Redistribution] powered by black mana activates, and the First One freezes on the spot. I reach out to him and lay my hand on his body. I begin to absorb the entirety of the heat he’s generated while my kinetic energy crashes against him, attempting to tear his body apart.
Focusing solely on defense, he continues absorbing vitality from the Colony, and even my attacks are unable to damage him. Feeling the pain scorch my body, I reach out and cut off all of the connections, leaving him isolated.
For the first time in his entire life, the ant loses the connection he bears to the other ants, yet he still faces me proudly, his eyes staring into mine while his body freezes all over and pieces of him explode.
Then I stagger, my trait deactivates, and all the information disappears. The black mana inside of my body immediately threatening to kill me. Quickly I force it into a black orb outside of my body, ready to use it on the ant.
The First One starts thawing, and the connections quickly reappear, like a phoenix rising. The ant is restoring all his wounds, and all that strength starts running through his body again.
Then, he attempts to flee, dragging his damaged body away from the black orb.
My eyes activate again for a split second, and turning the orb into a dagger, I stab the black mana into the First One, targeting the place he was protecting the most during the fight. With a [Tether], I connect the black dagger to his body, and when the First One disappears, it teleports with him.
Strength leaves my body, and my eyes deactivate again. For the first time since the start of the floor, there isn’t even a drop of mana left in my body, nor in the reservoir. The strengthening is gone, making my body extremely weak in comparison to everyone around me, yet I still push myself back on my legs and walk towards the others.
Sophie has an unbelieving look in her eyes as she holds Izzy against her chest and stares down at what remains of Hadwin.
Tess is trying to pull away Lily, who constantly keeps trying to reconnect the pieces.
Min-Jae starts crying while standing near the twins, who are both unconscious.
Looking to the side, I see a wounded Biscuit coming closer. There are multiple big wounds on his body, and one of his legs seems to be broken, yet he still is pulling Maya behind him as gently as he can. The woman seems to be on the brink of death, her chest caved in, bloody foam around her mouth.
“Lily,” I say, almost scared of my own voice. It's calm, and quiet, yet audible, even through all of the fire and screams around us.
Lily looks up at me from the ground, her eyes full of tears and blood on her. Pieces of her missing, used for [Sacrifice].
“Heal Maya,” I tell her.
For the first time, I can see anger in her eyes directed towards me. “How can you…” she shouts, close to screaming.
“Maya will die,” I interrupt her and return her gaze.
The words stick in her mouth, and her eyes shake while she looks at Maya. Tess whispers something in her ear and hugs her. Sobbing, Lily finally moves and starts healing Maya. She closes Maya’s wounds, causing her breathing to return to normal, and even Maya’s face starts looking better.
Only then does Lily stand up, moving towards me, putting her hand on my shoulder. “How can you be like this!” she shouts at me. “Hadwin… Hadwin is!”
My shoulder breaks and my body is easily moved by her. There is barely any mana in me and everything I have immediately gets turned into thermal energy to support my healing. Lily notices and immediately lets go of me, her face scared, and her expression changes as she looks at me.
She touches me again, this time extremely carefully, and sends her mana through my body, examining it. Her expression grows terrified, and I return her gaze as she starts healing me.
No one else says anything and the only sound to be heard is little Isabella sobbing, surrounded by all the destruction.
Checking the Community the number of people in Hell difficulty is one less.
Myrra and the enforcers surround the First One the moment the mana disappears. Dozens of attacks crash against the carapace, damaging it, destroying limbs, and wounding the ant, as it constantly regenerates.
(Attacking!) Sophie sends, and I can feel her skills and the web she was preparing reaching towards the ant.
The moment she does so, I realize that this is what the First One was waiting for. He doesn't even turn his body or anything, but I know he immediately detects where Sophie and the others are. A shockwave explodes near him, pushing himself toward where the others are and avoiding the attacks I throw at him.
(He is after you!) I quickly send.
I use the anchor I left near them to teleport, but my skill is interrupted by a strong pulse of mana from the First One.
Fuck.
I boost my body, rushing after him, the javelin in my hand constantly fights against me, as the black mana inside the blade threatens to break loose.
When I reach them, they already stand against the ant, thin threads of gray mana flickering around them, Maya, Hadwin, and Biscuit in front facing him.
Min-Jae is shooting huge chunks of buildings at the ant, his new eye glowing, but he seems to be unable to use his new attack against the ant. Tess is constantly moving her javelin to attack and defend.
I dash from behind the First One, armor surrounding my body and [Redistribution] activating and trying to slow him. However, the skill slips off of the ant, unable to grasp him at all. [Resonance] doesn't damage him, and the massive amount of mana he is drawing is impossible to disrupt.
Taking a risk, I activate my trait for the first time, an intense pain immediately engulfing my head and eyes, and the overload of information threatening my sanity. An amount of information that seems to be impossible for a human to accept.
A beautiful and impossible number of waves constantly floating around and permeating everything. Small particles fill the atmosphere and every living being. Hearts pumping the mana that flows through our bodies. Connections based on mana. And something more.
I watch as the mana around the First One moves in sharp patterns while the ant seems like a giant bonfire and everyone else is barely a spark.
Sensing it, he turns to me, and that mana coils like a snake and surges against me.
Groaning in pain, I deactivate my trait, unable to handle it any longer. I hold the javelin in front of me. The weapon absorbs mana for a moment, until the blade cracks. Suddenly, the mana explodes into the surroundings, just for an instant. Then, it converges into a single spot, forming a floating pitch-black orb that begins to absorb all the mana close to it.
This forces me to push my body upwards and fly over it to rejoin the fight.
Meanwhile, The First One dashes against the group. He endures a gray arrow several times stronger than the one that hit the Reanimated tree’s barrier. Dashing through it, he redirects small bits of it, forming mana projectiles that take the attacks in his stead. Meanwhile, he regenerates his body as it takes damage.
A shockwave destroys Min-Jae's projectiles and multiple buildings as well. Maya gets thrown away, her body broken and mangled.
Tess's Primordial lightning pierces his body, but the ant regenerates. Tess uses an abyssal anchor which only pulls him for a moment before the ant destroys the epic item with a snap of his mandibles.
A blast of kinetic energy depletes all the energy I was storing and erupts, destroying a few buildings and throwing him to the side. His armor absorbs most of it, and the destroyed parts regenerate. He rushes again, right towards Sophie, who has her hands on the shoulders of the twins.
For a moment, the First One, and all the ants in the city with him stop. Some of them even start attacking each other, and Sophie starts tearing the threads that connect the First One to the rest of the Colony, taking over the network he created.
Another gray arrow splashes against the black ant, and he regenerates, slower this time, still using mana to absorb most of the attack.
Myrra and the lynthari arrive as well, surrounding him with a constant barrage that crashes against his durable body. A strong gravity field pins him to the ground, while flames burn him and ice surrounds his carapace. Myrra launches an attack using projectiles made of a multicolored, glass-like material. Meanwhile, the enforcers begin creating a barrier around the ant, covered in inscriptions, all twelve of them working in unison.
Even through all this, the First One starts moving again, slow step after step on constantly regenerated legs. His mana gradually increases and he pushes against Sophie's [Manipulation].
Two enforcers fall dead, mana projectiles they were unable to stop penetrating their heads.
Biscuit gets thrown away with a shockwave while protecting Isabella.
The ant redirects another gray arrow, his body regenerating faster now, even as Isabella and I maintain a combined assault. The constant blaze of our gold and azure flames melting the buildings around him.
A tricolored orb I shot at him gets absorbed and he shoots it back at us, forcing us to defend against it. I constantly need to redirect the First One’s attacks while keeping up the damage and attempting to cut off the connections.
Eventually, Sophie's skill weakens, and even the twins tumble down.
Our preparations finally complete, my eyes meet Lily's. I move back and reach towards the black orb. Mana starts radiating from my body, and I [Focus], forcing the orb under my will and changing its shape. I feel blood in my mouth and warm mana flowing into me through the crown. I activate the circuits etched into my arm and reach out to grab the black dagger I’ve created from the orb.
All sounds disappear from the area, and I watch my severed right hand fall as if in slow motion. Immediately, I move behind the floating dagger and watch as it absorbs a surge of golden flames directed at me.
Another snap sounds and Hadwin's body is cut at the waist, falling to the ground in two pieces after he shields Sophie and the twins. The ants' attack pierces through Hadwin's shield and sword, then cuts through his armor, yet despite its strength, it is unable to reach the people Hadwin is protecting.
Lily begins to move towards Hadwin, but another snap echoes and she stumbles, with both of her feet severed and Hadwin's head split in half.
I fail to stop these attacks.
Immense mana radiates once again, this time emanating from all the ants surrounding us. It creates a field that makes movement and even breathing nearly impossible, forming an area that encompasses the First One and our group.
The black ant turns and looks towards me and launches another attack that gets absorbed by the black mana dagger between me and the ant. It's not even a serious attack.
The First One snaps again, and multiple enforcers die while trying to protect Myrra.
Still in shock, I stand there, my eyes on Hadwin's body, until the First One tracks where I am looking and a concentrated shockwave erupts from the ant.
Feeling as if my body is about to break, I reach through the domain and stack a number of infused barriers in front of Hadwin. But the ant shatters each and every one of them while still looking at me, and breaking the last one the attack tears Hadwin's body apart.
A memory of his feelings flashes through my mind from the time Isabella made us feel them. His gentle affection for the kids, the hint of sadness behind it all. A man striving to start a new life and bury old memories, slowly beginning to care for kids who bring him immense joy as he watches them enjoy life.
A memory of the two of us fighting, over and over again. Him trying to kill me. Him apologizing. The first floor, the second, even the third. His expression when he got the rare shield he was so happy about.
The world feels as if it slowed down, and I deactivate the hold [Focus] has on me and just use it to manage my skills. I take the crown from my head and throw it to the ground, the sound of it deafening in the silence. That makes the First One tilt his head. Our eyes meet, and I create a hand from mana and touch the black dagger floating in front of me, the inscriptions on my skin activating.
And then I start walking, each step unhurried. My eyes keep staring at the First One while my trait activates once more, a myriad of information and a whole new world opening to me, threatening to overload my brain.
I glance at the black dagger, and the entirety of my mana moves, the dagger dissolving, the blue mana of my conjured hand turning black, and bits of that mana even flowing into my body and through my circuits.
The First One also takes a few steps. Watching him with my trait, the mana around him burning bright like a bonfire.
As we head towards each other, he starts to hesitate, each step becoming slower and more careful.
At some point, he stops, and skills activate around him.
Watching all of it with my new eyes, I cut his skill apart. I disrupt his attempt at teleportation, I destroy the buildup for his shockwave, and a single barrier I create blocks his snapping attack, cracking afterward.
[Redistribution] powered by black mana activates, and the First One freezes on the spot. I reach out to him and lay my hand on his body. I begin to absorb the entirety of the heat he’s generated while my kinetic energy crashes against him, attempting to tear his body apart.
Focusing solely on defense, he continues absorbing vitality from the Colony, and even my attacks are unable to damage him. Feeling the pain scorch my body, I reach out and cut off all of the connections, leaving him isolated.
For the first time in his entire life, the ant loses the connection he bears to the other ants, yet he still faces me proudly, his eyes staring into mine while his body freezes all over and pieces of him explode.
Then I stagger, my trait deactivates, and all the information disappears. The black mana inside of my body immediately threatening to kill me. Quickly I force it into a black orb outside of my body, ready to use it on the ant.
The First One starts thawing, and the connections quickly reappear, like a phoenix rising. The ant is restoring all his wounds, and all that strength starts running through his body again.
Then, he attempts to flee, dragging his damaged body away from the black orb.
My eyes activate again for a split second, and turning the orb into a dagger, I stab the black mana into the First One, targeting the place he was protecting the most during the fight. With a [Tether], I connect the black dagger to his body, and when the First One disappears, it teleports with him.
Strength leaves my body, and my eyes deactivate again. For the first time since the start of the floor, there isn’t even a drop of mana left in my body, nor in the reservoir. The strengthening is gone, making my body extremely weak in comparison to everyone around me, yet I still push myself back on my legs and walk towards the others.
Sophie has an unbelieving look in her eyes as she holds Izzy against her chest and stares down at what remains of Hadwin.
Tess is trying to pull away Lily, who constantly keeps trying to reconnect the pieces.
Min-Jae starts crying while standing near the twins, who are both unconscious.
Looking to the side, I see a wounded Biscuit coming closer. There are multiple big wounds on his body, and one of his legs seems to be broken, yet he still is pulling Maya behind him as gently as he can. The woman seems to be on the brink of death, her chest caved in, bloody foam around her mouth.
“Lily,” I say, almost scared of my own voice. It's calm, and quiet, yet audible, even through all of the fire and screams around us.
Lily looks up at me from the ground, her eyes full of tears and blood on her. Pieces of her missing, used for [Sacrifice].
“Heal Maya,” I tell her.
For the first time, I can see anger in her eyes directed towards me. “How can you…” she shouts, close to screaming.
“Maya will die,” I interrupt her and return her gaze.
The words stick in her mouth, and her eyes shake while she looks at Maya. Tess whispers something in her ear and hugs her. Sobbing, Lily finally moves and starts healing Maya. She closes Maya’s wounds, causing her breathing to return to normal, and even Maya’s face starts looking better.
Only then does Lily stand up, moving towards me, putting her hand on my shoulder. “How can you be like this!” she shouts at me. “Hadwin… Hadwin is!”
My shoulder breaks and my body is easily moved by her. There is barely any mana in me and everything I have immediately gets turned into thermal energy to support my healing. Lily notices and immediately lets go of me, her face scared, and her expression changes as she looks at me.
She touches me again, this time extremely carefully, and sends her mana through my body, examining it. Her expression grows terrified, and I return her gaze as she starts healing me.
No one else says anything and the only sound to be heard is little Isabella sobbing, surrounded by all the destruction.
Checking the Community the number of people in Hell difficulty is one less.
