Chapter 431
—Grrrrrrrrrrr…
A colossal giant, completely cloaked in lava, emerged before Davey. Its height alone seemed to exceed twenty meters.
This location was originally the site of a dormant volcano. However, due to the tumor that Sleesia had planted, which had extended its roots deep into the ground, the once dormant volcanic area had been triggered, transforming into this hellish landscape. But that wasn't all. The place was also infested with monsters that had emerged from the Abyss. These creatures had been left here to guard the tumor.
Most of these Abyss-born creatures stationed here were quite young. Along with Davey's significantly enhanced powers, he managed to subdue them without resorting to Taboo's Karma.
"Is smearing lava all over your body the secret to achieving more beautiful skin?"
Boom!!!
Davey extended his hand and flicked his fingers. Despite its seemingly feeble appearance, the attack carried enough force to decapitate the monster.
Stepping onto the colossal creature's body, which crumpled to the ground after losing its head, Davey muttered, "There's nothing to salvage here."
During his skirmishes with the First Lich Nyx and the battles against the vampire forces, Davey had managed to extract fragments from the tentacled entities he encountered. These fragments had proven useful on various occasions.
However, as Davey scavenged through the remains of these foes, he found no traces of such fragments. It was possible that, much like the Observer had mentioned, these creatures were essentially newborns. Perhaps the fragments had yet to manifest due to their limited power and the nascent Abyssal influence within their bodies.
[Why in the world did she plant a tumor like that in this land?]
Conversely, the implanted tumors exhibited remarkable durability. Without the aid of Red Ribbon, Davey would undoubtedly have encountered considerable difficulty contending with them.
In the brief period since he commenced this task, Davey had managed to obliterate numerous tumors. As he gazed upon the ground they were gradually polluting and corroding, he fell into contemplation.
‘Don’t tell me… Is there an oil field down there?’
Otherwise, Sleesia's placement of numerous tumors in the area wouldn't hold any logical significance. Given the uncertainty surrounding their purpose, their only recourse was to haphazardly extract the tumors.
[This is the final one. Eliminate this, and it's done.]
Davey silently acknowledged the Observer's statement. His gaze remained fixed on the repugnant mass of flesh, pulsating akin to a beating heart. Without a moment's hesitation, he unsheathed Red Ribbon.
Boom!!!
However, before he could make the incision, a blue swordlight materialized, intercepting Red Ribbon's path and launching an attack at Davey. Swiftly evading the precise counter-strike, Davey took a step back and directed his frown toward the entity responsible for the assault.
"There seems to be more of them, huh?" Davey remarked.
The being obstructing Davey was a knight adorned in armor forged from vibrant red lava, clutching a sword crafted from the same molten material that had thwarted Davey's attempt to slice through the tumor.
[You cannot... pass...]
The voice reverberated through Davey's consciousness, eliciting a widening of his eyes. "This entity appears capable of communication?"
[Indeed, it appears so. Instead of resorting to lethal measures, we should overpower them to discern their intent.]
Naturally, creatures hailing from the Abyss were hardly obliging when it came to providing answers. They often alluded to their unity and omnipresence, possessing a collective consciousness. Davey hypothesized that this mechanism sustained the Abyssal monsters.
[Establishing communication would be a significant achievement.]
"Very well, let's make it a reality," Davey affirmed, as he delved his hand into his Pocket Plane.
[What... What is that?]
The entity's inquiry echoed with curiosity.
“This is Conversation Number 1.”
Whiiiir, whiiiiir… whiiiiiiiiiiiiir!!!
In response to Davey's utterance, a colossal saw blade roared to life, its rapid rotation generating a fierce whirl. When confronted with beings disinclined to engage in dialogue, nothing quite ignited a conversation like a chainsaw!
The Observer's voice resonated, a mixture of fear and disbelief apparent as it beheld the chainsaw blade's aggressive spin, as if heralding its presence.
[What a savage weapon...]
"Allow me to enlighten you—it's incredibly effective," Davey declared, grasping the chainsaw in one hand.
He enrobed its blades with a delicate veneer of mana, shielding them from the lava's melting heat. With the weapon prepared, he fixed his gaze upon the knight obstructing his path. A fleeting notion crossed his mind, suggesting the knight had flinched ever so slightly.
"Heh," Davey smirked maliciously, posing a question, "Did you just experience a touch of fear?"
The knight remained mute in the face of Davey's inquiry. Refusing to respond, was it? In that case, Davey seemed left with no alternative but to coerce the knight into addressing his own queries, didn't he?
‘He has to do something about the lava’s temperature before getting any closer.’
Such an assumption would be natural for an observer witnessing Davey's movements. However, Davey's physical constitution had been transformed to such an extent that the searing heat of lava posed no hindrance.
Undeterred, Davey advanced confidently, seizing the knight's form with his unshielded hands and forcefully toppling him. He even employed his bare left hand to deflect the ethereal blade's assault, the very blade that enveloped the lava sword in an attempt to decapitate him.
An enigmatic spectacle unfolded—a testament to Davey's corporeal form, seemingly impervious and invincible. The aura blade rebounded off his wrist without etching the faintest scar.
"Ah, well, words need not be exchanged," Davey mused. His tone was laced with amusement as he proposed, "Why not indulge in a bit of entertainment, shall we?"
Whiir!!! Whiiiiiiiiiiiiir!!!
The armored knight's black eyes trembled intensely upon witnessing Conversation Number 1 reappear within Davey's grasp. The weapon whirled with even greater ferocity than before.
[We… are… one…]
“I already know that you are all united.”
[…Overmind’s Will.]
“Explain it in a way that we can understand easily!”
Whiiiir! Baaaang!!!
The knight fought against Davey's superior strength, but he proved no match, his resistance futile. He could only quiver helplessly as Davey's chainsaw sliced off one of his arms.
This severed appendage represented the last vestige of Sleesia's presence in this place. Were it not for this, Davey would have already obliterated the knight.
"Why did Sleesia dispatch you to this location?" Davey inquired, his question directed at the knight.
However, the knight remained obstinately silent, refusing to provide Davey with an answer.
Baaaaaang!!!
This time, it was his leg that was severed and sent flying.
"I shall proceed to methodically grind away, systematically detaching each of your toes," Davey proclaimed, his threat delivered with chilling composure.
Perhaps the knight's silence stemmed from the notion that death was beyond him? Or perhaps not? In any case, his resolve wavered anew as he bore witness to Davey's malevolent grin, despite having yet to utter a single word.
"Easy now, there's no need to fear," Davey soothed in a gentle, velvety tone, his smile unwavering. Strangely, these words only intensified the knight's trembling, rather than allaying it.
Whiiiiiiiiir!!!
As the chainsaw roared back to life, poised to sever yet another of the knight's body parts, anguished screams erupted from his lips.
[Graaaaaaaaaaa! Keuhaaaaaaaack!!!] The knight screamed desperately as he spouted weird nonsense. [Smokescreen! E-Encroach! F-Food!]
Davey struggled to comprehend the frantic, Abyss-born knight's incoherent screams. Perched atop the knight, he maintained a furrowed brow in response to the outpouring of words. Suddenly, an alteration in the knight's aura forced Davey to propel himself backward.
Simultaneously, the knight's convulsions ceased as he laboriously regained his footing. An array of colossal tentacles sinuously emerged through the gaps in his armor, causing his form to expand further.
"Well, well, how did you manage to uncover this hiding spot?"
A familiar voice resonated: the unmistakable voice of Sleesia.
Davey's gaze remained fixed upon the nearly mangled figure of the knight as he inquired, "Could I not? Frankly, your ability to wrap things up and conceal your tracks seems rather lacking. You've quite openly marked this territory, haven't you?"
"Such vulgarity for a mere insect," Sleesia chimed, her tone carrying an air of amusement, like that of a playful child.
While she inhabited another's body, her thoughts remained under her control. "To be honest, I never anticipated you'd locate the implanted tumor. Your actions have forced me to return briefly. Nevertheless, this turn of events may prove intriguing."
A sinister chuckle emanated from Sleesia, her eerie voice resounding, "Impressive, truly. Your ability to resist has surpassed my expectations. Yet, let's not forget your inherent weakness as a mere entity."
“…”
With a boisterous cackle, Sleesia addressed Davey, "Indeed, considering the circumstances, I shall offer you a reward: a piece of information."
"Who are you, really?" Davey's utmost curiosity revolved around this question.
He yearned to discern the identity and nature of the Abyssal princesses. Sleesia cast an intrigued gaze upon Davey, her expression steeped in contemplation.
"I understand. Comprehending our existence might prove a challenge for beings like you, insects," Sleesia retorted, her tone laced with provocation.
"Cease your provocations. I shall ascertain that for myself," Davey asserted.
He was conscious that while he could end her life with a mere gesture, her cooperation was vital to extract the information he sought. Unexpectedly, the ensuing revelation proved far more astonishing than he had anticipated.
"Well, I was planning on eliminating you regardless. Making the journey there would have been a waste. Nevertheless, it matters little. You are destined to perish."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"Do you not grasp the identity of the knight before you? If you did, your demeanor wouldn't be so nonchalant. Ah, yes! Given your impending demise, as a parting gesture, I'll grant you answers. After all, I find myself rather bored."
The tumors she had distributed throughout the area, as Davey had suspected, acted as markers signifying Sleesia's dominion. However, what she divulged next proved even more astonishing.
The Abyss indiscriminately sought out and consumed worlds, a means of nurturing their dominion. However, the entity wielding the power to influence alternate dimensions was none other than Sleesia herself.
Upon infiltrating a new world, she would gradually insinuate her presence, generating weak conduits like the tumors present now. These passages acted as feeble connections between the world and the Abyss. Once the Abyss took notice of the target realm, they would dispatch their bred creatures through these channels to assail it.
Tionis, Lux, Yurgian, Berdel, Earth, and countless other worlds bore Sleesia's territorial imprints, each a conduit for Abyssal creatures to traverse.
"So..." Davey murmured as his gaze settled upon th
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