Abyss Mirror (1)
“Got a good idea?”
“Yes.”
Wispent regarded us with careful eyes at my words.
“The key issue right now is how to minimize the risks while luring the legion commanders together and deploying the Dimension's Noose.”
“Exactly.”
She'd nailed the core of it.
I nodded, and Wispent continued in a more confident tone.
“Using my Farsight, I've confirmed a large reservoir along their retreat path.”
Farsight.
True to her prowess as an archer, she wielded one of the top-tier vision skills.
She'd even scouted the insect legion's retreat route with it in the meantime.
Wispent had always struck me as incredibly meticulous.
“She's probably talking about the Abyss Mirror.”
I had a good idea which reservoir she meant.
Archeron had passed it several times on our way to the eastern forest—a massive body of water known as the Abyss Mirror.
The path beside it is pretty narrow.
That thought led me straight to her plan.
“You want to ambush them there?”
“Yes, exactly.”
She flashed a bright smile and pressed on.
“With Lulumiel's power, we can conceal our presence for the ambush. They're already dispersed to counter our dimensional gate guerrilla strikes. If we hit the vanguard, we could wipe them out with the Dimension's Noose.”
She'd crystallized the inspiration flickering in my mind.
“Sounds good.”
“Not bad at all.”
『It really looks like a high chance of success!』
The other guardians chimed in with approval.
“If it works, Azkai can form a lava zone right away to secure our escape route?”
“Yes! Exactly.”
Wispent nodded with a short gasp of admiration.
Lately, I'd been anticipating her thoughts, and her gaze toward me deepened with respect.
“Alright. Then we move first. Let's head out now!”
““Yes!””
And so, we raced toward the Abyss Mirror reservoir at full speed.
Abyss Mirror.
This was an incredibly mysterious reservoir.
Why?
Despite being a reservoir, its depths were unfathomable, earning it the prefix "abyss."
Burrrrble!
That made it home to all sorts of monsters.
Nagas, abyss eels, ghost jellyfish, blood crabs, shadow water serpents, thorn sharks, mist wraiths—even krakens.
With ocean monsters thriving here, some wondered if it connected to the sea somewhere.
Burrrrble!
A massive black-scaled fish had just appeared: Charybdis.
A deep-sea monster rarely seen even in oceans, yet here it swam freely in the Abyss Mirror.
Fwoooosh!
As it crossed the reservoir, countless monsters fled in terror.
It was one of the reservoir's top predators, powerful enough to flex its might.
Especially notable was its enormous size.
Rivaling a kraken in bulk.
Grrrrumble!
A colossal silhouette rippled behind it.
“······!”
An entity so vast that the huge Charybdis looked like a pea beside it.
Charybdis felt chills rack its body and bolted on the spot.
Grrrrumble!
The massive form kept moving long after.
It resembled a gigantic serpent incarnate.
Burrrrble!!
Endless bubbles from its movements rose to the surface.
A little earlier.
A tiny moth fluttered before Karmarks as his forces advanced relentlessly toward the Dragon's Lair.
Zzzzzing!
It bore Vermith's message.
- Karmarks. Turn the entire army around immediately. No delays.
“······!”
Karmarks's face hardened.
Why? Why now?
Questions swirled in his mind.
But Vermith's orders were absolute.
No refusal. No questions.
If we go back like this...
He clenched his fist.
Memories of the legion's losses flashed by.
Fourth Legion Commander, Queen Hornet Vestiger, and her entire command staff—dead.
Over 80% of the Fourth Legion wiped out.
Catastrophic damage.
And Zephyrus's fate unknown.
Already two commanders lost.
And those guerrilla strikes via dimensional gates over the past week?
They'd cost the legion over 30% of its forces.
Returning empty-handed?
He'd lose his position as First Legion Commander—or worse, get devoured by Vermith.
Crunch.
If only I'd sliced that bastard...
Beyond the dimensional gate.
A familiar silhouette among the beasts he'd glimpsed.
The one that mocked him and vanished.
A small black golem.
It all started with that thing.
The unraveling of everything.
A weakling with no real power...
That made it the most infuriating.
When they'd met.
It was leagues below him.
Not even ant food, in crude terms.
Being toyed with by such trash fueled his rage.
I won't back down like this.
Karmarks ground his teeth.
The legion would retreat as ordered.
And then.
He'd survive, return, and devour that thing for sure.
A massive grudge bloomed in Karmarks's chest.
That same time.
“This spot looks good.”
“Perfect.”
『I'll get ready right away!』
We'd circled ahead of the insect main force and taken position by the Abyss Mirror reservoir.
Burrrrble!
Pristine white bubbles rose frequently from the water.
I'd seen them bubble occasionally before, but they seemed more intense now.
As that brief thought crossed my mind, Lulumiel finished her preparations.
『Veil of Illusions!』
Her wings glowed with rainbow light, particles scattering everywhere.
Shiiiine!
The airborne particles caught the reflections from the reservoir's surface, creating a dreamlike forest scene.
“Wow...”
Even the usually stoic Wispent murmured in awe—it said it all.
Shaaaa!
The Veil of Illusions complete, a thin barrier separated us from the outside.
To any onlookers, it'd look like a natural path—no hint of anything amiss.
Lulumiel's level jumped a lot this week, so it'll be even harder to detect now.
We'd leveled up explosively over the past week.
I'd hit Lv190, closing in on 200 like I had yesterday.
200 had been the initial goal, but it was already in sight.
The faster leveling came from my heightened combat contributions via Dragon Words.
If we'd wiped that legion?
We might've hit 300.
A bit disappointing... but opportunities aren't gone forever.
If we took out more commanders than expected this time?
The headless legion would scatter like chaff.
Then we could chase and hunt the stragglers.
Still, best not to get hopes up—this was the ideal scenario.
At least nail those commanders for sure.
It'd net us a ton of Star Gems.
My goal: at least 6 stars this time.
And,
The guardians could fill some stars too.
I checked their levels and stars.
Lulumiel first.
Already nearing 400.
One more Star Gem for 7 stars—post-battle, we'd get her there.
Our top fighter: Azkai.
Lv421 already.
Eight stars gleaming proudly.
That was the source of our confidence ambushing here.
His destructive power surged after becoming the Transcendent Lava.
Zephyrus at Lv477.
Its legs melted just brushing his lava.
Proof of his 8-star might.
Without that stag beetle king matching him, Azkai might've soloed the enemy ranks.
Gotta max stars and push him to 9.
Beside him stood Wispent, her striking looks and figure on display.
Her historic Lv419.
Not quite Azkai's level, but immense power nonetheless.
She'd shown the same majesty as Azkai not long ago.
Next, Crimson.
Lv414.
He'd shone brighter than expected.
Beyond dimensional gates, his blood abilities were potent.
If Crimson hits 7 or even 8 stars, he'll be monstrous.
Hard to imagine from that greasy face, but his skills were worth applauding.
Transcendence might let him open a portal to Earth.
A gut feeling.
Absurd, but my instincts hadn't failed yet—maybe Earth lay through him.
Finally, our Archeron.
With us from the start—lots of affection there.
Lv356 already, pushing toward 400.
More stars would be great.
As I thought that, eyeing him.
“They're coming.”
The insect horde entered the reservoir pass in the distance.
“Everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
The initial strike: Archeron and Wispent.
They'd sow chaos.
Then Crimson closes with Dimension's Noose on the commanders.
Just execute without mistakes, as planned...
That was when.
『Keron.』
Zing.
Flames of fury rose in Archeron's eyes.
Huh?
I recognized it—Archeron rarely showed emotion like this.
What's wrong?
Following his gaze.
At the horde's vanguard.
The mantis commander, Karmarks.
The one who'd nearly shattered Archeron.
Seeing him stirred old memories—Archeron's eyes boiled with fighting spirit.
Coincidentally.
Both at Lv356.
Whoa.
What a coincidence.
Archeron has met the conditions for Potential Breakthrough.
Defeat Mantis King Karmarks with Archeron alone.
A sudden system message.
Hold on.
Wasn't this the Potential Sublimation path I'd chosen before?
In that case...
Time for a slight strategy tweak.
I eyed the approaching horde, eyes gleaming.