Story Reader / Main Story / 23 Wintry Shackles / Story
Endless infected test subjects swarm out from all directions. Two of them, surrounded in the center, look like waves in a black ocean.
Alpha cuts a test subject in half with her dagger, then spins her hilt in a crescent to knock away another enemy approaching from her back.
The test subject is thrown into the air and frozen by a chilling tornado. It falls to the ground and shatters.
As Lucia pulls back her thruster to block a frontal attack, one test subject crawls to the ceiling and descends upon her.
Lucia senses the danger and wants to move to the side, but another test subject grabs her blade.
She is halted for a split second, but the falling attack is imminent. A thunderous clap strikes over her head, leaving behind the pungent odor of ozone.
As the threat above her disappears, Lucia slashes apart the test subject grabbing her weapon and falls back.
She leans on Alpha's back.
Seeing their retreat, the test subjects halt their attack, as if they are thinking of a solution.
How are you?
So far so good.
Although their actions are still swift, both of them have an imperceptible fatigue in their tone.
While facing enemies from all directions, they still have to focus more on suppressing the noises in their M.I.N.D.
The test subjects seem to have noticed their exhaustion. They begin to swarm over again after staring at them for only a brief moment.
One side each.
Alright.
Lucia's thruster deflects the attack of several Corrupted like a shield. A crimson katana then cuts them in half.
Lightning dances on the test subjects' dark bodies, stunning them briefly. Within the next instant, a blade swipes over and destroys their central system with precision.
The light of the two blades mirrors each other, forming a perfect circle.
Wave after wave, dark tides charge at them, only to be reduced into foam, unable to shake the rock at the center.
Still, the rock is gradually collapsing inside.
...
...
They do not need to ask to sense each other's condition.
The seemingly endless battle is wearing them down. The screeching noise deep in their M.I.N.D. is getting increasingly clear, to the point that their actions are being hampered.
After defeating another wave of attack...
Alpha!
Ready.
One short sentence is enough for them to understand each other's intentions.
Their tactics were already incredibly similar to begin with. The brief cooperation has created an impressive level of synergy.
—That they will give up the passive defense and eliminate all the enemies with one charged-up strike.
Lightning strikes a large area near them, creating a short window for Lucia.
The airflow from the thruster's tail is sending the hem of the duo's outfit flying. Holding tight onto the thruster, Lucia rises to midair.
Meanwhile, Alpha puts her blade back into the sheath and steps on the katana that Lucia had stuck into the ground. With a strong push, she has reached the same height.
Charged to the limit, Lucia hurls a frost attack toward the ground, freezing all the test subjects below.
The indicators on Alpha's blade sheath light up one after another. As she draws the blade at an imperceptible speed, everyone is blinded by the dazzling lightning.
When two of them fall to the ground, their vision has been restored.
The ground around them is full of scorched black marks from the lightning strikes. All the test subjects lie on the ground lifelessly, becoming part of the scorched earth.
Lucia pulls her katana out from the ground, trying to calm her simulated breathing.
Alpha also sheathes her blade after confirming there are no enemies in sight.
Let's get out first...
Before Alpha could finish, they heard a horrifying noise underneath the trembling ground.
The feeling of weightlessness soon arrives. The ground was already on the brink of collapse. Their charged-up attack became the final straw.
(This depth is abnormal...)
The depth below is a lot greater than the room's height. Even Constructs have a high chance of injury if they fall directly to the bottom.
Even if they are lucky to land unscathed, they still need to watch out for falling rocks.
As Alpha searches around for stepping places, she suddenly feels a drop in the nearby temperature. A hand reaches out to her.
Over here.
The thruster can hardly carry two Constructs. Lucia freezes the falling rocks and barely connects them into a track.
Following Lucia, Alpha also steps onto the icy track. She deflects the incoming rocks with her hilt as Lucia continues to make the track.
Soon, they can feel solid ground under their feet.
Lucia's thruster is already covered in frost. She puts it away and inspects the unfamiliar environment.
I can't find this basement in the previous records.
There's only one possibility then...
This place is a secret even to Kurono's own staff.
Luna was here before she was transferred.
