CHAPTER 486: EASTERN AUSTRALIA

With Faith’s guiding, they traveled over three thousand kilometers, since the village was on the opposite side of Australia, near the east coast’s northern part.

The red sand and empty plains became their persistent company as they flew high above the surface. Along the way, they found many monsters, and to their utter dismay, more anthills.

They even saw the ants in action as they climbed onto as especially gigantic, snake-like monster. The soldier ants killed the snake with few casualties, while the workers methodically dismantled the beast.

From the safety of the air, Sera and Bea watched as the snake’s body disappeared in a few minutes. The ants took it apart and away back to their hill, leaving nothing but bones behind.

Sera had to respect them for their efficiency, yet she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the snake. Nobody deserved to be dissected so thoroughly right after dying. It made Sera sick imagining herself in the snake’s place.

Their journey eastward was uninterrupted. They encountered a few flying monsters, but Sera just spread her pristine white wings and opened the yellow eyes between the feathers. A wave of fear was enough to deter anyone from approaching.

Along the way, Sera kept consulting their progression on the watch’s map. The eastern coast wasn’t only empty plains of dry grass and red sand. It had actual greenery, judging by the map at least. However, they saw an apparent change only after traveling three thousand kilometers.

Trees became more frequent, trickling rivers and long lakes appeared, the grass and bush coverage became more lively, and with the betterment of the foliage, the animal count also increased... Sadly, the monster count also grew larger...

The coast was still five hundred kilometers away when they needed to change directions. On the far horizon, flying in their general direction, Sera saw a terrifying Abomination.

Two pairs of enormous insect-like wings kept its long body afloat. Hundreds of powerful limbs moved in a disgusting, jittering motion. Multiple long stingers carried dead monsters through the air, and every few seconds, it raised one to its mouth, taking a large bite with its massive maw.

Its giant mandibles clicked loudly with joy, same for the few dozen claws growing all over its enormous body. The black chitinous exoskeleton reflected the sunlight, which approached the western horizon.

Even from afar, Sera felt the danger emanating from the beast. They changed directions fast before the Abomination could see them. Hippogryphs flew much faster than the flying scorpion, but the beast could track them towards the village, which would endanger a lot of innocent people.

They flew southward for ten minutes, then tried to loop back around. However, another obstacle blocked their path. From the west, a giant locust swarm approached, so they needed to go further east and south.

Their progress significantly slowed as more strange monsters kept interrupting their peaceful journey. The sun was touching the horizon, plunging the world into red and purple hues.

With each passing minute, controlling the bloodlust became more difficult, yet Sera persisted. Her heart beat faster, sweat beads covered her forehead, and her breathing became erratic.

Sometimes small growls escaped her closed lips, while she squeezed her hands until her nails pierced the palms. Sera’s trickling blood glinted in the sun’s beautiful glow. Her golden-green eyes stared towards the horizon, the veins becoming more prominent, but they weren’t fully bloodshot yet.

She might last another hour, but the loss of control remained inevitable. Luckily, as the sun approached the horizon, they arrived at their destination.

Hidden in a large forest, Sera spotted the monument Faith told them about. A tall rock rising just a few meters above the trees. The entrance was right below it.

The hippogryphs circled around the rock for a few minutes, while Bea tried sensing any living being nearby. However, something blocked her nature sense below the surface. She only sensed the tall trees, the foliage below and the animals hiding in the shadows.

With the scouting attempt failed, the hippogryphs settled atop the rock, where both women dismounted. They weren’t certain what to expect, and they also feared attracting the attention of some monsters.

On the way here, they spotted quite a lot of cobwebbed areas, where giant spiders lived. It was strange how this rock and surrounding forest seemed clear of the pesky creatures. They still didn’t feel safe, but at least they didn’t sense immediate danger.

For safety, Sera summoned full armor made of Angelic Metal. She tweaked the material disposition, making it really hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. This way, it couldn’t be pierced, while it can absorb blunt forces too.

She also made sure the material stayed resistant to any elemental forces, like lightning, fire, acid, etc. Overall, the design was impressive but not perfect. There was a lot more to learn before she could create something truly amazing.

Bea just made her skin harder, more tree-like. It increased her greenish glow, and each slight movement seemed to cause a creaking noise.

Sera looked her up and down, her lips twisting into a grin, while her body shook from trying to hold back her laughter...

"Don’t you dare say anything!" Said Bea, with a grumpy expression. She really hated how she looked in this state, but safety took priority.

"I didn’t say anything! You look beautiful..." Sera began giggling and, between snuffed-out laughs, she whispered... "Like a well-dressed doll!"

Bea growled in annoyance, while Sera burst into laughter. However, the magnificent woman didn’t let the Angel beat her in any spar, even a spar of words.

Her eyes moved along Sera’s armor as a smile grew on her face. She flicked the metal, causing a sharp clinking noise to echo around them.

"Well, at least I don’t look like a child cosplaying as a knight!" Said Bea with a light chuckle, then took a step closer and whispered into Sera’s ear. "By the way, you forgot the knees on your armor!"

Sera glanced at Bea with confusion, but as the magnificent woman’s hand touched her breastplate, her golden-green eyes went wide. With a light push, the Angel tumbled backward. Her legging armor couldn’t bend at the knee, so her attempt at stabilizing failed miserably.

While for Sera the armor wasn’t heavy, in reality she weighed a few hundred kilograms. Bea and Sera both chuckled as she fell on the rock, but soon their expressions turned confused as a loud crack echoed through the rock.

They were near the edge of the cliff face. After the first crack, the next soon followed, and the rock became tilted. Pebbles and smaller boulders fell away as both women’s eyes met.

"Well, shit..." They said simultaneously as the rock continued to tilt and, a moment later, they began falling through open air.

Branches passed them by fast, but they were too far to grab onto anything. The rock’s top barely reached a hundred meters, so their fall only lasted a few seconds.

Sera hit the ground first, her armor clanking loudly, as the wind got knocked out of her chest. A moment later, Bea arrived as well, right on Sera’s back, knocking her air out again. A second later, the large boulder, which they stood on, landed right on Bea.

A loud groan escaped their lips, but their journey wasn’t over yet. Luck seemed to despise both women, since they landed on a wide slope, leading below the giant rock. A cave entrance!

"Fuck, not again!" They said, as the small pebbles made them tumble further down deep into the cavern.

They were both Transcended with the ability to either fly or turn into a plant, yet all thoughts escaped their heads as they continued tumbling. They both felt helpless as they rolled deeper and deeper.

The large boulder couldn’t fit inside the cave, but many smaller ones happily followed them inside. They continued hitting either the boulders or the cave walls, floor, and sometimes the ceiling.

After about ten seconds of continuous rolling, they both began laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. A few groans and coughs mixed into their laughter as the rolling created an enormous dust cloud.

They continued falling for another twenty seconds. The walls and floor felt sticky, and the smaller pebbles settled along the way. Sera and Bea only stopped right at the bottom, same as the boulders, which covered their bodies.

The rocks buried them, yet their chuckling stayed persistent. The light laughter echoed around the cavern as the dust cloud began settling. A few moments later, they could finally open their eyes.

The first thing both women gazed upon was each other’s faces. Sera fell on her back, while Bea landed on her belly, right above the Angel. Only a few centimeters separated their dust-covered faces, leaving them in an awkward position.

Both their heartbeats increased, from the closeness of their bodies and faces. The golden-green eyes gazed up into Bea’s greenish-gold ones. Their lips kept opening and closing as the air between them mixed and warmed up.

A small blush grew on both women’s faces, yet they didn’t move away. Sera’s eyes kept jumping between Bea’s beautiful face and her tasty-looking lips. Unconsciously, she leaned her head closer, and Bea did the same.

Their breathing quickened as their lips came closer and closer to meeting. However, when only a few millimeters separated them, a powerful, demanding, monstrous voice echoed through the cavern.

"Who are you? What’s your purpose here?"

Slowly, both women moved their heads towards the voice. The dust fully settled moments later, revealing an unexpected sight. The tender moment made both women forget what was below the rock they landed on...

"Well, I guess we found the village..." Whispered Sera, as they gazed upon the giant spiders crawling all over the cave walls and ceiling.