CHAPTER 1016: BACK TO THE SURFACE

As the ground gave way, a thought formed in Cain’s mind;

’How do I explain the existence of these guys to everyone else?’

The thought existed for just a moment before he shrugged...

’I’ll figure it out, I guess.’

***

The spirits of the earth seemed to be displeased today.

After the initial rumble, the earthquakes and shaking had not stopped. At some point, it had gotten so bad, Alvi had ordered they moved some of the equipment to prevent further damage.

Looking down at the abandoned mining area from a stone ledge, Alvi’s expression was not the best.

More than a few of his sandworms were already dead due to the earlier tremors and with the way it seemed, they weren’t going to end any time soon.

He grit his teeth, ’Cain! What the hell are you doing down there?!’

He knew with absolute certainty that Cain was at the root cause of this disaster.

Bard, his hair in complete disarray ran up to him, panting heavily,

"Boss! T-there’s something headed towards the surface! It’s coming right for us!"

Alvi’s eyes narrowed,

’Could it be...’

Bard continued frantically,

"I’ve given the hunters a heads up, but just to be safe, I’ve given out the order to everyone else to retreat to safety."

Alvi’s gaze stayed fixed on the trembling ground below, the vibrations now strong enough for him to feel the rattling in his teeth. His face tightened into a grimace.

’Damn it!’

All around him, he could already see multiple hunters fully dressed in their armors, their keen eyes narrowed and their weapons pointed towards the mining area.

Some stood further away. However, this was not out of fear. Rather, it was because they were positioning to shoot their bullets and arrows, or to cast their spells better.

It was already too late for him to call off the alert.

Right now the tension was high and the hunters he had hired were ready to blast whatever was coming out of the ground right back to the depths of Hell.

He sighed internally,

’Cain, I hope you can endure the initial salvo.’

"Too late for retreat," he muttered under his breath.

There was also a part of him that was a bit curious.

On the off chance it was not Cain coming for them, then it would be good that they were prepared.

However, if it was Cain...

He wanted to see if Cain truly could endure the attacks of over a hundred Tier 2 grade Hunters all at once.

Bard swallowed hard. "You... What about that man, Cain. He’s still down there. Do you think he’ll be able to survive it the mine is destroyed? Surely not."

Alvi’s eyes narrowed as he shrugged,

’i have no idea if he’ll survive or not."

Bard’s jaw went slack,

"But—"

Alvi cut him off,

"If he can’t survive this much, perhaps it is his fate that he dies today."

Bard’s eyes widened with shock. He almost couldn’t believe the Boss could be so cold.

Especially towards someone he seemed so warm with earlier.

A shiver ran down his spine as he couldn’t help but see him in a much different light.

Alvi sighed,

"Although I think he’ll probably be alright."

Bard grimaced, "You think so?"

Alvi nodded, "Of course I do. What enchanted iron does a person have to be made of to not only survive, but also wipe a Tier 3 Devil off the face of the world?"

The question has barely hung in the air for a heartbeat when the earth split open with a sound like tearing metal.

A surge of dust and debris erupted skyward, blotting out the very weak daylight as something massive pushed through and out.

From it, something wriggled its way forth.

The faces of everyone around paled.

It wasn’t just the size that froze Alvi where he stood. It was the sheer wrongness of its dimensions. One that seemed rather familiar for some reason...

The surface rippled around the creature’s emergence, as though the very soil was being consumed by its flesh.

Through the haze, a gleam of violet chitin broke into view. Segments of slick, pulsating flesh writhed and shifted, carrying jagged crystalline growths that looked as though they’d been mined from the very heart of the world itself.

And then the sound came— A low, resonant moan, like the call of a creature from the deepest trenches of the dark ocean.

So deep was the sound, it seemed to crawl through the chest and coil around the spine, tightening and suffocating the hearer.

Bard stumbled back, his body trembling and face whiter that a sheet,

"That... good gods, what is that?!"

Alvi’s jaw tightened as he also took a step back in horror.

Then his eyes narrowed as he noticed something,

From the creature’s crown, a familiar silhouette stood tall, unshaken by the ambient chaos.

’Cain...’

Alvi knew he was right. But he was still shocked. So much, he began to question if what he was seeing was real.

To crown it all off, he could see that behind Cain, several squat, armed figures clinging to the beast’s back like it was the most natural thing in the world also sat.

Still it was no time to be staring blankly into space.

Unlike him, all the Hunters could see, was that an enormous abomination had broken forth from the depths of Urbus.

And so, they did the one thing they were paid to do;

Protect the miners.

And kill or capture any beasts that showed itself.

A large framed hunter dressed in stylish crimson leather armor hefted a large war axe as he let out a loud roar and rushed down

Simultaneously, the sky darkened again for the second time as it was blotted out by arrows, mana powered bullets, as well as both projectile and area of effect spells of all manner and elemental affinity.

It was like doomsday all over again.

Bard’s face paled as he turned to Alvi,

"Boss, isn’t this too much?!"

Before Alvi could say anything, something incredible happened.