syringe

479. Cer VS Fractured Raoul

Cer was far from having a stable state of mind. The confrontation of being met with someone that made up for more than half of her thoughts caused her to instinctively freeze. Turmoil brewed from the well of her heart as a rising rage formed a lump in her throat.

To see Raoul puppeted like that caused all facets of rationality to shut down.

Electricity vented past her clenched teeth like the breath of a dragon.

“Terrified?” Terrent, the Disciple of Nilhim, humored at the...

478. The Disciple of Nilhim

The door etched into the side of the tree took Alice back into the well. Where it was firstly a place of terror, she found comfort in its confined walls. The door disappeared as soon as all four entered.

The shelves were messy now. The jar of marmalade had an eyeball inside of it. Alice’s illusions were waning now, and she saw the world for what it was. Her body seized like last time, but she didn’t curl up into a ball and weep.

“… this place was my father’s house.” Al...

477. Perpetual Tea Time

Revy was shocked. Nav was not able to communicate with her, so who did this prompt belong to? It was the first time she had seen such a thing as well.

Cold knives ran along her back as she heeded the warning, noticing that some of the figures looked awfully familiar to her.

“That looks like the mister Beholder Carpalis always speaks to.” She pointed her nose at a faceless man dressed in a golden suit.

In fact, none of the people at the tea party had a face. A mysterious,...

476. Have You Heard of The Tale of The White Forest?

The Cheshire Cat led the two down a stream where giant fish-mascots littered its clear waters. They were anchored to the bottom of the streams, with many being dragged along the sediment by a powerful, invisible undercurrent.

Alice had heard that one had to be wary of still rivers. The largest river that cut through western Grandis, beginning from the heights of Mount Saris was the Still Brook. Despite its unthreatening name and the maximum width of the river being no more than half a m...

475. The Cheshire Cat

“Then do you know who you are?” Alice asked.

The Blue Caterpillar took another bite from the cupcake, mentioning:

“I don’t particularly like cupcakes. But the illusion I have taken form of desires it. We are all protagonists of our own tale, but we often seek to change the world but never consider ourselves.”

“… because we didn’t do anything wrong.” Alice answered. “Why do we have to pretend to change?”

“Because time stops for no one. In this wo...

474. The Blue Caterpillar

Revy did not stop. The burning reeds turned to a field of wheat before becoming trees. Deeper within the trees grew to an abnormal level. Even the giant trees of Grandis paled in comparison to the ones surrounding them.

Giant mushrooms sprouted from the ground in clusters. A second forest of fungi extended before them. Here, stuffed toys were seen huddled around the base of mushrooms, their bodies half-integrated into it. Vile tendrils took root into their bodies, forever anchoring them...

473. Burning Memories

“This place isn’t showing you what it really is!” Revy shouted as the footsteps grew tenfold.

She dragged Alice by the hand through a field of colorful reeds. The haze became unbearably thick, clouding the girl’s eyes. Luckily for her, Revy had the keen senses of a feline, expertly weaving her way through the field until they arrived at a large, wooden house.

It was spotless and appeared newly built. Surrounding it were similar homes, but nowhere near in the same condition...

472. A God of Cognition

Alice had nowhere to go. The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. The madness of the world’s logic nearly drowned her as she paddled herself to stay afloat. She quickly lay on her back and floated on the lake’s calm surface like a starfish, staring into an empty sky.

“I’m scared…” The only thing that could keep herself calm was her own voice. She divulged into imaginary conversations again. The scenery she experienced was all too familiar. The first she couldn’t pu...

471. Alice In Nightmareland

The shadow of a man appeared, causing her heart to sink. Why was she so terrified of it? Alice did not know, and desperately tried every door possible until she came across a table that was not in the hallway before. Desperate, she ran towards it.

The table was made from glass. On it were a variety of items, but her anxiety caused her to focus on only a silver key. The sound of shackles and a whip caused her to seize up. The Pavlovian reaction nearly caused her to submit as she defensiv...

470. Alice In... ?

“When you step into this world of wonderful wonders you’ll never want to leave.”

“In hell we live. As below, so is above. We can never escape it.”

Two voices spoke to Alice. Her mind drifted away absently as she was surrounded by an impenetrable darkness. Her body roamed an empty purgatory. The last thing she remembered was running away from a White Rabbit.

She did not chase after the creature as per Frost’...

469. The Tears of a New Moon

In contrast to the Beholders who were ignored by the populace, Frost was recognized no matter where she went. The mere pair of golden eyes and a black feathered coat was usually what convinced people of the fact.

However, the people of Greenbirth were shown another telltale sign of the Black Dove. Her presence was unlike any other. Even the Beholders could not draw as many eyes as she did. Stealth was but impossible for Frost. If she was an RPG character, then she would have zero in ste...

468. Deities Walk Among Us

Beholders were deities in the eyes of the world. Galia was the only one known by name, but her visage was lost to the ebbs of time and the purge of all records. Her victory against Beholder Knalzark came at a steep cost.

One price she paid was the elimination of the old Galia who graced the world with honorable virtues. No history book knew of the old name she once wielded like a blade. It was a name that inspired hope in the depths of despair, for it was one that vindicated the innocen...

467. A Piece of Satania's Mind

The presence of the Ateliers provided enough security to keep the Impuritas in check. Unfortunately, there were not enough of them to cover every inch of Greenbirth. As a result, the Hearts of the Crimson Hunger, Maestros of Flesh, Blood Festival and even the Librarians took root and began their indiscriminate acquisition of material.

Essentially, they invaded the streets in search for people.

However, not a single innocent person was dragged into the unwashed nests of the Impurit...

466. Declaration of Unity

The presence of the Behemoth alone caused H5 to fall into silence. The Sector of music was deafened by the sound of a blaring horn as Augurists blew into their trumpets, playing a tune that signaled the arrival of Galia.

It was tune that many did not recognize, but the elderly Elves who had lived during the time of Galia’s rise to supremacy immediately dropped to their knees in total subjugation. They fell on the streets, watching as the crowd brushed by as they held a hand to the sky...

465. Onboard The Behemoth

There was a name for the giant trains and their weight classifications. The normal everyday trains were called were called ‘Commute’, with the larger, luxurious variants called Cruisers.

The slightly larger and highly armored variants used to imprison people were called Leviathans. But there was another lesser-known category of trains.

The Behemoth.

What the Amalgam and nearly all Beholders of the Nexus boarded was one of the largest trains created by Caldera Industries....

MA: 18. Rock Bug Uses Rock Raft! It's Super Effective!

A series of chasms appeared following the first. Her suspicion of the place being artificially crafted was now almost a certainty. Perilous pillars jutted from the slow-flowing magma far beneath. An obstacle course where one wrong step meant death sprawled before her. At the other end was another path leading further down into the caverns.

She peered over the edge of her solid foundation, kicking stones into the pool beneath. Her red hood fluttered behind her like a cape as a heat wave ...

G-Z7: 16. Do Not Touch The Light (Do It!)

Workers were never briefed in deeply about the Corrupted they worked with. More often than not, they worked blindly. If they knew what horrors they were up against, then it made them far more likely to refuse or break down.

However, the unknown was just as terrifying. One of Papila’s policies was to have the Unit Manager run down the details of a Corrupted with their team during the 15-minute briefing phase, and the 15-minte debrief following their shift.

That way, they’d be a...

G-Z7: 15. Testing Begins

< Day 1 >

< LEVEL: 1 >

< D-1 Containment Corridor >

< Risk: Nil >

Certain areas of a given level were designated with a grapheme from the mysterious 26-letter alphabet. There was no real system in place to organize what a letter meant across all floors. Rather, the closest unit to the central elevator was d...

464. Raoul And Ara

“Where did you learn to fight with bravado like that?”

Ara flopped onto the ground like a fish straight out of water. She was ready to fight whoever this person. But that disappeared the moment she saw his black, white-tipped tail.

She wondered why.

Beneath him was the handless henchman, who whimpered in his final sleep as he bled out. He wore a spotless Receptionist suit and had familiar wolf-like ears that reminded her of someone…

“Does… that matter right n...

463. How A City of Spade-Raised Musician Fights

Living in the City of Spades taught her that playing ‘hero’ was a one-way ticket to hell. Cannibals in fact preferred the flesh of the determined to break free from the system. S7 was the second criminal dumping ground of the Nex Megalopolis.

… so…

Ara knew exactly what was running through the mind of the healer. Because at one point, she was in the same exact position. She looked down at her fist and saw it clench as the magical aberration of a violin and its bow...

462. Where Did Alice Go?

“Alice! Hah… hah… ALICE! Where are you!?”

Ara heaved herself along the streets, shoulder barging her way against the crowd in search for her precious cousin. She trampled on the feet of others, sweat dripping from her cheeks as she desperately bargained with the world for Alice’s safety.

“ALICE! Please… Alice!” Even when she was out of breath, she’d endlessly call out her name hoping to find her. Her body wasn’t as strong as it used to be, and this was the firs...

461. Ber, The Claw of the Head

“Shit – GET AWAY FROM THE CLAW!” Voices run out as the skies began to darken. Crystal bullets, swung hammers, and metallic claws found their mark as they fought off the living nightmares with utter ease.

“Fractured Nilhim and what other Group!?”

“We’re waiting to find out right now! They’re desperate if they’re launching an attack directly on a Moon!”

“Can a Moon survive the appearance of a Dungeon…?”

“It will take some time! Prepare for an ...

460. Ber's Leadership

“Ber. Snap’s relayed the situation about your sisters. Keep the children conscious for now until the Beholders arrive!”

The news about her sisters immediately caused her right hand to transform into a giant, blackened claw. She was two steps ahead of the curve having been warned by her sisters’ attacks.

During this time, she was able to gather a large mixed Atelier force, with willing Adventurers to fill in the gaps between. Her presence was insurmountable compare...

MA: 17. Rock Bugs Are Friends, Right?

The Mantid Stalkers were nothing to worry about compared to the Giant Mosquito. In fact, after figuring out that they were like exaggerated moths to a flame, she had an easy time slaughtering them.

“Hup~!” She casually tossed a ball of light in one direction, herding them together as she began stabbing them indiscriminately from behind.

Due to how huddled they were, it was impossible for them to distinguish friend from foe. It became a bloodbath, and Hatchling Red reaped the r...

459. All Bark, No Bite Needed!

“So you’re an Aberration of Elysia!” Cer tackled her to the other side, her arms wrapped around the waist of this Jury-look-alike as she sunk her teeth in to its waist.

… of course it just had to have high enough DEF to stop me from maiming it.

They both rolled along the street, left behind by the crowd as they bounced until both of them swiftly regained their footing. The White Rabbit turned its back to Cer, preparing to reach the crowd again in search of its tar...

458. A Reliable Fang!

Elsewhere, the situation only intensified. Res’ beam was the warning Cer needed to immediately spring into action. Turning on her heels, she bared her fangs at the guardians and immediately ordered them to prepare for combat.

“That’s her signal alright. Got a clue what the machine in your head is saying!?” Cer asked Revy who she kept close.

Her eyes went astray as if someone else was in Cer’s place. Her lips trembled as “White Rabbit!” slipped from her trembling lips...

457. Res VS The White Rabbit

One sighting became two. Two to ten. And ten to hundreds. Res was not alone when she saw the fluffy, white tail of a mysterious being flee from the corner of her eyes. It begged her to follow but she was not like a child to be lured away.

Even with her filtered eyesight, she was able to tell that something was terribly wrong. Jury was attending the Amalgam’s Summit, so there was no reason for her to be here. Not only that –

If that’s the White Rabbit, then how am I able ...