My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 49 The Final Battle Begins

As dawn approached, people on both sides of the ruins woke up early.

On the other side of the ruins, Elphis leaned against the charred pillar, his iron mask facing the sky, motionless, as if he had never slept. Florian sat beside him, fast asleep with her head on his shoulder, her drool wetting the clothes on his shoulder.

No one spoke, and the two teams kept their distance from each other, separated by a pile of unlit campfire remnants.

Elphis awakens the members of the Cave Raiders to prepare for battle, and Simon also awakens his companions; it's time to sprinkle the liquid that attracts abyssal creatures.

There was still some of the liquid that Professor Loris had prepared last time, so Klein came over to help, took a can from Professor Loris, and poured it on the ground near the wreckage of the transport ship.

He glanced at Simon: "Andrei didn't bring anyone with him."

Simon nodded. Andrei hadn't brought either the Reanimated Physician or the Holy Hammer Sister to support the battlefield.

If they were to rely solely on themselves, this would be an extremely difficult and brutal battle.

After a period of busy work, the gray-white morning light pressed down through the gaps in the tree canopy, illuminating the ruins in a stark white light.

Simon stood up from beside the remnants of the campfire, slung the harpoon over his shoulder, and walked toward the other side of the ruins.

Elphis leaned against the charred pillar, his iron mask facing Simon as he approached. The lower half of his face was expressionless. Florian squatted beside him, tilting her head as she watched Simon get closer.

Simon squatted down beside him and stuck the harpoon into the mud at his feet.

"What exactly are the cave raiders striving for?" Simon asked casually. "Just how much does your boss offer to let you spend your whole life in the abyss?"

"Why are you asking this? Do you want to become a cave raider too?"

Elphis did not answer immediately. He took out a cigarette from his coat pocket, lit it, and smoke squeezed out from between his lips, condensing into a small gray-white cloud in front of the iron mask.

After a moment's thought, he opened up and revealed a little of the cave raiders' secret to Simon:

"Golden gold, my friend, a whole chest of Imperial gold coins, bearing the Iron Emperor's image, and completely legal. This chest of gold can buy an estate in any province of the Empire, raise a few horses, hire a few servants, and lie under the grapevines basking in the sun until you die."

He took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled.

"But we can't get it. Cave raiders can never leave the abyss for life. Once caught by the Empire, we can't even commit suicide. We'll be sent to the Inquisition's dungeon for a long trial, and then shot in the head. So that box of gold will just be delivered to our doorstep for our family to squander."

Simon couldn't tell his emotions from his tone of voice. He always wore a thick iron mask, so only his chin and the corners of his mouth were visible; his expression was not.

"Why do you always wear a mask, even when you sleep?"

Elphis took the cigarette out of his mouth and held it between two fingers.

"Because I am one of the leaders of the cave raiders, my identity must be kept secret. If I am threatened with death, I must activate the mechanism on my mask."

He put the cigarette back in his mouth, freed his right hand, and tapped the cheekbone of the mask twice with his index and middle fingers, producing a metallic crack, like tapping a thin iron pot, with the faint sound of liquid sloshing inside.

"Can you hear the sound of liquid flowing? Corrosive liquid is hidden in the interlayer here. Once I activate the mechanism, it will spray out from the sides of the mask's nose and destroy my entire face." His tone was calm. "The moment the people of the Empire see my face, they will know the origin, background, and who is backing me of the Cave Thief. So it is safe to disfigure me."

Simon looked at him but didn't ask any further questions.

Flani stood up from the ground, her braids swinging behind her.

"Stop talking, boss, you won't die!" She patted her chest three times, each time making a muffled sound. "I will definitely protect you! Anyone who tries to kill you, I'll bite them to death!"

She looked worried and nervous, but she tried to remain calm and smiled, revealing her two little tiger teeth.

Elphis looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile that seemed to be a mixture of helplessness and tenderness, like the kind of smile one would have when seeing a kitten with its fur standing on end blocking their way.

He extended his gloved hand and placed it on the top of Flora's head, gently rubbing it.

"Good boy." His voice was very soft.

A high-pitched shriek suddenly came from above, the piercing sound like a sharp iron cone stabbing into the eardrum.

The mist vibrated violently in the sound waves, and the colorless spores that had been extinguished on the tree canopy fell down as if sifted through a sieve.

Everyone in the ruins paused for a moment.

A strong wind whipped up pebbles and debris from the ground, which then struck the charred steel beams, producing a crackling sound.

The thick fog around them was torn apart by the gale, and the grayish-white fog, like torn cotton wool, swept across the ruins in clumps, revealing the grayish-white sky behind them.

A massive, grayish-white figure blocked out half the sky. The shadows spread from the east, over the pile of rubble, over the metal skeleton, and over everyone's faces.

A hungry angel emerged from above the treetops.

It was a size larger than when Simon had last seen it, and its grayish-white skin gleamed coldly in the morning light.

With its six wings spread, the pure white feathers shone brightly in the sunlight. Its two arms hung at its sides, and thick, long bone spurs extended simultaneously from the sides of its shoulder blades, ribs, and collarbone, numbering no less than twenty. Each spur was as thick as a human forearm and had a sharp tip.

The flowers on his chest were in full bloom, their dark red petals trembling in the air currents, and his hidden mouth opened and closed, drool flowing freely...

Elphis straightened up from the support pillar, walked to Simon, opened the iron box, took out the glass jar, and solemnly handed it over, holding it in his palm.

"Simon, use this to shoot down the angel!"

Simon stood up and took the jar from Elphis's hand.

The glass was cool, and a dark red liquid sloshed inside. The grayish-white particles in the interlayer gleamed dimly in the morning light.

"You only have one chance!" Elphis warned one last time. "Open the can. You have three seconds. If you exceed three seconds, the Annihilation Zone will swallow you up with it."

Simon stuffed the jar into his burqa.

He gripped the harpoon tightly; the explosive crossbow bolt was already loaded, and his thumb rested on the trigger.

A heavy, slow sound came from the sky, and a huge monster flapped its wings, about to descend.

All weapons were loaded, and everyone disembarked from the wreckage of the transport ship, whether criminals or tunnel raiders, all were fully prepared.

The battle is about to begin.