Chapter 151: The Abyssal Breach

A sudden, violent vibration shuddered through the deep bedrock beneath the Fleshcraft Tower. The heavy stone floor of the private laboratory buckled slightly, sending glass vials rattling against the wooden racks.

Beneath his grey headband, Kale Ardentis opened his eyes instantly. The soft orange glow of the Ignis Core flared inside its glass vat as the protective runic arrays along the stone walls screamed with a sharp, high-pitched alarm.

This was not the measured, holy resonance of High Inquisitor Luke’s paladins. It was the raw, chaotic shockwave of a physical breach originating from the forgotten subterranean vaults deep beneath the Association.

The ancient containment seals in the lower levels, weakened by centuries of pressure, had finally ruptured. The air in the research sector grew thick with the heavy scent of ancient ozone and decaying blood.

Neo emerged from the shadows without a command, hopping onto the stone workbench. The hydra’s three heads arched high, its six golden eyes shimmering with immediate, predatory hunger as its dark scales shifted to matte black.

The heavy steel door of the laboratory groaned under a sudden, distant impact from the corridor outside. Screams of terror and the heavy clatter of iron armour echoed up the stone stairwell, followed by the wet, tearing sound of rending flesh.

Kale unrolled his Master robes, revealing his reinforced leather combat attire underneath. He picked up his twin silver daggers from the desk, his green eyes narrowing into cold, calculating slits as he stepped toward the entrance.

He unbolted the heavy iron locks with a swift flick of his wrist, pulling the steel door open just as a spray of crimson blood painted the opposite wall. Two Association guards collapsed onto the marble floor, their torsos torn wide open by massive, obsidian claws.

A terrifying biological horror loomed in the dusty corridor, having broken free from the deep stasis vaults. The beast stood over four meters tall, with the body of a scaled scorpion and the multi-jointed arms of a predatory ape.

Its hide was a dark, volcanic crimson, dripping with thick acidic venom that sizzled against the stone floor. It was an Abyssal Crimson Fiend, an ancient Apex-rank chimaera created during the capital’s early founding era, long left dormant in the deep dark.

The creature turned its six yellow eyes toward Kale and let out a deafening, shrieking roar that shattered the glass lanterns along the hallway. It lunged forward with explosive speed, its massive claws sweeping across the narrow corridor to crush the green-haired master.

Kale did not step back. He channelled his Beast Force through his internal pathways, his Hexarion physiology elevating his speed and physical power to its absolute limit as green mana wreathed his arms.

He blurred into motion, diving beneath the sweeping obsidian claws with surgical precision. He used Lesser Mana Manipulation to coat his silver daggers in a high-frequency, vibrating edge of pure mana, striking the beast’s knee joints as he slid across the stone floor.

’Neo, execute!’

The Nemesis Hydra shot off his shoulder like a crimson arrow. Midair, Neo activated its newly enhanced Flame Form, its entire body transforming into a shimmering spectre of incandescent orange and red energy that illuminated the dark corridor.

The hallway temperature spiked to a terrifying degree. Neo’s three heads opened their maws simultaneously, unleashing a concentrated stream of refined fire essence that struck the Abyssal Fiend directly in its face.

The ancient chimaera shrieked in agony as the deific flame burned through its volcanic scales. The acidic venom dripping from its jaws evaporated into white steam before it could even touch the hydra’s shimmering form.

The beast thrashed wildly in the narrow corridor, its massive tail whipping toward Kale with enough force to shatter the stone walls. Kale raised his left arm, using his newly gained Flame Resistance and reinforced physical stats to deflect the impact.

The heavy tail struck his mana shield with a deafening bang, sending a shockwave through the corridor, but Kale remained firmly grounded. He drove his right dagger deep into the soft tissue beneath the creature’s lower jaw, pouring his mana directly into its nervous nodes.

The Abyssal Fiend shuddered violently, its six eyes rolling back as the internal mana disruption paralysed its multi-jointed arms. It was a brief half-second opening, but to Neo, it was an ocean of opportunity.

The Nemesis Hydra descended from above, its three heads biting into the creature’s chest cavity with savage, draconic strength. Neo activated its All Devour trait, its maws tearing out the glowing, crimson heart core of the Apex chimaera.

With a wet, tearing crunch, Neo swallowed the pulsing core whole. The ancient Abyssal Fiend collapsed onto the marble floor with a heavy thud, its massive body dissolving rapidly into a pool of black, smoking sludge.

Notifications flickered across Kale’s retina in rapid succession, logging the sudden influx of high-density elemental energy.

[The Nemesis Hydra has devoured the core of an ancient Abyssal Crimson Fiend.]

[Fire Affinity increased by 2%. Current Fire Affinity: 99%.]

[Physical Strength and scale density increased.]

Kale stood over the dissolving carcass, wiping the black ichor from his silver daggers with a calm, practised motion. Neo landed on his shoulder, its scales glowing with a satisfied, warm radiance as it purred softly.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the upper stairwell as a squad of Association enforcers and Master Artificers finally arrived, their weapons drawn and ready for combat. They froze at the corridor entrance, staring at the pool of black sludge and the standing green-haired young man in total shock.

The lead enforcer, a seasoned Master-rank warrior, looked at the dissolving remains of the Apex beast, then at Kale’s immaculate posture. His jaw dropped slightly in sheer disbelief, unable to fathom how a single young master had eliminated an Abyssal Fiend in seconds.

Kale sheathed his daggers into his belt, adjusting his headband over his hidden gold mesh seal without taking a single step back.

’The corridor is clear.’

Kale said flatly, his green eyes cold and unblinking as he looked at the stunned enforcers. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

’Send a cleanup team for the lower vaults before the rest of the stasis subjects wake.’