Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 836 The Battlefield Never Stops [5.1k words]

Starbound, Reef 1 Outpost.

"Star Girl, watch out!!"

Boom—!

[Note: Abyssal Spawner - Lurker (Aberrant Type) has been defeated. Current squad expedition contribution +0.01]

The piercing scream abruptly ceased, and a streak of light, carrying specks of starlight, swept past the suppression zone formed by the elemental barrier, piercing the vital organs of the abyssal creature resembling a spider and scorpion, instantly silencing the battlefield that was filled with the faint smell of blood.

"Miss Star Girl, are you alright?!" In the distance, Bell, who had also dealt with the several abyssal creatures equivalent to regular lord-level units he was facing, landed steadily to the side and asked with some concern.

"It's alright, the expeditionary combat suit provided by the Legion helped me block that attack."

The star girl, whose long dress was slightly torn, gently shook her head. She glanced at the snow-white skin without a trace of blood at the torn area and the remains of the abyss creature gradually disintegrating into ashes from under the elemental barrier. Her gaze then shifted slightly.

How could a mere lord-level abyssal creature evade her senses and even unleash a strike from several kilometers away powerful enough to pierce through her defensive spells...?

"Speaking of which, that should have been the last one, right?"

"According to the detection radar, there are none for now." The Holy Princess, dressed in pure white battle armor and resembling a Valkyrie, shook her head and said.

"Well~ it felt so easy. Apart from that last lurker who gave me a fright, the other abyssal creatures weren't that scary, were they?" Sia, carrying a huge pair of scissors dripping with dark red blood, skipped over excitedly, looking around curiously as if searching for any other prey.

"Those were just some troublesome minions. The truly powerful abyssal creatures are far beyond their reach."

A slightly cold tone came from Hun Yue, whose entire body exuded a chilling aura. Her gaze lingered on the white-haired youth for a moment before she silently looked towards the battlefield in the sky, which had somehow subsided, and spoke.
"The others should have mostly sorted things out by now, and we should hear the conclusion soon..."

[Announcement: Attention all combat units in the current area. The invading abyssal creatures have been completely annihilated. The alert status has been lifted.]

Om-! !

As if in response to Soul Moon's words, almost the instant her voice fell, a piercing siren blared across the entire planet. Bell, who had been gripping his weapon tightly, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the sound and looked at the public channel on the branded interface:
……

"Reincarnation Paradise" Smiling Nightmare: "No, it's over already? We haven't even had enough yet!"

"Death Paradise" Jazz: "Indeed, it feels much more relaxed than I imagined. Maybe it's because we're all here now, sharing the pressure with each other?"

"Reincarnation Paradise" Ghost Dragon: "Heh, even if these abyssal creatures were to commit a hundred times more, they still wouldn't be able to put any pressure on me!"

Purple Fairy from "Sanctuary Paradise": "Hehe~ Brother Ghost Dragon is really domineering, but according to this humble lady's advice, it's better to be careful~!"

"Death Paradise" Melancholy Demon: "Well~ I really envy you guys. We directly captured an abyssal creature with the strength of a tyrant and several guys with the strength of a sub-tyrant. We almost ended up being the prey of them."

"Death Paradise" Twilight: "To be honest, I think there's something wrong with our team's luck, @Netherworld."

"Sanctuary Paradise" Underworld: "...I have no objection."

"Reincarnation Paradise" Old Man with Cold Legs: "Actually, it doesn't matter much. Let's just consider it as accumulating experience for us!"

"Reincarnation Paradise" Old Man with Cold Legs: "However, my personal suggestion is that we should not be too careless. Just like what Jazz said, we feel more relaxed now that we are all together. If we really rely on only three or five small teams to fight against these abyssal creatures, the pressure will still be very high."

"Reincarnation Paradise" Old Man with Cold Legs: "By the way, we've compiled a list of the types of abyssal creatures we encountered this time, along with some judgments and coping methods we figured out ourselves. Is there any team that's interested in exchanging tips with us?"

Argo, "Sanctuary Paradise": "Eh, really? Mr. Old Man with Cold Legs, may we exchange information with you?"

"Reincarnation Paradise" Old Man with Cold Legs: "Haha, of course no problem, in fact, the more of this kind of thing, the better."

Purple Fairy from "Sanctuary Paradise": "Hehe~ Count me in, okay? But I don't have any particularly valuable information here. If it's not enough, can you exchange my body for it~?!"

"Death Paradise" Melancholy Demon: "Uh, forget it. Four out of the five of us are sickly. This lady from the Cult of Pleasure, please spare us."

*Note: The player has already purchased one access to the entire community in the Sanctuary Paradise·Netherworld.

"Sanctuary Paradise" Underworld: "@All members, here's a suggestion: if you don't want to die too quickly, you'd better take a break."

"Death Paradise" Jazz: "???"

"Reincarnation Paradise" Hundred Kills: "???"

Ghost Dragon of "Reincarnation Paradise": "@Netherworld Prison, no, who the hell do you think you are? You think you have the right to point fingers here?"

"Sanctuary Paradise" Underworld: "I am only responsible for reminding you. Whether you listen or not is entirely up to you."

*Note: Sanctuary Paradise - Underworld has been removed from the current public channel.

Ghost Dragon of "Reincarnation Paradise": "Damn it! You've been putting on airs and now you're just a coward, huh? Who knows which area this guy is in? Damn it, I hate these kinds of people who think they're so great!"

"Reincarnation Paradise" Guoren: "@Ghost Dragon, let me give you a piece of advice, it's best not to do that. That guy may not be able to beat you in terms of strength, but when it comes to brains, ten of you put together are not as good as him."

Argo, the “Sanctuary Paradise”: “Um… I also think Mr. Underworld makes a lot of sense. I’ve heard from the seniors in the church that the most difficult part of the expedition is that the attacks from the abyss creatures will become more and more frequent, so we must make the most of every minute to recover our energy.”

Ghost Dragon of "Reincarnation Paradise": "Heh, just a few stinking fish and shrimp, and you're all so scared. As expected, the guys from the Holy Domain are spineless!"

Soul Moon of "Reincarnation Paradise": "@Ghost Dragon, take back what you just said."

Ghost Dragon of "Reincarnation Paradise": "Heh? What, is this lackey who rose to power by relying on that Moon Demon guy planning to stand up for his lover?"

Soul Moon of "Reincarnation Paradise": "Very good."

"Reincarnation Paradise" Smiling Nightmare: "Wow~! Let's fight! Let's fight!"

"Reincarnation Paradise" Old Man with Cold Legs: "Calm down, calm down, we're all in the same paradise, there's no need to make such a fuss..."

……

"Miss Hunyue, calm down! That Mr. Guilong is just impulsive; there's no need to really hold a grudge against him!"

"Step aside!"

"Yay! Sister Hunyue, I'll go with you! Let's show that guy what happens when you talk badly about people behind their backs!!"

"Wait a minute, you two! Our most important thing right now is..."

On the battlefield, where only the corpses of abyssal creatures were visible, Bell anxiously tried to dissuade Soul Moon, whose face was filled with murderous intent, and Sia, who seemed unafraid of trouble. Before he could finish speaking, a piercing alarm suddenly exploded in the minds of everyone present:

[WARNING! Attention all members! Large-scale abyssal biological activity detected. All members in the current area are to immediately enter Level 1 alert!]

[To reiterate! Large-scale abyssal creature revolt detected...]

Om-! !

A striking crimson laser beam shot out from a distant tower, illuminating the pure white elemental barrier in a blood-red hue along with the alarm. Upon seeing this, Bell, Soul Moon, and the others on the battlefield all changed their expressions.

A second attack?
Why so fast?!

"Wait a minute, it's only been less than three minutes, right? Why is there a new attack already?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Get back to your posts, the abyssal creatures are coming soon!"

The blonde loli complained, while the Star Maiden shouted and unleashed several beams of starlight, manipulating them to swirl around herself and the others. The Holy Maiden beside her also unhesitatingly deployed a barrier, using her own prayer magic to apply various buffs to everyone.

"Roar--!!!"

The next second, a powerful, oppressive roar echoed from the sky. A massive swarm of Blackthorn Wyverns surged forth from the distant horizon, charging in perfect unison towards the spatial portal above, like tireless worker ants. ...

Five days later, at the No. 17 outpost on the sunken reef.

"Fire Volt!!"

boom!
A dazzling flame erupted from the land, which had been stained dark red with the blood of abyssal creatures. Under the influence of the world's power, the last abyssal creature that lunged at the white-haired youth was also burned to ashes.

[Announcement: Attention all combat units in the current area. The invading abyssal creatures have been completely annihilated. The alert status has been lifted.]

"Huff...huff...!"

On the battlefield, Bell, panting heavily as he watched the remains of the abyssal creatures dissipate in the wind, then shouted without hesitation to the Star Maiden behind him:
"Miss Star Girl!" "Hmm!"

As soon as he finished speaking, five spatial fluctuations carrying specks of starlight bloomed, enveloping Bell and the Star Maiden and Soul Moon standing back to back behind him, and disappeared from the spot with a hum.

Om-! !

A few seconds later, the five figures staggered and landed on a silver-white platform. Upon seeing this, the five did not even have time to exchange words. Without hesitation, they rushed into the hall in front of them, found the temporary tent they had set up, quickly took the potion that could rapidly restore physical strength and energy while asleep, and fell asleep immediately.

"Quick!" "Bard! Catch!"

"Hurry up and rest, who knows when the next batch of abyssal creatures will arrive!"

A moment later, a new commotion arose outside the soundproof tent. A five-person team, equally exhausted, rushed in from afar. The female contractor, disregarding the fact that she was mostly naked, found a spot, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, as if afraid she would never have the chance to experience sleep again.

The second one, the third one, the fourth one...

As the siren signaling the end of alert sounded, in less than half a minute, the entire rest area was filled with the sounds of snoring. The blindfolded nun in the center of the rest area, facing this scene, simply knelt down gently, made a prayerful gesture, and softly murmured:

"O flame, bring peace..."

As the gentle words fell, soft light emanated from between the blindfolded nun's fingers, seeping into the soundproof barrier and rapidly restoring the injuries and energy of the sleeping contractors.

Time ticked by, and outside the stronghold, a soft white light cascaded down from the elemental barrier, falling upon the black-armored soldiers guarding the perimeter. Then, as the minute hand of the clock at the far end of the rest area completed approximately half a revolution—

[WARNING! Attention all members! Large-scale abyssal creature attack detected...!]

Om-! !

"Damn it, can't I just sleep a little longer?!"

"Be content. At least this time it's just a precaution, not a move to a new stronghold!"

"Aaaaaah! I can't take it anymore, I'm going crazy! Why is the front line advancing so fast? Do those extra-tier monsters not need any rest at all?!"

A piercing alarm blared from above the base. Inside the rest area, the contractors who had been fast asleep suddenly sat up straight, some with complaining faces, some expressionless, and some gritting their teeth as they rushed out of the base, heading to one location after another with practiced ease.

"Miss Xingnu, how was your rest?"

"Not bad, Argo, how about you?"

"Yes, I think I've basically fully recovered. After all, I had a full half hour this time, and I also had the help of the medicine provided by Her Excellency the Sister and the Legion."

In mid-air, Bell, who was also heading to his post, communicated with Stargirl and the others beside him in his mind using the imprint function. His youthful face was unusually calm, clearly indicating that he had already entered a state of combat readiness.

"Is Mr. Argo really suited to this pace?"

Saintess glanced at Bell's face almost imperceptibly, a strange light flickering in her beautiful eyes.

As the team's sensory and support specialist, she could clearly sense over the past five days that the white-haired youth's ability to adapt to this high-frequency, high-intensity combat was significantly higher than theirs.

With only a few minutes or even ten minutes of rest time, the other party could quickly fall asleep regardless of their state, using shallow meditation in their dreams to quickly relieve their mental and physical fatigue. However, for them and other top-tier contractors, in the first two days, very few were able to accurately seize those few-minute gaps to rest.

Moreover, after truly stepping onto the battlefield known as the Abyss, Saintess could sense that the opponent was significantly stronger than them in combat against the creatures of the Abyss.

Especially when they are surrounded by multiple abyssal creatures, it is almost always the white-haired boy who leads them to find a way out and escape their predicament in the most effective way.

This also applies to dealing with unexpected situations and unknown abyssal creatures that are not covered by intelligence.

While other teams suffered casualties as a result, the enemy was able to escape unscathed from the abyssal creatures while still having the extra energy to assist them.

It can be said that since stepping onto the battlefield of the abyss, the opponent's behavior has been completely different from that of the white-haired boy who was always restrained and timid when sparring with them.

“Indeed, I feel like Argo has suddenly become much stronger! He’s completely different from how he was when he was fighting before!” Sia nodded in agreement, her emerald green eyes full of curiosity.

"Perhaps... it's because I'm more familiar with this situation."

Faced with Saintess and Sia's questions, Bell simply lowered his eyes slightly, calmly observing the situation in all directions out of the corner of his eye, and casually answered.

Upon hearing this, Saintess, Star Maiden, and Soul Moon exchanged glances, each revealing a different expression, as if they were each thinking of something. Just then—

"LAaaa——!!"

A piercing shriek exploded in their minds, and an unimaginably fast mental wave erupted from around them, sweeping towards them with overwhelming force.

Zheng!
Almost at the instant it was about to strike the five people, a sliver of moonlight suddenly bloomed from behind Bell. Soul Moon, positioned at the very back, unhesitatingly unleashed a feint, its blade, imbued with the will of a master swordsman, dispersing the mental fluctuations aimed at herself and the others. Bell, reacting fastest, immediately shouted in his mind:

"Watch out! It's an Eye Demon! Don't let its mental backlash affect you!!"

"Miss Saintess!" "Found her! There she is!!"

“LAa…!”

The holy beam of light with a locking effect fell instantly. In an instant, starlight, moonlight, blood light, and flames erupted all at once, engulfing the location indicated by the Holy Maiden without hesitation. With a sharp shriek that stopped abruptly, the abyssal creature that had been hiding its form was instantly blasted into ashes.

[Note: The Abyssal Spawn, Nightmare (Aberrant Variation), has been defeated. The current team expedition contribution has increased by 0.1.]

"Let's go!" "Okay!!"

A chilling kill notification sounded, and a treasure chest shimmering with dark golden light materialized in mid-air. However, the five people in mid-air didn't even glance at it. Instead, they unleashed several ranged attacks to confuse the enemy, concealing their aura and mental energy to the extreme, and quickly rushed towards the cover below.

“LAaaaa——!!!”

The next second, a mental shock far greater than before erupted from mid-air. Dozens of vertical eyes covered with long black hair emerged from the ranged attacks unleashed by the group, all looking down at the five people below. Just as they were about to launch another attack, a point of starlight suddenly appeared from one of their vertical eyes.

"Do it!"

Boom-! ! !
The next instant, dazzling starlight burst forth, and an incredibly conspicuous flaming spear shot into the sky accompanied by the sound of bells. It exploded into a huge fireball from the chaotic mental fluctuations, engulfing the figures of the dozen or so Eye Demon Abyss creatures in mid-air.

Almost simultaneously with the commotion here, various battle-related disturbances erupted on the land surrounding the stronghold, together with the space battlefield covered by artillery fire in the sky, announcing the start of a new round of stronghold defense battles.

There was no explanation.

There are no signs.

Suddenly, without any pattern, like an unpredictable spatial turbulence model, it dragged everything into a chaotic battlefield where even breathing felt heavy in an instant.

This is the expedition.

……

(End of this chapter)