NOTICE

Today's update contains content from a previous cycle where the regressor Shea did not visit the Abyss. Many extras who died brutally in the Abyss make an appearance, and the events unfold differently, which may cause some confusion among readers. A brief explanation is provided in the announcement, so please refer to it before reading the main content.

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The best way to avoid danger is to maintain a physical distance from it.

But in life, there are times when you must take risks to gain something. So, what should you do?

You must thoroughly examine all potential dangers, carefully eliminate them, and then approach cautiously.

I pride myself on doing that to the best of my ability. Thanks to my efforts, this Abyss has been calm and comfortable.

But still, I might have overlooked something.

The Abyss is a bottomless pit—a place where those who reach its depths test their limits one last time. No matter how diligently I try to remove the dangers, I cannot control the reckless mayflies who throw themselves into the Abyss. I am no prophet.

Anyway, all this explanation boils down to one thing:

"Ultimately, Ebon is trying to kill us all. Azi is holding him back, but he won’t last long. So, what should we do?"

I'm screwed. Completely and utterly.

"Damn it. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. I should have realized that a general of the Military Nation wouldn’t let us live."

Canisen Riverwood said in a heavy tone. Once burning with hostility towards the Military Nation, he had buried all those emotions in the depths of the Abyss. But now, he was deeply tense, faced with a new threat.

These people are the Resistance who infiltrated to destroy Tantalus. However, Tantalus was too vast for them to destroy with the explosives they brought. The Resistance, who had initially understood the Abyss as merely a large pit, was disheartened by the unexpected situation. I approached them and persuaded them to live down here.

As a result, we were living comfortably at the bottom of the Abyss… but it seems the Resistance are not the only ones who fall into the Abyss.

I spoke up.

"I’ve been signaling from the very start, haven’t I? That man is dangerous. I kept telling you to prepare something to take him out."

Delta stammered in response.

"S-signal? When?"

"I gave hand signals behind my back."

"Oh, was that the finger gestures behind your back…?"

Tch. Didn’t you learn hand signals in the Resistance? No wonder your memory is hazy. And the only one who vaguely remembered was you, Delta, but you’ve even forgotten that?

This is why a mind-reader shouldn’t be around dim-witted people. Their cluelessness is rubbing off on me, making me feel stupider by association.

"Ugh, it looked familiar… So, it was a hand signal. I thought you were just showing off some finger tricks…."

"As much as I like to fool around with my hands, what would I gain from flirting in that situation?"

"Sorry…."

Delta replied in a small voice, and Beta, the only woman in the Resistance, wrapped him in a gentle embrace.

Since settling in the Abyss, Delta and Beta had become lovers, and their relationship was growing stronger. To put it bluntly, they’d defend each other no matter what happened.

Just like now.

"It’s okay, Delta—I mean, Elsie. We didn’t know either."

Show-off.

Tch. I wasn’t expecting anything from you to begin with. Why would I expect any competence from someone who prays to the gods at every meal, even though we live in the Abyss, right next to the ancient vampire, Tircanzhaka?

"And besides, we were distracted by Ebon’s sudden appearance. Hughes’s hand signal happened right then, so it was hard to notice."

She’s pretending to comfort him while subtly blaming me as well. Is that to protect her boyfriend’s pride?

"Ultimately, everything is Ebon’s fault. Right now, instead of blaming anyone, we should think of a different plan!"

Ridiculous. This is a matter of survival, so who cares about right and wrong? And if you were going to think of alternatives, you should’ve done that before comforting your boyfriend! Right now, what you’re doing isn’t problem-solving; it’s just politicking.

"Y-yes, you’re right, Cindy! We should focus on finding a solution now! Does anyone have any good ideas?"

And look at you, Delta, clinging to her words. In the end, it’s back to square one.

It’s disheartening to think these people are my companions. Alpha is just a strong but dim-witted guy, Beta is the opposite kind of fool, and Delta is a self-doubting goody-two-shoes who’s hardly reliable.

Canisen, who once aspired to be a knight, is smart and capable, but his rigid knightly mindset makes him a poor match for me. The only one among the Resistance I can count on is…

I gave an order to Gamma, the only technician among the Resistance.

"Gamma. Take the explosives and head to the Point."

Gamma, an engineer, was startled at my words.

"The-P-Point? But that’s…!"

"We have no choice. If not there, the explosives will be useless. At the very least, we need to make a statement with it."

"But if it explodes at the Point, Tantalus itself could collapse…!"

"I’ll take responsibility. Now, hurry!"

At my urging, the startled Gamma ran off as if his tail were on fire.

The explosives the Resistance brought are barely adequate. They’d need to be buried deep in the center just to make a dent. Even with all our engineering knowledge, they fall far short of destroying Tantalus, but with a bit of luck, we might make something happen.

Canisen asked.

"Hughes… Didn’t you say that Tantalus is indestructible? And even if it could be destroyed, if we collapse it, we’ll be at risk."

"We don’t have a choice. You have to place your most dangerous card at the riskiest spot. If you’re too afraid of the risk, you lose the game."

"That makes sense, but…."

‘Impressive. Even knowing that, you can still take such action….’

He’s a good man, but his thoughts lack flexibility. As nominally the leader, this is the kind of decision you should be making.

Why is it that everyone around me has some loose screws?

At that moment, someone who had been waiting to speak finally shouted out.

"We have no choice but to wake the progenitor!"

…Here we go again.

"Shut up, Finlay!"

Alpha yanked at the stake embedded in Finlay’s limbs. Blood started to seep from the opened wounds, but Finlay frantically pulled it back into his body. The droplets of blood that he failed to retrieve rolled away somewhere.

Finlay cried out urgently.

"Be careful! All of my blood is under the progenitor’s control! If any spills, the progenitor might consume my very existence!"

I know. That’s why the stakes are in your limbs.

Finlay stretched the chains to their limit and spoke.

"Your strength alone won’t suffice. Didn’t you see? Our opponent is the King of Cats! The King of Dogs may be barely holding him off, but the King of Dogs cannot harm humans! Before long, he will fall! And without the King of Dogs, you’re nothing but inferior beings, garbage ready to die unless the progenitor awakens!"

Hmm. Maybe I should just twist this stake around in him.

As I seriously considered it, Canisen muttered under his breath.

"The power of vampires? That doesn’t sound reliable. You were defeated by us, after all."

"That’s because the progenitor, in her eternal sleep, has been absorbing all the blood in this space! If only I could draw a proper blood magic circle, I could feast on all of you for dinner!"

‘Is that so? I’ve never fought a vampire before.’

Canisen looked to me for confirmation, and I shook my head.

"Not quite. As long as you know how to counter them, dealing with trash like ailing vampires is as easy as taking out the garbage."

"You wretched human! Kugh! Fine! Just stop twisting the stake! True, compared to the noble progenitor Tircanzhaka, the great Elder, or the venerable Ein, ailing vampires like me are no better than worms!"

"Glad you understand. Keep talking nonsense, and next time I’ll twist counterclockwise."

"You d-damn… Fine! Fine!"

Honestly, an ailing vampire is so weak that I could probably hunt one down even without special tools. Not with my bare hands, of course, but roasting them over fire or immersing them in an electrolyte solution would weaken their control over blood. The undead nature of vampires is an advantage, but having such obvious weaknesses is a severe disadvantage.

And anyway, I’ve got the undead’s right arm with me now. Even if Finlay acts out, I could kill him immediately. In fact, given how he’s annoyed me, killing him would prevent future problems.

"But the progenitor, Tircanzhaka, the oldest darkness and queen of the night, the origin of all vampires! With her power, we could crush not only that arrogant human but even the Beast King!"

But there is one reason I’m not killing him.

Finlay’s suggestion to wake the progenitor is rather tempting.

Delta murmured uneasily.

"Will the progenitor really help us?"

"Hmph! Do you expect mercy after mocking the nobles of the night! Gah! Fine, fine! I’ll beg her on your behalf to spare your lives!"

With Finlay screaming in the background as I twisted the stake counterclockwise, Canisen clenched his fists. Once a knight’s squire, and though not a devout believer, a moderate follower of the celestial gods, he held a natural disdain for vampires.

But he wasn’t foolish enough to let his faith cost him his life. He knew it was the only way to survive.

"Th-this is insane! How can you even think about waking the progenitor? She’s a filthy vampire who’d only drink our blood! She’ll drain us dry!"

…Unlike some idiot who clutches a crucifix every time he passes the progenitor’s resting place. What’s his problem, anyway?

"Anyway, even if we die, we can’t wake the progenitor! For the peace and safety of the world, she must remain entombed here in the Abyss forever!"

"Cindy, calm down for a moment."

Beta tried to soothe Delta, but it was already too late. You can see the murderous glint in Finlay’s eyes. If it were anyone else, it might be fine, but Beta is definitely a goner.

"Alright, everyone. There’s no point in debating any further. I’ll lay it out simply."

Well, I can’t save someone who values faith over their life.

I clapped my hands and organized the situation.

"Canisen, go with Alpha to assist Azi. If Azi and Navi fight one-on-one, Azi wins. You two will handle Ebon and his lackeys."

"I hate to say this, but I don’t think I’m a match for Ebon. And neither is Alpha."

Canisen hesitated, and Alpha spoke up in frustration.

"Captain! What are you saying! We have our combat packets and military gear!"

"That’s including those. Ebon, the Knight Pursuer, was a formidable soldier who relentlessly hunted and killed three full knights. I’ve trained rigorously, but… I don’t come close to him."

At least Canisen knows his limitations. I encouraged him with some advice.

"Just stall for time. If necessary, use the explosives as leverage and try to hold them off as long as possible. Thanks to Azi, we have the upper hand in total force. If you read the battle well, you can buy us time."

In truth, my thoughts were the exact opposite.

Stalling requires quick adaptability, and unfortunately, Canisen lacks that. He won’t last long.

But it can’t be helped.

But we don't have any other choice.

The thing about martial arts techniques is that they’re best suited for direct combat. If the Knight Pursuer, Ebon, were alone, it might be possible for me to handle him somehow.

But dealing with Gamtanggong, the internal energy technique that reinforces the user’s physical body, is a different matter altogether. Poison, surprise attacks, and tactics become meaningless against such opponents. With their bones and flesh strengthened, what could pierce them? Choking them is useless; once they master Gamtanggong, they can control their own throats.

Canisen has yet to master Gamtanggong. He has only learned Bantanggong, a technique that protects the body but falls short of fully reinforced physical strength. Ebon, who has reached a higher level, surpasses him physically.

This makes it clear that only Canisen can face Ebon, as he is the only one available for the task.

“I understand. Leave it to me.”

Canisen nodded resolutely, ready to face death. I nodded back.

There was a time when his misguided sense of honor led him to endanger everyone here, from his fellow Resistance fighters to himself. He once sought to gain fame through death, pushing for an empty act of terror by destroying Tantalus—a gesture that wouldn’t have accomplished anything.

For a moment, I thought about simply killing him, but he ended up realizing his own faults. Now he was willing to sacrifice his life, not for a vain cause, but for the few remaining comrades he genuinely wanted to protect.

...Though, in the end, it’ll all be meaningless if he dies.

Turning my gaze away from Canisen as he gathered his equipment, I addressed the others.

“The rest of you, let’s go to the progenitor. We’re going to awaken her. Although she hasn’t responded to any of Finlay’s calls, there’s still one method we haven’t tried yet.”

Delta hesitated.

“W-wait. Is Cindy—no, Beta coming too?”

“You can leave her here if you want.”

“N-no… fine. If the progenitor won’t help us, we’re dead anyway. I guess we just have to be careful.”

Delta replied reluctantly, calming the visibly hesitant Beta.

Without much thought or doubt, the others obeyed my instructions and headed towards their designated positions.

But there was one person—

Hughes… as infuriating as he is, he’s undeniably the most capable among us. I can’t deny it.

Only Finlay, with a pale face and a blood-stained grin, understood my intentions.

Of course… we’ll need to sacrifice that girl as an offering. She dared to worship the celestial god in the progenitor’s presence. It’s time she faces judgment!