There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 522

Chapter 522: Chapter 515. Appetizer

The presence was unmistakable. Everyone could see it no matter where they were, even those still staying in the Castle. It was towering, bigger than a giant, as if the mountain itself was moving. Under its many watchful eyes, the humans felt like there was nowhere to hide, not even beneath the ground or behind a barrier wall.

Perhaps, the void they saw across the desert had always been there to hide this presence.

Zein narrowed his eyes. No--if that entity had been there, out in the open the whole time, there was no reason for It to wait for this long before taking action. The moment the Castle’s Watchtower was erected and the shard was mounted, it should have already seen it.

No, if it was the real Fallen Star with all of its prowess, It shouldn’t wait this long.

But then...what was it? It wasn’t an illusion too, because Zein could feel the sensation he felt in the vision. The energy he sensed was unmistakably that of the Fallen Star. It felt more complete, like several fragments being fused together...

"No," Zein grabbed Bassena’s cold hand, rubbing it slightly to return the usual, familiar warmth. "It’s not the Fallen Star exactly, but...something like...Its clone?"

Bassena woke up from his momentary shock and immediately checked on the others. Just like him, most of them were frozen in the wake of not only the attack, but also the arrival of that huge entity that filled the horizon with dozens of giant eyes.

It was only for a few seconds, not even a minute, but the effect was tangible. With the barrage of attacks from the humans stopping, the remaining beasts and Specters were advancing forward. Some of the big flying creatures had managed to cross the third lane and just a few seconds aways from reaching the intact Watchtower.

"Focus!" Bassena barked into the air and the earpiece while sending his stakes to pierce the approaching flying creatures. "Don’t mind that thing, just do your own job!"

"Yes, Commander!"

[Yes, Commander!]

Thankfully, the espers were instantly regain their wits and resumed their attacks. It was fortunate that the elemental spirits did not stop their movement; otherwise, the fragments might already join the fray and in this situation where they were still shaken from the earlier attack, it wouldn’t be good.

Bassena turned to Zein next. "What do you mean by a clone?" _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

"Something like fragments but more...massive?" Zein narrowed his eyes in concentration as he tried to decipher that humungous creature. "Remember how we theorized that the fragments’ minds are separated from the main body? I think this one is directly connected with the main body--I can feel the energy being projected from somewhere else..."

The blue eyes gleamed and glazed, as if Zein was staring at something that wasn’t there.

"Somewhere far away, beyond the desert."

"Haa..."

[Commander...] Kei’s voice, more stabilized this time, came from the earpiece again. [Do you think that It can fire that attack again?]

"Maybe," Bassena pressed his lips and took a deep breath. "We have to assume so."

It was always better to assume the worst and prepare for it, which was why he told Kei to evacuate the other Watchtower. But taking precautions was different from preventing it, so Bassena was quite distressed. It would be different if they were inside a fortress--or at least an established wall--but here in the open...

Should they retreat to the main base? But then, the attack might come while they were turning their back during the retreat...

Fuck--he had gone through a lot of dungeon raids, but this was beyond even the worst black gate...

"Can the magicians and defenders defend against the attack if I can predict it?"

Bassena turned toward Zein with widened eyes. The guide was staring at the fallen watchtower this time. "Yes," Bassena replied, clenching his fists. They had to. If they knew the trajectory, they had to be able to defend against it, even if Bassena had to use [jormungard] to do it.

"Okay, let’s go to the Watchtower," Zein nodded, holding Bassena’s hand as if signaling for a shadow step. "I need to register the energy of the attack."

"...Alright," Bassena grasped the guide’s waist and spoke to Kei. "Do as we plan for now."

[Understood]

In a blink, Zein and Bassena arrived in the middle of debris and broken glasses. Several weapons and electronics sprawled across the field and to the side, were the espers impacted by the attack.

Han Shin was already there, in the middle of mass healing the injured. Zein could see broken bones and burnt wounds, but most of them were also heavily poisoned. One of the supports kept on casting an anti-poison buff, while another one was distributing anti-toxin serums. Zein’s eyes, however, quickly trained on the covered-up figure...figures, at the edge of the line.