The continuous clang of metal against something incredibly tough reverberated through the area. Aleah put all her strength into each sword swing, trying her utmost, but her blade couldn't even leave a tiny scratch on the enemy's armor. Not even the slightest damage. No matter what the young woman did, the result remained the same.
Aleah's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. In a blink, a thick, hardened hand, like steel tongs, violently seized her by the throat, lifting her body off the ground. The young woman felt all the air suddenly sucked from her lungs. Her breath hitched. She struggled with all her might, wildly flailing the sword in her hand, but soon, the sword was slapped away by the catastrophic-level interdimensional being.
She couldn't breathe… Blood couldn't adequately supply her brain, causing Aleah's consciousness to blur and sink into darkness with every passing second. Her body became limp as never before. Luckily, just as the young woman reached her limit and could no longer endure, a wave of energy surged forward, colliding with the enemy's body.
With the immense impact, the previously sturdy protective layer cracked and splintered, revealing a weakness. Elena charged, attacking the Faceless Man. Her action allowed Aleah to slip free from the crushing grip. Aleah quickly darted away, running to pick up the Yin-Yang sword that had fallen to the ground.
Aleah's slender fingers quickly rummaged through a box, selecting the most suitable auxiliary module before expertly installing it onto the sword hilt. A soft 'beep... beep...' sounded, confirming the successful connection. A striking black contrasted with the beautiful and formidable soft pink glow. Without hesitation, she returned to the fight.
Even with Aleah joining, Elena's situation hadn't improved much. This catastrophic-level interdimensional being still held the upper hand. However, neither of them gave up. They continued to try their best to turn the tide, desperately searching for a tiny opening and opportunity to deal with this Faceless Man.
"Interesting! Humans have developed to the point where they can contend with me now, have they?" The previously blank surface of the interdimensional being's face suddenly stretched into a terrifying smile, revealing a dark, toothless void. It felt a little excited, like a small child who had found a new, interesting toy.
The sword, enhanced by the auxiliary module, cut through the protective layer. The soft pink light glinting from the blade swiftly swept through the air, before severing one arm from the Faceless Man's body while it was laughing loudly. Elena didn't let such a good opportunity pass. She summoned a gigantic metal bow and struck the enemy with full force.
BOOM! A deafening crash resonated. The Faceless Man's body staggered back several steps, uncontrollably. Aleah rushed in to support the attack, perfectly coordinating her assault with the other young woman. Their sword and bow merged into one in that instant, like a flawless dance of death. This catastrophic-level interdimensional being had no chance to even resist or counterattack. It was forced to continuously retreat, while the wounds on its body steadily increased.
"Hahaha, good, good… keep going," Without concern, the Faceless Man laughed maniacally with a strange, hoarse voice. The interdimensional energy around its body began to fluctuate violently. At the same time, something within its body was expanding as if it would explode with immense force.
A deafening tearing sound ripped through the air. A dazzling blue beam pierced through the Faceless Man's chest at high speed, pinning its body to a gigantic rock far away. Disgusting, thick green liquid gushed from the severe wound. Its wide-open mouth spewed out a mouthful of blood.
"Chief, you've recovered?" Upon seeing the enemy pinned by the glowing blue metal, Aleah rushed to check on Selene's condition. The previous activation of the Sky-Piercing Spear's primary system to destroy the illusionary domain had caused the Chief to lose a massive amount of interdimensional energy, and her body was much weaker than before. Luckily, Aleah arrived in time. Otherwise, Selene might have been killed by the catastrophic-level interdimensional being. Thinking so, Aleah trembled, unable to accept that situation.
"Don't worry about me yet! That thing can still get up!" Selene shook her head gently, warning the pink-haired young woman. Aleah immediately turned back to look at the Faceless Man, and what she saw made her frown. After it spat out a mouthful of blood, its laughter echoed loudly and cheerfully, as if the technological metal lodged in its chest had no effect on it at all.
The Faceless Man used both hands to firmly grasp the glowing spear stuck in its chest, then slowly pulled it out from its core as if feeling no pain at all. The large, gaping, terrifying wound healed itself unnaturally fast. The torn tissues mended, and the gushing green blood was absorbed and vanished in a flash, leaving no trace of injury. This was the ultimate ability that made catastrophic-level interdimensional beings so powerful: supreme regeneration that could bring life back, even if the heart had already shattered.
"..." Aleah gripped the sword hilt tightly. Cold sweat seeped from her palms, preparing for a new battle that she knew would be the most difficult in her life. Not to mention catastrophic-level interdimensional monsters, she had never even dealt with S-level interdimensional monsters. Only A-level and below were what the young woman had fought and overcome.
Facing a catastrophic-level interdimensional being put immense pressure on Aleah. Despair began to gnaw at the young woman's heart. Sad images flashed in her mind repeatedly, ceaselessly. As time passed, fear increasingly overwhelmed her mind.
"Aleah, focus!" Selene warned again, before pushing the other young woman away from the Faceless Man's violent attack in a split second. Then Selene used her energy gun to fire at the numerous dark black tentacles that crept closer, attempting to bind her body. A light blue beam surged, burning the tentacles until they withered into disgusting black liquid pools on the ground.
From a distance, Elena stood poised and graceful, raising her gigantic metal bow to eye level. Her hand reached out to draw the meticulously crafted sturdy string. A cold arrow was firmly placed on the bow. Its target was the Faceless Man, the catastrophic-level interdimensional being who remained unaware that danger was creeping closer. Elena did not fire immediately. She waited patiently and calmly for the most crucial moment, like a predator waiting for its prey.
"I'm sorry, Chief," Aleah said in a soft voice, regaining her composure. She quickly switched the functional flash drive. The blade changed color, becoming dark black intertwined with deep blue sparks. Interdimensional energy was released around the metal weapon and turned into an electric current. The young woman took a deep breath to gather her concentration. Then, her eyes became resolute and determined, like a blazing flame.
Aleah used all her speed to rush into close combat with the Faceless Man. She knew she was at a disadvantage, but the young woman was not afraid. There was still her team leader helping from behind, and Elena, always ready to support her. Aleah had no reason to despair at this moment.
"Oh… Humans truly don't know their place," the Faceless Man said disdainfully, gently swinging the spear in its hand simply to defend against the attack. The clash of the two metals echoed like thunder. Fortunately, Aleah's enhanced sword was just barely able to counter and resist the attacks from the Sky-Piercing Spear held by the Faceless Man. Originally, the two weapons were not on the same level at all.
The manufacturing process differed, and the quality of materials used was of different grades. If it weren't for the weapon's self-defense system that prevented interdimensional beings from fully utilizing it, the Sky-Piercing Spear would have utterly destroyed Aleah's sword in a flash, and no one here would have survived the Faceless Man's violent and limitless attacks.
"Chief, can you use the Sky-Piercing Spear's primary system again?" After the fierce clash of technological metals, Aleah took several steps back. Her body was heavily panting from accumulated exhaustion. She awaited Selene's answer with hope. If the Chief could use the primary system again, they still had a chance to win.
Selene had already destroyed the Faceless Man's illusionary domain, so there was no need to worry about it activating a new domain anytime soon. The only problem was the insufficient attack power to destroy the catastrophic-level interdimensional monster's supreme regeneration ability. But it would be different if Selene used the primary system. The power of the Spear of Purification was already evident. If a catastrophic-level interdimensional being was hit by it, even if it didn't die instantly, its regeneration ability would be greatly reduced, significantly increasing their chances of winning.
"Mmm, one more time," Selene replied with a slight hesitation in her voice. In truth, the young woman herself wasn't sure if she could do it. The primary system, besides consuming a massive amount of interdimensional energy, also put various burdens on the user's body depending on the type of primary system. Perhaps, if she decided to use it again, Selene might even pass out before the Spear of Purification could fully charge.
"Overclock!" Aleah didn't doubt her chief's words in the slightest. She removed the installed auxiliary module and used a voice command to activate her weapon's core function. This sword might not be on par with the Sky-Piercing Spear. Nevertheless, it was equipped with the latest technology. Most new generation weapons developed by the organization would have the overclock system installed because it had many advantages. One of them was helping users survive against interdimensional monsters beyond their own level.
The moment Aleah's sword activated the overclock system, the entire blade suddenly changed color from its original to a dark gray with dazzling, glowing pink sparks. All auxiliary module systems were automatically deactivated in exchange for fully activating all the sword's functions, disregarding the sword's durability, which would decrease several times faster.
"Hmph…" The Faceless Man softly hummed. It did not rush to attack Aleah or Selene at all. On the contrary, it stood silently and motionlessly, watching the humans' 'toy' with an interest tinged with arrogance. It was clear that this catastrophic-level interdimensional being was not taking the actions of Team A members seriously at all, as if watching a naive child's performance.
"Aleah, I'll support you!" Selene exclaimed with a voice full of trust. She decided to let the primary attack role go to the pink-haired young woman who was intensely preparing. Even though she was only A-level, Selene knew that true strength wasn't measured by level alone. Level was merely a measure of the maximum amount of interdimensional energy a body could handle, which didn't indicate combat ability, experience, or strategic use at all.
S-level members were individuals who could handle immense amounts of interdimensional energy. They had a minimum power ceiling, but no maximum power ceiling. That is, S-level was the highest level; there were no SS or SSS levels. And even if they were both S-level, it didn't mean they were all equally strong, because the difference depended on their unique abilities and experience.
"Okay, Chief," Aleah replied with a determined voice. She was ready to face the enemy at close range. The young woman swung her sword, sending a wave of energy directly at the enemy. A gust of wind was generated by the attack, and at the same time, Aleah's long, flowing hair moved beautifully.
The Faceless Man did not dodge the energy wave, so its shield layer directly collided with Aleah's long-range attack. The shield didn't break, but small cracks began to appear. The Faceless Man made an excited sound. It was gradually becoming more interested in these humans.
"Humans like you truly develop quickly. Just a few decades ago, when I crossed over to that world, they could only cry and plead pitifully. I still remember well… forcing a male human to kill his partner so that their infant could live on…" The Faceless Man recounted with pleasure, as if reminiscing about sweet memories, imagining faces trembling with fear. This catastrophic-level interdimensional being laughed gleefully, desiring to cross over to that world again to wreak havoc.
"Hahaha, in the end, I turned that one's infant into a monster and it devoured its own father…" The Faceless Man had not even finished speaking when its twisted words were abruptly cut short by the young woman's voice, filled with displeasure and fury.
"Shut up!" At first, Aleah didn't bear much resentment towards the Faceless Man, but upon hearing its words, treating humans as toys, she could no longer accept those cruel stories. The young woman's heart ached with pain. Her humanity could not bear such cruel and twisted tales in the slightest.
Aleah didn't hesitate. She opened a dimensional gap to attack the Faceless Man from behind. However, this catastrophic-level being had anticipated it from the start. The young woman's body was easily caught by numerous dark black octopus tentacles, no different from the first time the Faceless Man grabbed her throat. Aleah struggled with all her might to break free from the grasp, but to no avail. Dozens of tentacles emerging from the ground squeezed the young woman's body so tightly that hideous red marks appeared. Her strength began to wane. Even moving a finger became nearly impossible. The overcloked Yin-Yang sword slowly slipped from her hand, and the overclock system immediately deactivated.
"Aleah!" Selene shouted her name in concern. She installed an auxiliary module onto her energy gun and fired at dozens of dark tentacles. The energy beam was reduced in size by the module's function, resulting in greater speed and intensity. Therefore, Selene wasn't afraid that her attack would harm Aleah.
The black tentacles shattered into pools of water on the ground. Selene quickly rushed towards the pink-haired young woman. She resolutely moved to the front line, taking Aleah's place. An energy beam was fired at close range. Even the Faceless Man dared not receive it directly. Its domain had been destroyed by this human woman before, and it was now greatly weakened. The Faceless Man might be careless with Aleah, but it would never be careless with Selene.
Selene put away her gun before swinging her fair, slender leg, empowered by interdimensional energy, to attack the Faceless Man. She wasn't particularly skilled in close combat, but the young woman didn't want her team members to be injured again. No matter how much Selene trusted Aleah, she would rather risk hurting herself than let that cheerful and bright woman face danger alone. Not only that, she was the leader of Team A. Bearing all dangers and risks was what she should do as a leader!
The Faceless Man assumed a defensive stance against Selene's rapidly incoming leg attack. At that very moment, Elena didn't hesitate. She seized this split-second opportunity to fire the pre-loaded cold, heavy arrow, piercing precisely through the Faceless Man's heart from behind. The Faceless Man had never taken Elena seriously before, not in the slightest, but in this instant, it understood thoroughly that it had vastly underestimated the strange human holding the giant bow.
Dozens of tentacles emerged from the Faceless Man's back. The energy arrow easily destroyed the energy shield, piercing through the tentacles and directly into the catastrophic-level interdimensional being's heart. Selene quickly grabbed her energy gun again, aiming it at close range at the same spot as Elena's arrow, then pulled the trigger, releasing a beam of light without the slightest hesitation.
Half of the Faceless Man's body instantly vanished, leaving only disgusting scattered flesh. Selene quickly retrieved the Sky-Piercing Spear into her hand, then rapidly activated its primary system without any regard for her own safety. A dazzling blue light surrounded the weapon, then illuminated the entire area within less than a second.
Selene gritted her teeth. A grinding sound echoed in the silence. Crazy interdimensional energy was madly damaging her internal organs. Countless past memories flashed before the young woman's eyes along with the pain that was slowly fading. No, she was starting to feel no pain…
"Chief!" Aleah's light pink eyes widened at the sight. Crimson blood flowed from her team leader's eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. The sight was terrifying and heartbreaking. However, Selene still gripped the Sky-Piercing Spear firmly and steadily in her hand, unwilling to let this crucial opportunity slip away in the slightest.
Aleah was at a loss. She didn't know how to handle this situation. A feeling of helplessness gnawed at her heart. She couldn't help her team leader at all. All she could do was watch this woman sacrifice herself for her, repeatedly. It wasn't just this time; it had been happening since the past. She was always the one who made her chief worry.
"I'm a burden… I'm a dead weight… I… have never truly been useful to the team even once." The young woman's mind could no longer bear this guilt and worthlessness. Clear tears streamed down both her cheeks. Aleah closed her eyes, not daring to look at the scene before her even slightly.
Selene's voice, gentle and faint, yet filled with deep emotion, echoed in the darkness Aleah had created.
"Aleah, I'm glad that I once in my life met you. So… don't blame yourself. This is what I should do as a leader, and it's something I willingly decided to do myself. Finally… if I don't survive this time… I want to tell you one last time that… Thank you so much for brightening my life…"
"Thank you."