Bro, I'm not an Undead!

1416  The Operation Begins

The Eye of the Visitor was a beige eye with the pale symbol of a hook as its pupil. It created webs that fed into the whites of Yuyui's eyes, like roots. When Yuyui first equipped it, she was convinced she wouldn't be able to disable it.

Maybe it was because Suzamete was enhancing its range, but its hold over her was strikingly firm.

Yuyui found the eye to be her least favorite, given what it had been used for in the past. Having it actively try to become a permanent part of her left socket was sickening, to say the least. She weathered through it though. This wasn't about her. It was about saving Aigas.

'Arghh. It's really greedy,' she thought. The eye sapped a lot of her energy at a frightening rate. As the range of the light gushing out of it to attract her target reached further, the amount of her mana consumed doubled.

It had been a while since Yuyui feared the effects of using her eyes. Easily the worst time she had while using them was when she had used the Eye of Dispersal and Eye of Moving to save Skullius and the rest from Jerthrax's breath back then.

Using the eyes had strained her so much she bled from her orifices. But after the hellish training in the Timemould Mirror Box, she was able to handle multiple uses of all her eyes without a hassle.

'I suppose the Eye of the Visitor is just that much stronger, even without Suzamete's augments,' Yuyui thought.

<You should get going. The target is already on its way. You need to intercept it before it clashes with the Rules protecting Aigas.>

"Wait, it's already on the way?" Grim reeled.

Suzamete turned to him. He shivered. It was like having the sun's attention on you – it was incomprehensible.

<Yes. As I said, beasts of low intelligence are easy prey for Yuyui's eye.>

And indeed, Yuyui had felt it too. She couldn't see the appearance of the Chronocle Fiend, but she had felt it the instant the pulse from her eye reached the distance Suzamete had mentioned. It didn't take long for the creature to decide it wanted to pay Aigas a visit.

"We shall fly then," said Asthon, and he looked at Jiggorrhax. "You wouldn't mind me taking charge, would you?"

The Herald groaned.

"I would not. I am quite eager to learn about you, old bird," he said.

Asthon laughed. Grim wore a sheepish smile.

'There go my expectations.'

The Trueworth Bill took charge indeed.

"Does everyone here have the means to take flight?" he asked.

Before anyone could answer, one of the six Fruit Bearers who would be joining them produced what looked like a few loaves of bread… or maybe large croissants.

His emotionless face made him seem a bit more eerie than he actually was.

<That is a Mythical grade consumable.> said Suzamete. <If you have a powerful enough mind, one bite will allow you to actualise abilities you can firmly visualise in your mind for an hour. It only works with one ability at a time, though. All of you – except for Yuyui – will take it. It costs nothing to fly while using this.>

Everyone was taken aback. For there to be something so profound here…

But of course, a second of clear consideration convinced them that it wasn't at all strange. This was Suzamete, one of the Deities that made Aigas, after all. It seemed that it was easier for her to cheat like this while in her domain, or rather, using her Fruit Bearers.

Grim remembered just then that Skullius had once mentioned meeting these individuals outside Suzamete's domain.

'The Mad Bishop would lose her mind,' he thought when he bit into a portion of the bread he had been given. It was fresh, soft and delicious. He detected a strong milky flavour. It made him tear up. 'So good…'

Everyone had the same reaction except Jiggorrhax and Asthon. For the former, no amount of bread could make him savour the taste with his massive frame, and for the latter… it seemed as though Asthon had tasted something just as tasty in his lifetime.

A few seconds later, the ice goblin was the first to start levitating, a surprised look on its face.

"It works!" he cried. He had simply imagined himself taking flight and his body had responded. It was easy and almost natural.

Grim was the next to take flight, then Azila and the other beasts. The Unlimited Star wasn't too impressed, but he smiled, fascinated.

'I wonder what other kinds of powers this bread could give us? Wouldn't it be better to boost our Classes and skills with it instead?' he thought.

<It wouldn't.>

Grim was startled.

Suzamete had read his thoughts. He turned to her incomprehensible figure.

<It is hard to traverse the great void. You'll find that even with great powers, as a mortal, it will be difficult to keep your balance and resist the overwhelming density in that darkness. Your ability to fly will be especially valuable. Since you only have to think about where to go without exerting any other kind of effort, you'll have the freedom to ignore how hard it is to move in the void and attack as you normally would.>

Grim nodded slowly.

Was it that hard to traverse the void?

Just as he wondered, the infinite sky above them started unraveling, leaving a deep darkness that beckoned them silently overhead.

"That's our cue then," Asthon said and he addressed everyone. "I'd advise getting out of here with your optimal battle characteristics in effect. Get your Dormant Territory ready if you have to."

The guardian beasts immediately prepared. Their Nitros surged at once.

Unfortunately, unlike humans, they couldn't wield Nitros unless they had every intention to activate their Majestic Territory.

Grim, on the other hand, not only reinforced himself with Nitros, but he immediately assumed the first form afforded by his Hidden Class: Avhanar the Voracious.

He quickly became a giant wolven head without a limb in sight. Jiggorrhax gave him an amused look, as did Asthon. The two took the lead in flying out of Suzamete's domain.

Grim followed after them, feeling his confidence rising.

This was it.

His moment to transcend his insecurities had come.