Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Tether averted their gaze from the approaching, intimidating figure. The alien bowed their head, eyes shut tight. They had lost all will to fight. Their thoughts concluded that this was the end.

This was not the first time Tether had come across Destiny Spider in person. Destiny Spider was one of the few individuals who had ascended to the rank of 'Pillar of Calamity' within the first three weeks of the arrivals. At the time, Tether was still a mere soldier, part of a battalion led by an Und ranked 'Supreme Crusader'.

The battalion had been dispatched to invade an area in the human settlement but had never arrived. A string of seemingly innocuous events had diverted the battalion's ship to an unoccupied desert land. The events felt entirely natural, lacking any sense of controlled fate. Yet, the alien battalion had been manipulated, and they all died in a terrifying, bizarre manner. Tether was the only survivor.

Tether's survival had granted them the dubious privilege of meeting Destiny Spider one-on-one. The Liberation Force's top dog had visited the ghost battleship where Tether sat, helpless, forced to listen to the simple, chilling errand that Destiny Spider wanted them to deliver to the high echelons of the Unds' forces.

"Humanity will find a way to win, no matter the advantage you have over us."

Tether shook their head, recalling the final, chilling words Destiny Spider had left them with: "The next time you see me will be your death."

Raymond took the opportunity to strike. Sure Kill—a sword slash primed to strike its target with absolute precision, guaranteeing a fatal or demolishing blow.

Tether sensed Raymond's movement, but what could they do when they were already frozen before a far more dangerous opponent? The alien then sensed another attack, this one seemingly from Destiny Spider, yet the aura of the power felt wrong—it wasn't a signature they recognised.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on the alien's face. They realised that they had been tricked. Two more powers hurtled towards them—a curse known as the Withering Kiss, and an overwhelming wave of pure Death.

Tether opened their eyes. They saw two undead creatures: Raymond and Evil Sphinx. Approaching from a distance, Lady Flux. The figure that had impersonated Destiny Spider now stood revealed: Evil Sphinx. It was a grotesque, reanimated sphinx, its leonine body decayed to the point of revealing its skeletal ribs. Tattered, leathery wings and ashen skin framed a human queen's face, which was twisted into a permanent, malevolent sneer. Its sunken eyes burned with a spectral green light, promising riddles of despair.

Tether massively deteriorated, becoming a petrified husk of bone and withered flesh, barely clinging to life. They laughed widely, a dry, rasping sound, mocking their own downfall and approving of the method used to achieve it.

"Why are you laughing?" Lady Flux frowned, her gaze sweeping warily over her surroundings.

Tether could barely see, their eyes decaying by the second. They raised their gaze to the Pale Lady, who had now closed in on them. "It's amusing that you took me down with a simple shape-shifting trick. Well done."

With those final words, Tether turned to ash.

Meanwhile, at Ivan's flat in Section 2.5, Ivan and Roger were in the kitchen. Ivan had returned a few minutes earlier from Escady gym and was frying eggs for them both. They were having a nice chat as he did so, talking about Roger's experiences in Section 1 and focusing mostly on the cultural differences between the two sections.

Ivan was extending the spatula to turn over an egg when a premonition of danger struck him. He froze in place, an action Roger did not fail to notice. Before Roger could question him, Ivan cuddled Roger's head into his chest, using his weight to push them both to the floor. At that exact instant, the wall in front of them burst inwards. Ivan's quick action had saved Roger from suffering a serious blow to the head.

A massive, clenched fist on an equally massive, muscular arm was extended through the hole in the wall.

"The hell was that?" Roger asked, his voice shaking with panic.

Ivan urged his friend forward. "Crawl! Leave the damned kitchen, we're under attack!"

Two hulking figures burst into the kitchen, bringing down the entire side of the wall with them. One of the assailants leapt forward, aiming to stomp on Roger's head. Ivan rose sharply and caught the adversary by their legs. He deftly pivoted, swinging the alien away to crash into the left kitchen wall.

The second alien rammed into Ivan, knocking him down. He stood no chance against an assailant who was more powerful and clearly specialised for this kind of combat. The aliens were Brawler-types, masters of hand-to-hand battle. It took a step forward, planting a heavy foot on Ivan's belly, but that's all it could do. A heavy cannon blast blew it clean out of the building, sending it crashing heavily onto the cold, hard ground outside.

The violent blast and the subsequent emergence of an alien threw the whole block into chaos. People screamed, desperately vacating the area.

Meanwhile, Valentine entered Ivan's flat and helped Roger to his feet. The Spy-class Special Character was wielding a hand cannon that was still trickling smoke. Ivan got back to his feet unsteadily. He noticed that the alien he had slammed into the kitchen wall was nowhere to be seen; even his danger premonition senses couldn't detect its presence nearby.

Ivan approached Roger and Valentine. He and Valentine had a brief stare-down, during which Ivan had taken a good look at the sophisticated attire Valentine was wearing: a form-fitting tactical suit, obviously loaded with advanced battle equipment.

Ivan put aside his suspicion, focusing on survival first. "Where do we head?"

The building began to shake under the immense force of several figures rapidly ascending it. The vibrations came from all directions. Valentine's helmet automatically materialised over his head, sealing the suit. It immediately began to track the directions from which the figures were coming, using a combination of infra-red and sonar technology. From the information gathered, there were five hulking figures charging towards Ivan's room from the ground floor, their paths effectively blocking all possible escape routes.

"Of all the days to forget my high-powered jetpack, it had to be today," Valentine cursed his luck.

Valentine pivoted, moving to Ivan's side. He extended his arms, aiming a pair of gauntlets forward at the wall. The instant this corner of the living room came crashing down from another impact, he fired a volley of micro-explosives and quickly raised his right arm. The gauntlet on that arm cast a protective dome that shielded himself, Ivan, and Roger from the blast.