Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

The monsters soon caught the location of the 'threat'.

The monsters frantically charged at the adventurers.

Sixty seconds was the duration for Sarah_Ze_Beauty's limited use of the special ability 'Cosmic Stageplay'. The mechanism of action of Cosmic Stageplay was complicated yet simple. When the ability was activated, the stagemaster connected to the cosmic mystic force. She could extract any item she imagined from this cosmic web.

The cosmic mystic force was a cosmic network linking various stagemasters located across the cosmos of the Torn Indigo. It functioned like a trade network where different stagemasters exchanged items to create magical illusions to awe their audience. For example, a stagemaster on Planet X would put a coin into their hat, which was connected to the network. Another stagemaster on Planet Y would take the coin, exchanging it for a grenade. The audience on Planet Y would be awed that the stagemaster converted a grenade to a coin simply by dipping it into their hat. The audience on Planet X reacted with the same expressions of awe.

The mechanism of action was simple: as long as a stagemaster had something to exchange, they would draw out what they desired from the cosmic mystic network.

Every monster on the plains of Level 10 was sprinting towards the adventurers. This was precisely what Sarah_Ze_Beauty had hoped for. She wanted the monsters to approach in this manner so that she could annihilate all of them with an attack she would obtain from the cosmic mystic force.

The stagemaster allowed the teleportation machine to sink into the network. Suddenly, her irises became golden, and the golden colour filled the whites of her eyes. Her being exuded a palpable golden energy, appearing like a powered-up goddess. Golden energy concentrated on her hands in revolving circles.

"Abra kadabra, ugly dogs," she cursed at the monsters, pressing her hands on the ground.

Instantly, a magical array surrounded the encroaching monsters, trapping them behind an invisible fence. The ground beneath the monsters' feet lit up with circular golden runes, beaming with the same energy that flowed through Sarah_Ze_Beauty.

The realm shook so violently, more than the previous times when explosions had been set off. A terrifying, huge golden thunderbolt descended upon the magical array. The size of the bolt covered the entire array, annihilating every monster. It spared not a speck of dust from the monsters; it took them out as if they had never existed.

Hmmph-Phmmm! Heavy breathing came from within the crater—the aftermath of the explosion.

One hundred undead monsters climbed out of the crater. All of them were missing a significant number of parts—arms, legs, skulls, ribs, etc.

Sarah_Ze_Beauty had reverted to her regular avatar form; she couldn't use the ability again until five hours had passed.

"How did those monsters survive that blast?" Troy_to_me asked, baffled.

Ivan unleashed an attack. Straight Path Boomerang!

His switchaxe sailed fast and furiously towards an undead monster. It tore through the monster, and almost instantly, the monster exploded. The weapon ended its forward flight and rebounded.

Ding! The weapon rang melodiously as a monster firmly caught it with its only remaining arm, stopping the weapon from returning to Ivan.

Ivan couldn't believe his eyes. The adventurers couldn't believe what was happening.

>>>>

Your weapon has suffered significant damage.

Item: Common Switchaxe

Grade: C-rank.

Type: Common.

Durability: 50%

If Ivan had magnifying sight, he would have observed the cracks that had appeared all over the weapon. The monster's solid grip was so strong that it caused the weapon to crack.

The monsters parted, revealing a more intimidating undead skeleton that wore a skull helmet and a red cape over its shoulders. This dignified appearance suggested that it was the head of the horde. In contrast to other monsters, it had lost no limbs or parts of its skeletal body.

A system info popped up simultaneously in the adventurers' perception.

>>>>

The end of your journey lies in sight!

Info: Salazar, the undead tyrant, has set his sights on you and your colleagues. You must defeat him and his horde to complete your raid. But beware, Salazar is not like the rest of his horde. He is stronger than a base-rank character and has received boons from a devil force—an event not meant to happen.

Description: Defeat Salazar and his horde to get your ticket to the Vate Prison Realm.

Onelight's gaze returned to Salazar. She observed that the undead leader carried a black battle shield. It was brimming with Dark energy—devil energy. Suddenly, a high-pitched buzzing sound attacked Onelight's ear along with a throbbing headache. Her eyelids squeezed tightly, grimacing.

A revelation!

Salazar ran amidst the horde that headed for the adventurers. It suddenly halted, feeling something was off. It stared at the ground, and then the ground lit up with golden circular runes. It glanced around, as if beckoning the other undead monsters to gather around it. A bunch of monsters rushed towards it, but it was a bit too late for them. Salazar raised its shield, tanking the terrifying bolt of golden lightning that crashed down upon the array.

Onelight opened her eyes; the pain was gone. The vision she saw explained how the monsters survived. The shield in Salazar's hand had deflected some of the bolt's power, ensuring the monsters survived.

Salazar collected Ivan's switchaxe from the minion who had caught it. Alita_72 notched an arrow on her bow and aimed. Troy_to_Me raised her rifle and aimed.

Fatal Strike!

Fatal Blow!

The Archer and the Gunslinger unleashed their special abilities that they hadn't used. They both aimed at Salazar. Unfortunately, Salazar possessed quick reflexes. He raised his shield, protecting himself from the attacks. The undead tyrant's shield crumbled with an audible pop under the force of the special attacks.

Shecyclone braced herself to unleash her special attack. The gem on her staff gradually grew a green luminosity. But before she could unleash her AOE attack, Onelight stepped forward, slamming the butt of her staff on the ground as she cast Healing Sphere.

The healer exchanged a significant portion of her Exp tally in order to cast this shield. Her movement now was to make the forward part of the shield sturdier. Immediately, a solid mass crashed onto it. A hulking undead skeleton had raced over to the adventurers in a blink of an eye and slammed a club towards them. The adventurers were fortunate that Onelight had received a premonition and acted as quickly as possible.

In Onelight's perception, system info appeared.

You have unlocked a psychic ability.

Info: You have an acute sense of your environment, able to sense the changes and dangers that lie in your environment. You also care for yourself, nourishing your mind with rich nutrients from the Vate lords' hall. You have unlocked the psychic ability: Precognition and Retrocognition.

Description: You have received the ability to glimpse events of the past and of the future.

She couldn't read it at the moment. She strained her willpower to sustain the shield. Every impact on the shield tugged at her mind and stamina.

The other monsters trudged forward. They were not in a rush, as if they were certain that the adventurers would fall by their hands. However, Salazar didn't advance with the other monsters. It stood menacingly at a spot, observing the entire event with its flaming eyes.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Every mighty slam on the shield shook the hearts of the adventurers cowering under the shield. The adventurers were dumbfounded; they couldn't scream or cry at their seemingly inevitable death. They just stood and watched helplessly. Veins surfaced on Onelight's face; the strain of holding the shield was tougher than ever on her. A drop of tear slid down her left eye; she was slowly coming to accept her fate that she was going to die here.

Am_I_Me was the most gloomy among the adventurers. She sat down on the floor of the shield and tucked her head into her knees. She quietly wept.

Suddenly, the Healing Sphere exploded, throwing the hunters in various directions. Ivan didn't have a smooth landing. He slid roughly across the ground under the impact of the explosive force. As he slid uncontrollably, there was a metallic sliding sound beside him.

Salazar was responsible for the forceful collapse of Onelight's shield. Being a monster that thrived on instincts, it had grown impatient with the speed of the event. It launched the switchaxe at the Healing Sphere from a distance, shattering the spherical shield with immense power.

Ivan's sliding stopped. His body was covered with scratch injuries, but his clothing was unscathed. His eyes fell on a familiar item: the switchaxe.

>>>>

Your weapon has suffered significant damage.

Item: Common Switchaxe

Grade: C-rank.

Type: Common.

Durability: 0%

Integrity: 0

The martial artist witnessed his weapon crumble to bits before his eyes.

"Ahhh!" Someone shrieked.

Ivan looked over in the direction of the sound. He saw Am_I_Me use deceit to momentarily distract a monster, giving Onelight, who was its target, ample time to stand up from the ground and flee.

Three explosions shook the ground. Wanyama had launched and detonated three runic 'grenades', halting ten monsters from closing in on him and two other adventurers—Troy_to_Me and Shecyclone.

The adventurers fled from the monsters like headless chickens.