On the ground above, the silent but lethal war had now reached its peak. Instead of decreasing, the number of Shadow Tentacles was only increasing, as if the shadows of everything in the factory had become alive and were striking.
Helena felt that just defending would not work now. She slammed her axe on the ground and took a strong stand. As four tentacles lunged simultaneously from all four directions to seize her, Helena rotated her waist like a top. Her heavy axe rotated in the air like a massive silver circle. And within just one second, the tips of those four tentacles were cut and turned into smoke in the air and began going to their original place. Helena's breaths were fast, but there was no lack in the precision of her strike. She saw that a tentacle was moving toward Historia's back. Without wasting time, Helena used her axe and made a tremendous strike like a 'Flaming Slash' in the air; the Flaming Slash went and collided with the tentacle, by the impact of which that tentacle finished right in the path.
"Take care of yourself," Helena said in a harsh voice.
Historia turned her neck for just a second to look at Helena and then got back to her war again. Her sword was now moving like a machine. She knew this fact that these tentacles were emerging directly from a specific dark corner of the workshop.
Historia took a high leap and while turning her body in the air, performed a 'Vertical Slash.' The edge of her sword produced a sharp whistle-like sound in the air. After which, as soon as she landed on the ground, she caught one tentacle with her left hand—its sticky and cold energy was trying to burn her hands, but Historia pulled it toward her with a jerk and cut off its base in a single strike with her sword.
"Madam Helena, these tentacles are being operated from a center," Historia informed in a calm voice, while she was blocking another strike with the hilt of her sword.
Both warriors had now come into a synergy. Helena was keeping that large swarm of tentacles away with the heavy strikes of her axe, due to which a cloud of dust and debris was flying, while Historia was targeting those fast shadows which escaped from Helena's strike.
Just then, from the roof of the workshop, a giant tentacle, which was ten times thicker than all the rest, came down fast to fall upon Helena.
Seeing that tentacle coming toward her, Helena shouted and said, "I will handle this!" She raised her axe with both hands and used that same move which she had used for the first time on a giant. She shouted— 'The Great Slash'. With this strike, she ripped that tentacle apart badly.
But cutting that massive tentacle proved to be a very big mistake. As soon as Helena's axe ripped it from the middle, it did not finish by turning into smoke like the rest of the tentacles. On the contrary, it split into countless small and agile parts due to the impact of the strike. Those cut parts swayed in the air like a poisonous snake and increased their number many times.
Helena and Historia, who until now were defending using their full strength, were not ready for this sudden change. Those pieces spread so fast and pounced on them from such close range that despite being Paragons, they did not even get a chance to compose themselves.
"What calamity is this!" only this much came out of Helena's mouth. Both she and Historia remained completely shocked seeing this horrific sight.
Before they could manage their shields, those countless tentacles seized them from all around. Helena threw in her entire physical strength, her veins tightened and she made a failed attempt to break that grip with her axe. Meanwhile, Historia tried to cut those shadows with her sword, but those tentacles kept binding her hands and legs like a sticky net.
Both were struggling, putting in every possible force to free their grip, but the grip of those tentacles was stronger than even a chain.
In the next moment, 그 black shadow dragged them and took them inside the massive and heavy iron door of the factory workshop where there was scary darkness.
"Leave me!" Helena's last roar was heard, but those tentacles dragged them ruthlessly and pulled them inside the dark door of that workshop. As soon as they went inside, that heavy door closed on its own with a terrifying noise.
Now there was only silence in that part of the factory, and trapped in the deep pit below, I was completely unaware of this fact.
But in that suffocating depth of the pit, I was having this realization that something very wrong was happening above, but knowing the condition above was not possible for me right now. Those five Undead, whom I had stopped for a while by striking on the head, had once again stood up stumbling. A rot-filled smile was coming from their broken limbs. I had understood this that the game won't end just by injuring the head; these were already dead, therefore erasing them completely was the only way.
I had a way, but for that I had to make a path for which I had to go even closer to them.
As soon as the Undead right in the front lunged toward me spreading its torn arms, I used my speed. I slid from my place sticking to the wall of soil and planted a 'Side Kick' on its knee with my full strength. The sound of its bone breaking came and it leaned to one side. Without wasting time, I clenched my fist and landed a tremendous punch on its face. My hand sank into its cold and lifeless flesh, but it moved back.
Just then the remaining four surrounded me. I took out my paper knife and while swinging it, made a deep strike on the joint of an Undead's neck. Its muscles were cut, but it was still moving forward. Using my agility, I rained many punches and kicks one after another, so that I could keep them away from myself.
Seeing the situation worsen, I took out my gun from my waist. My heartbeats were fast. I aimed the gun and targeted right in the middle of the first Undead's chest—where its heart should have been. And I fired the first bullet.
The first bullet went through, piercing its chest. That Undead fell back with a jerk and began to struggle. I immediately turned the gun toward the second Undead who was just about to seize my shoulder.
And I fired the second bullet.
The second bullet blew the rags off its chest. From the strike of those bullets, the dead energy inside their bodies began to scatter, with the help of which they were alive. But unfortunately, as soon as I tried to press the third trigger, only a 'click-click' sound came from the gun.
The bullets of my gun were finished.
Now I was trapped in that deep pit, and now the screams of Helena and Historia coming from above had completely stopped.
Drops of sweat were shining on my forehead. I was a bit nervous for sure, but this was a big mistake of my own. I knew that few bullets were left in the gun, still I had not kept it reloaded beforehand. Although there were extra bullets in my pocket, but at this moment filling the bullets was much more important than executing that plan which I had already thought of.
I jumped to one side with agility and created a safe distance from those disgusting Undead. My time had begun. I took a deep breath and began to read the summoning spell to call 'Heater'.
"From the depths of the void, I call the Azure Shade."
"Become the unseen wall; stand guard for your Master."
"Manifest… HEATER!"
As soon as the last words of the mantra came out of my lips, a blurry figure emerged in front of me from the depths of the Underworld and Spirit Land right in the middle of the pit. And in a few moments, my summoning spirit 'Heater' was standing in front of me.
He made the atmosphere heavy with his magical presence and while bowing and giving me respect said, "Hello Master! Tell me, what service can I do for you?"
Without wasting time, I said in direct words, "Heater, I have a very important task for you. Do those Undead visible in front of you appear to you?"
Heater turned his head toward that side and I felt a strange emotion in his aurum energy. And then while looking in surprise he said, "Oh! These look like the bodies of dead humans... but Master, how are they moving? I know that after dying humans are completely finished and their soul either goes to hell or heaven."
Heater was still talking all this but I interrupted him and said, "Right now you just go to those Undead. I have surrounded them in a corner with great difficulty, you stick them firmly to the wall of this pit."
Heater was a bit amazed, and said, "Okay Master, as you say. But what do you want to do by sticking them to the wall?"
I replied, "Right now you just do your work, you will find out yourself. And if you don't find out, I will explain later. Just keep one thing in mind."
"What thing?" Heater asked.
"As soon as I snap my fingers, then you quickly break your summoning and immediately go back to the Underworld."
But Heater's confusion increased more, "But Master, why so?"
"Do as much as is said, the rest of the talk later!" I ordered him. Heater nodded his head and lunged toward those Undead. But after all why did I do this? I did this because Heater was a spirit, and except for Paragons, no one could see him nor touch and feel him. When he caught those Undead, those poor things began to thrash their arms and legs in the air with their lifeless hands. They were not understanding at all which invisible force has held them in a grip.
I took full advantage of this quality of Heater. As soon as he stuck those five firmly against the wall, I used my most destructive power of Sequence 1. My fingers rose in the air and I made a loud snap.
And in the blink of an eye, the sky above screamed like a torn cloth. A terrifying and shining sky lightning (Lightning Strike) fell directly inside that pit upon those Undead and Heater. In that micro-second of the lightning strike, Heater broke his summon and disappeared and went back to his world.
That lightning was so destructive that the bodies of those Undead began to burn in fire and in a few moments turned into a heap of ash becoming coal. But one more thing happened from that lightning strike which I had already predicted in my plan.