Chapter 857: Shadow in the Path
Chapter 857: Shadow in the Path
Alice's adventure with Lindsey confirmed one thing for her. Her dear friend, unlike many Awakened, did not rely solely on his extraordinary powers to solve problems. Lindsey would always try to avoid conflicts, especially direct violent confrontations.
At this very moment, they were in a cave beneath the canyon. Alice reached out and touched the metal base of the Uncontrolled Machinery. Her highly perceptive abilities extended downward, immediately locating a powerful energy source.
Combining this with the strange phenomenon of Lindsey's sudden appearance in battle—
"It's here!"
"My path is one of creation, with mountains and oceans beneath my feet."
"Open!"
In an instant, a crack tore through the steel interior of the Uncontrolled Machinery base. Alice followed this surge of power, rushing towards the captivating energy source deep underground.
Just then, high above, Lindsey became aware of Alice's actions.
"You..."
Lindsey wanted to speak, but no words came to mind.
This was not a typical martial duel. It was a battle to achieve their respective goals.
Alice's choice was understandable, or perhaps even the right path, given the simpler and more direct approach now available.
"Sigh..."
Lindsey sighed and quickly accelerated his descent. He switched his weapon from the Annihilation Blade to the Storm Shooter, and a supersonic arrow was instantly released with a booming sound, chasing after Alice's retreating figure below.
From a distance of several hundred meters, Lindsey couldn't help but marvel. In a typical sense, having a companion with exceptional reconnaissance abilities during an adventure provided numerous advantages. He had previously traveled with Alice and benefited greatly from her perception.
But now, with their opposing positions, the experience wasn't as pleasant. For instance, the arrow he had just shot was about to hit its target, but the Righteous Maiden detected it and slashed it with her sword.
Despite having other weapons at his disposal, he couldn't further impede Alice's progress at this moment. Although Lindsey was faster than Alice, she was closer to the source of the temporal chaos!
Boom, boom, boom!
Alice broke through four layers of the underground foundation. While their pursuit was urgent, her superb perception allowed her to notice the surrounding situation.
This was the homeland of a new species. Many of the automatons were clearly the creations of an Artisan, but upon closer inspection, the architectural structures were vastly different from a typical Artisan base.
Alice recognized it immediately:
"It's Lindsey's skill!"
"He's already transformed this place into his base and is in the process of building it?"
The image of the Wasteland World was vivid in her mind. Alice had a particular fondness for it, and Vivian, the Awakened who had enlightened her, had also been blessed with the Real-Time Strategy Module. So, aside from Lindsey, she was the most knowledgeable about this skill. Alice understood the potential future such a skill could bring to this species.
"Hmm?"
Instinctively, Alice avoided the central building within the base.
Just then, she sensed a figure rapidly approaching her from the fifth underground level.
There were individuals of the Mech Clan within the Uncontrolled Machinery, and they naturally wanted to stop Alice's actions. However, most of them couldn't keep up with the pace of Lindsey and Alice.
This particular individual, however, demonstrated a speed far beyond normal.
"A combat unit crafted by an Artisan?"
Alice's expression turned solemn.
She would not show the slightest negligence in battle.
Directly manipulating her will, she raised the White Steel Sword in her hand and swung it towards the figure rushing towards her.
Swish—
The blade, burning with will, instantly sliced through everything in its path.
This attack was different from when she faced Lindsey.
Whether it was air, steel, or earth, nothing could block Alice's sharpness; everything was sliced through.
But what happened next caught Alice off guard.
She realized what was rushing towards her—it was a human-like Servant Doll crafted by an Artisan, dressed in a maid outfit.
Her blade had clearly locked onto the doll's path.
But in an instant, the rushing doll twisted its body 16 times, narrowly avoiding the edge of the White Steel Sword!
The doll seized the moment and rushed to Alice's side.
Bang!
The Righteous Maiden was grabbed around the waist by Lota.
The two of them crashed to the side, and Alice's momentum was abruptly halted as she fell.
"Hmm?"
Alice furrowed her brows.
This bizarre change in speed—was it Lindsey's Sports Racing Module skill? Prepared for this battle, Lindsey had even shared his module with the Battle Doll in this facility.
As Alice made her deductions, excruciating pain racked her body—the burning sensation at her waist was particularly intense! Lota showed no mercy as she made contact.
The light blade on the doll's wrist extended instantly, attempting to slice Alice in half at the waist. But the powerful Essence protected the Righteous Maiden's body, and a brilliant flame erupted from her waist and abdomen.
"My presence here is for the sake of honor."
"Stand down!"
A calm Word Spirit was shouted by Alice.
Lota, who was exerting force, immediately lost control of her hands and was kicked in the face by the Righteous Maiden, sending her flying like a ragdoll and rolling on the ground a few times.
As Alice steadied herself, Lota also got back up.
Lindsey, who had been chasing them from above, seized the opportunity and descended at an astonishing speed to the sixth underground level, positioning himself between the human and the machine.
"Lindsey."
"Alice."
Lindsey and Alice locked eyes.
But Lindsey had something else on his mind; he turned to look behind him:
"Lota, thank you for your help just now."
"But this is my battle with her. You take the others and prepare for evacuation, protect the buildings in the facility."
Lindsey's tone brooked no argument.
Lota thought of the under-construction Core Energy Tower and chose to retreat.
Clang!
The shattered steel marks led straight underground, right beside the two of them.
The rolling lime dust flowed like a sand waterfall, and Lindsey and Alice faced each other amidst the smoke and the wail of metal.
After the previous wait and battle...
The Core Energy Tower was three minutes away from completion, and Leaf Haiya was about to repair the Temporal Distortion Node.
The Righteous Maiden was unaware of the exact time.
But her exceptional intuition made her sense that a crucial moment was approaching.
"Huff—"
Alice took a deep breath.
Her steadfast belief pushed aside all physical pain, and she gripped the White Steel Sword tightly, aiming it at Lindsey.
In this final moment, she didn't waste words, only offering a reminder to her friend:
"Lindsey."
"Be prepared for my next strike!"
(End of Chapter)
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