Underground

'F*ck,' Kevin cursed in his head as he fell further into the depths, gaining speed with each passing second.

Everything was already going against the plan he had created in his head earlier. Originally, Kevin was supposed to find out what was happening down there and leave right after before anything unusual happened.

However, now he's falling into the void while being chased by a bunch of hungry bats, whose eyes were getting redder by the second.

"They're annoying," Oliver muttered as a sharp gust of wind left his palm, flying straight at the group. However, almost every beast managed to dodge with only a few smoldering away.

Oliver didn't give up and kept firing while Clara, who was also annoyed by the incoming sweep, created a fireball that glowed all over the abyss.

Without thinking much, Clara sent the fireball flying, which fused with Oliver's winds, creating a deadly attack for the incoming beasts.

Plenty of creatures began to fall as a smile formed on the duo's expression. However, the number of bats didn't seem to decrease even after such an attack, but instead they grew, causing Clara and Oliver's expressions to sober up again.

'Now I understand why Okura made such a decision, fighting bats in the air without knowing how many and what other beasts are there is disadvantageous' Kevin thought while calming himself down.

No matter how grave the situation, composure is the first thing a person should strive for.

"Get ready," Adam called out as his gaze sharpened, "We're about to hit the ground."

Kevin looked to the side in alarm, and after seeing how everyone was getting ready to use their powers to land safely on the ground, his expression darkened even more.

'My next servant will definitely be someone who can fly,' Kevin cursed as he glanced with puppy eyes at the calmly falling Okura, asking for any help.

Okura as if noticing the strange look, extended his finger in Kevin's direction.

Kevin immediately felt the familiar sheath on his skin as he finally exhaled deeply.

"We're here," Adam called out once more, directing Kevin's gaze back into the abyss that was growing brighter by the second. Finally, a piece of the ground came into view. Everyone activated their abilities while Kevin prepared to land himself.

Deep cracks formed on the ground as everyone began to descend by using their own means. Kevin's landing was inferior to the others, but at least it seemed the safest.

"Alright, now you can go off" Adam laughed, seeing the incoming bats filling the room entirely.

Oliver and Clara were the first to attack, repeating their fused attack of fire and wind. However, even after such an intervention, the number of bats did not seem to change.

A white aura began to form around Clara's body as she muttered angrily, "Everyone back off, I'm going to open my pores."

At such a statement, the group fell silent while Kevin simply ignored her words, vowing to find out about those pores later.

However, just as Clara was about to cover her body with another aura layer to continue with her attack, Okura, who had been standing still until now, stepped in front of her.

"Clara, control your emotions, we can't use up our powers on such weaklings."

Clara's face instantly reddened as she turned her head away in embarrassment. She really did have some anger issues, something even Kevin himself had seen earlier.

Suddenly, the surroundings tensed, and Kevin prepared to kiss the ground once more, but contrary to his expectation, the gravity was only amplified towards the enemies.

'So he can control his power to a certain area... why didn't he do that earlier in the union? Did he just want to see me suffer?' Kevin wondered in his head while taking a look towards the numerous amount of bats that were getting stamped into the ground with a slight pity.

"Ryan, try looking around," Adam said while stomping the floundering bat with his leg.

The giant, who was behind Glen's back, nodded. His eyes gleamed with a blue light as he looked around with a serious expression that didn't change even after a 360-degree turn.

"Still nothing, this place is really too mysterious, we'd better get back on the ground and wait for backup," Adam said.

"I don't think that's possible anymore," Okura replied as he deactivated his power, letting everyone see the numerous dead bats, "Look up."

Adam and the group moved their gazes upwards, only to see the previously huge hole closing with inexplicable speed.

Hopelessness flashed across Kevin's face seeing the nearly closed entrance. No one even attempted to escape, because it would be impossible to cover such a distance in a short time.

"Did we just fall into a trap?" Adam laughed out while placing his hand on the forehead. Despite his laughing expression, Kevin understood that he was probably cursing in his head right now.

"Since one hole is closed, let's find another," Glen said optimistically, taking a step toward the general, who didn't seem to be fazed by the situation.

'He's really different, even in such a hopeless situation, he's calm as ever,' Kevin said in his head as he also moved towards the General.

"What Glen said is right," Adam stated trying to reassure everyone and himself, "Let's scout this place first."

Everyone nodded slightly as they began to look around while Clara created a few small fireballs scattering them around the area to make the unyielding darkness dissipate.

The brighter the area became, the more clearly Kevin could see the expanse.

It was an extremely serene cave with considerably old walls riddled with deep cracks. The place was mysterious yet spooky and coupled with the cold wind touching Kevin's skin, it was even creepier.

"Over here," the girl in the red clothing called out, pointing towards the north, where a medium-sized door was stationed with a bunch of strange ancient drawings that were curved around it.

Everyone's attention was attracted to the design, which gave off a strange sense of liveliness. An odd feeling of eagerness came over the group as Glen reached his hand forward to touch the depiction.

"I don't suggest touching this," Okura said while turning his gaze elsewhere from the door, "It's a trap, created to suck out the person's mana."

Glen immediately withdrew his hand in shock as he averted his gaze from the wall.

"This kind of trap is used during the war and is really hard to execute, requiring an immense amount of mana and concentration. Even I wouldn't be sure about creating one," Okura's expression became serious, "And this trap has only been built recently."

Everyone instantly fell silent and visible horror spread across their expressions. Even Kevin's face contorted ugly.

A trap that even a general couldn't execute was created by someone who relishes here, in the underground?

"Adam, two thousand superhumans won't be enough," Okura lamented, unsheathing his katana with one hand.

"The network doesn't seem to wo--"

*ROAR*

A roar echoed through the area, interrupting Adam.

Startled, everyone turned to the source of the sound, only to see a huge creature moving towards them at full speed.

The creature paid no mind to the drawing on the walls as it rushed straight through, breaking it apart. A huge amount of dust spread out in the vicinity, completely covering the group.

Oliver didn't seem to like the situation much, as a gust of wind spread from his body settling the dust into the corner.

As the sand disappeared, Kevin managed to get a better outlook on the beast. It was a large bear, with brown dyed hair that covered its entire body. The only anomaly being the two huge fangs sticking out of its mouth.

"It's the gallant bear. I'll take care of it," Glen said with a smile as his body extended in size. With each passing second, Glen's body grew until reaching the size of the bear's.

However, not only did Glen's mass expand, his entire appearance changed drastically as well. The previously average-looking man transformed into a huge golden lion, which exhaled a deep breath of excitement, looking into the bear.

"Brace yourselves, this bear is not the only opponent," Adam announced while pointing towards the entrance that had already been broken open.

Numerous reddish eyes approached from the unyielding darkness, putting a great deal of pressure on the group.

"Let the battle begin"

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"HAHAHA, someone has dared to invade my residence," a dark creature rose from its throne.

An enormous grin curled on its face as it commanded:

"Monkey, I want you to greet the intruders and bring me their heart."

The familiar monkey, who was kneeling on the ground in fright, nodded in agreement as its eyes gleamed with red color.