Chapter 27

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[Destination set... Aridos World. We will be arriving in 2 minutes. Please, fasten your seatbelt. Taking off in... 3... 2... 1...]

Swoosh!!!

The ship began to rumble and shake as the super jet engines roared to life. The sonic engine's speed increased exponentially, tearing through the clouds and reaching space in less than 20 seconds. Then, in an instant, the ship engaged hyperspace traveling, teleporting it across vast distances and reappearing close to the Aridos World, the mission's destination. The ship's advanced technology had traversed the vast expanse of space in a mere fraction of the time it would have taken at sublight speeds.

Boom!

The jump ship's thrusters spluttered to life as it blasted into the atmosphere, nearing supersonic speed. The ship shuddered and lurched forward, pressing Trigon deep into his seat.

[Brace yourself, Cardinal...]

The ship's AI suddenly echoed in its robotic voice, leaving Trigon bewildered and confused on the reason for those ominous words. Just as he was struggling to comprehend the warning, the bottom of the jump ship slid open with a loud clang, and before Trigon could even react or process what was happening, the seat he was sitting on dropped out of the ship like a stone. Surprise and almost scared shitless, Trigon quickly reacted by looking down, his eyes wide with a bit fear, but the thick cloud cover was still blocking his view, obscuring the ground below and adding to his panic.

"Shit! This... I'm being dropped off at the troposphere, which is over 12 kilometers high in the sky!" Trigon cursed, his voice laced with disbelief and panic. After the initial shock, his skill of cold heart, helped calm his emotions, and he quickly processed what was happening. "The teachers can't just drop us to our deaths, there must be something to protect us. The chair... I fastened my seatbelt to this chair; maybe it has a parachute or some other safety mechanism!"

Despite the heavy wind slapping his face as his chair descended at a fast speed, Trigon was able to keep calm, a feat not everyone would have been able to achieve. His eyes scanned the chair frantically, searching for a way out. "Now, I gotta look for where to press... Ah, there!"

Immediately, Trigon spotted a red button fixed on the chair's left armrest; he didn't hesitate to press it, hoping it would activate a parachute or some other safety device to slow his descent.

As soon as Trigon pressed the red button, the chair's parachute deployed with a jolt, its fabric unfurling rapidly above him. But it was too little, too late. Trigon's heart sank as he realized he was already perilously close to the ground, the parachute's descent-slowing effect coming too late to make a significant difference.

The chair hurtled towards the unknown surface at a terrifying speed, Trigon's stomach lurching into his throat. Time seemed to slow as he braced for impact, his body tensing in anticipation of the brutal collision.

The chair slammed into the ground with a deafening crash, throwing Trigon forward against the restraints. The force of the impact was immense, threatening to shatter his bones. The world around him became a blur as his consciousness span out for a few terrifying seconds.

When Trigon came to, he was disoriented and groggy, his head spinning. He forced himself to move, coughing out a bit of blood as he struggled to free himself from the chair's tangled wreckage. Finally, he managed to extract himself, his body screaming in protest as he stumbled to his feet.

As he looked around, Trigon's eyes widened in shock. He found himself in a humid smelling, alien dried place, the air thick with strange, pungent scents. The ground beneath his feet was spongy and uneven, covered in a thick layer of slimy, iridescent moss as if they were human skin. The chair, his only connection to the world he knew, lay mangled and broken behind him.

Looking around him, Trigon's eyes widened in horror, and he subconsciously took a step back, his mind reeling in shock. Surrounding him were mountains of twisted corpses, their rotten skins stretched thin over their bones, like macabre sculptures created by a deranged artist. The thick, strange smell he had scented earlier turned out to be the putrid stench emanating from these corpses, which were being feasted on by flies, worms, and other insects, their buzzing and writhing adding to the surreal nightmare.

The place resembled an abandoned charnel house, a dumping ground for discarded bodies, devoid of any dignity or respect, a gruesome mockery of the sacred rituals of burial and mourning.

Trigon, who had finally managed to calm down after a few moments, was surprised that he didn't puke, his stomach churning with revulsion.

He thought to himself, "This heart, void of feelings, is amazing," finally numbing himself to the grotesque surroundings.

"Well, I gotta find an exit and leave this place behind. Can't waste time when I need to kill at least 10 beasts to pass this test," Trigon thought calmly to himself, his mind focused on the task ahead. He walked around the gruesome dumping ground, his eyes scanning the horizon for a way out. After a few moments, he finally found an exit, but what he saw beyond it left him speechless.

Before him lay a vast wasteland, stretching out endlessly without a single building or structure in sight. The desolate landscape seemed to stretch on forever, a bleak and barren expanse that seemed devoid of life.

"Sigh, I should have expected it," Trigon said with a calm face, his voice laced with resignation. "No being would willingly settle close to where corpses are being dumped. The stench of death and decay would be too much to bear."

Saying so, he lifted his head to observe the surrounding landscape more closely. He noticed a thick haze of gas pollution hanging in the air, casting a reddish-brown hue over the wasteland. The air was thick with noxious fumes, making it seem rusty and toxic. Yet, magically, it had no effect on his body. He could still breathe normally, without experiencing any difficulty or discomfort due to the polluted air. It was as if his body had developed a strange immunity to the harsh environment around him.

Not thinking too much, with his spiky, ominous-looking gauntlets on his hands, Trigon moved forward, out of the mountains of corpses, his footsteps echoing in the desolate silence. Occasionally, he would spot rusty, old-looking cars on the side, their crumbling bodies a testament to the devastating war that had ravaged this world, leaving behind a barren wasteland. The thought sent a shiver down his spine as he wondered what kind of apocalyptic conflict could have caused such destruction.

After a few hours of constant walking without coming into contact with any living thing, Trigon finally came upon a rundown store, the first building he had seen since stepping into this world.

Rushing towards it, he opened the creaky door and looked inside, his eyes scanning the empty shelves and the few spoiled items left behind. Looking around, he found nothing of use, and just when he wanted to rest due to the scorching heat from outside, he suddenly heard some squeaky sounds from the ceiling.

Alerted, Trigon quietly moved towards the door, his heart racing with cautious. No matter if those were not beasts, he had to be at a safer distance from them before he could do anything.

Stepping outside, he thought he was safe, but what he saw outside put goosebumps on his body.

The ordinary store he had stepped into not more than two minutes ago was now surrounded by gigantic rats and cockroaches the size of dogs! Their eyes glowed with intensity, and half of their bodies were made up of shiny metals, their teeth and claws sharp as if they were made of the same material.

The hot, scorching sun shining down on them gave off a bright light that made Trigon take a step back, his eyes fixed on the terrifying creatures that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.