Much like the cathedral, the fog on the first level was thin and didn't completely block their visibility. The echoes of their footsteps spread out long before their arrival - it couldn't be helped as it was much harder to stay silent with so many of them travelling together. But there was no one around to notice which, given their location, was fortunate.
However, they were greeted with the sight of dried blood as soon as they descended, as well as countless Mutt corpses piled in a corner, as well as a few berserkers. The upper level had been cleaned since there were so many soldiers around who could go there, but in the basement the best anyone could do was pile the corpses on the side.
Naturally, that also left behind a strong stench of death and decay all around them, creating a nauseating environment. There were stairs leading further down, but they didn't need to go there, as their target was on the very first floor.
Nero used Aether Pulse and immediately detected dozens of cursed entities up ahead.
"We have enemies right ahead," Nero said, just as a Mutt revealed itself. It had been munching on the corpses, but as soon as it laid eyes on living prey it growled excitedly and spread its feathery wings.
The Mutt leaped into the air towards Nero, but before it got anywhere close an arrow shot right into its face, throwing it to the ground. But it was as if a chain reaction had been set off. The sound of the first Mutt attracted others, causing them to emerge from behind the mounds of corpses, or from nearby hallways.
They mimicked the actions of the first exactly, growing in excitement, and then leaping into the air towards them. Yet even as dozens of Mutts flew towards him, Nero did not move.
He stood there, his spear planted into the ground beside him, waiting for them to come closer.
Yet they did not have an opportunity. Between Nero, Leonard, Arter, Pipo and the other team they hadn't had a chance to get to know yet, there were over twenty five of them there. Arrows, darts, needles, balls of flames and countless other projectiles were thrown past Nero, slamming into the Mutts. Even if they weren't all killed, which many of them weren't, they were all knocked down to the ground.
After another similar barrage, all the Mutts died without requiring Nero to move at all. But when he remained standing, even after all the Mutts were dead, his team looked at him with confusion.
"There are still two more," Nero said, still waiting. A few moments passed in silence with nothing happening. Standing there, in that revolting smell that seemed to be permeating into their very skin, even a few moments seemed unbearable. But then they came into view.
Two berserkers arrived from showed up, walking in from a hallway, and paused when they saw the huge group.
"I'll take care of this," Nero said, finally lifting his spear and taking a step forward. "We should find out how effective Thunderous Clap really is."
Since Nero was willing to take on two berserkers himself, most of the others were more than happy to let him take the lead. Yet Arter stepped past him, his hand on his sword's hilt.
"I don't take orders from you," he said.
The berserkers didn't like the challenge, and immediately roared, before running towards them. Each of their footsteps was heavy, shaking the ground as they ran and squishing the Mutt corpses that came underfoot.
Nero's expression turned solemn as he realised that these berserkers seemed slightly stronger than the ones he had faced before. But there wasn't much time to think.
As soon as the monstrosities closed in, Nero rushed forward, attacking the one on the right as Arter headed towards the one on the left.
A stronger berserker also represented a bigger, bulkier berserker, with a much heavier body. The berserker swung at Nero, but he ducked and swung his spear with full force, hitting its foot and causing it to lose balance.
Since it had leaned forward when it swung, the berserker just made it easier for Nero to trip it, and after a good push, it crashed onto the floor, its heavy weight working against it.
If his timing, or his aim, had been slightly off the berserker's weight would have worked to the monster's advantage, keeping it grounded. But by now Nero had fought so many of them that he knew how to easily handle them. Neither their strength nor giant body could intimidate him.
Before the creature could react, Nero brought his palm forward and used Thunderous Clap, shooting out an invisible shockwave into the creature's neck. The creature grunted and writhed. It tried to roar but its vocal cords were clearly destroyed. ѕ†օгу&-ѕ$оսяς#ҽ&-
Nero tried to use the card again but there was a slight delay. He used his internal pressure and his spear to pin the creature to the ground until he could use it again, once again targeting the neck.
But instead of dying as promised upon two hits, the berserker began struggling even harder, but it was no use. For a creature that couldn't effectively coordinate its own limbs, trying to break out of Nero's hold was far from easy.
The third blast finally caused the berserker to fall limp, its neck imploding, leaving behind only its bone connecting its skull and torso, no meat or skin of any kind.
Nero turned to look to find that Arter had already killed his own target and stood there waiting for him. He had an unimpressed look on his face, but the only thing that caught Nero's attention was the cut on the berserker's neck that he killed. It was not as smooth as it used to be. It looked like Arter had used two strikes instead of the usual one to decapitate it.
"The berserkers are tougher and stronger here, be careful. Thunderous Push also has a two second delay before it can be used a second time, so keep that in mind during engagements."
Everyone tensed. The berserkers were stronger?
But they did not have time to dwell on that fact. They were reinforcements, which meant that there was someone up ahead fighting for their lives.
They began to navigate the hallways at a fast pace, constantly checking their surroundings for more enemies. Oddly enough, they encountered no curses. But every time they came up upon a pile of bodies, there would be Mutts around it, munching on the corpses.
Fortunately, the only berserkers they came across were dead.
Since they knew exactly where to go, and the path had been cleared of enemies at least once, they didn't face much resistance. But just as they were closing in on their goal, having navigated the countless winding hallways, leaving behind many unexplored corridors, they encountered a problem.
They approached the end of the hallway, and it led into a hall where dozens of soldiers were fighting an army of Mutts, berserkers and two dark berserkers. The problem was that there was a pale yellow barrier blocking their way. That hadn't been there on the map.
A single glance at the situation beyond the pale barrier was enough to tell him that the soldiers were at a disadvantage. Not only were they outnumbered, they were exhibiting clear signs of exhaustion.
"Do you know how we can get around?" Nero yelled through the barrier, trying to attract someone's attention, but they clearly had none to spare.
"We need to find a way around quickly," Nero said, but the sound of screaming distracted him. It was coming from behind him.
He turned just in time to see a body flying across the hallway, heading straight for the barrier. He leaped, using his internal pressure to strengthen himself, and grabbed the body midair. He also glimpsed at what had happened.
Berserkers had appeared behind them, standing in a line to perfectly block their path. With the yellow barrier on one side, and berserkers on another, they were stuck. This scene looked too much like a well timed trap to be a coincidence. Even though Nero had been using Aether Pulse the entire time he hadn't spotted the berserkers, But now, here they were.
Nero landed on the ground and placed the body down. Whoever it was, he was in a bad condition, bleeding profusely and unconscious. Nero used FAK on him once, trying to stop the bleeding, before heading towards the berserkers.
If this was a trap, they had to get out of it as quickly as possible.
"Leonard," Nero screamed out. He didn't give orders, there wasn't any time. Just calling him out was enough. Their teams would fight together, as they had done before.
Yet even as Nero approached the berserkers, they remained standing in position, as if waiting for him. Doubt entered his mind and he looked around. That's when he saw it.
Right at the back, standing taller than the regular berserkers, was a dark berserker, looking at him curiously. It was observing him - studying his response. It was leading the other berserkers, and that wasn't a good sign.