Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 1164: Another One

Asher simply stayed silent; he didn’t suggest or say anything at the moment. While he may be stronger at the moment, Corporal Sonya held the authority over their deployment. He couldn’t immediately go rogue on his first deployment, going against orders. If he wanted to do that, he might as well just stay at home or become a Mercenary of some sort.

’Should I go back and report this?’

Corporal Sonya thought to herself. It was the right thing to do. But another part of her advised against it, whispering that just as Asher had sensed the underground space, whatever resided below had also sensed them, which kind of made perfect sense.

After all, there was no way whoever or whatever built this underground space wouldn’t have something or someone keeping eyes on what was happening above, just in case they were ever discovered.

And if they had indeed been watched for such an amount of time, it meant that those below already knew their schedule like the back of their hands and could have killed them at any time through traps and ambushes.

These thoughts solidified Corporal Sonya’s suspicions about being discovered. After all, if those below knew their routine, then it also meant that they knew that they as Soldiers were never supposed to stop here for whatever reason, as they had never stopped here.

’Turning back might be the end of us.’

Corporal Sonya thought to herself, her face still as neutral as ever as she showed no emotion despite the sudden turn of the situation. Her ability allowed her to always stay calm under any and all conditions.

Her thoughts first shifted towards the Emergency Pulse Bead, but at the end of the day, they needed to confirm an existence that touched at least a Rank 9 Existence, and she hadn’t confirmed that.

Using the Emergency Pulse Bead, which would lead to an investigation that could later reveal that the underground space was just a tunnel for weak Monsters, would hurt her contribution as a Soldier pretty badly for raising false alarms.

Her eyes finally left the ground which she had been staring at as she stared at the five Cadets before her, and she began to speak.

”Cadet Asher, Cadet James, Cadet Iris, Cadet Ken, Cadet Jasmine.”

She called out their names calmly, her voice snapping them out of their imaginative worry.

”The time that Lieutenant Chioma talked about has finally come. As you’ve been told earlier, each deployment could be your last, so always treat it as such.”

Her voice was cool, low, and steady, her demeanor showing that she had prepared herself for a day like this, and she simply embraced it.

”From this moment onwards, the deployment on marked location routine check has come to an end. We will now be investigating the underground space until we either get to the end of it, or gather enough information to provide the Frontier. Am I understood?”

She asked aloud, demanding an answer.

”Yes, Corporal Sonya.”

The five Cadets replied, Cadet James, Cadet Iris, Cadet Ken, and Jasmine wearing stern expressions on their faces, their heart rates spiking with each passing moment as they imagined and readied themselves for the possible worst.

Corporal Sonya nodded her head at their response. She read their emotions for a moment, reading only panic, fear, hesitation, mild determination, and shakable conviction. Her eyes shifted towards Asher, and all her ability read was simply utter calmness and a flicker of mild, curious interest.

’As expected of a Wargrave.’

She thought to herself with a mental sigh.

’If it wasn’t for my ability, even I don’t know how I would react to this sudden discovery.’

She mused inwardly as she could only acknowledge the monstrous bloodline and say nothing in its regard. She turned her attention back towards the five Cadets as she continued to speak.

”Be ready to use your Life-Saving Orb without any hesitation. Nobody will risk their own life to save you. So if the situation hits the fan, do not hesitate for whatever reason.”

Her tone was now brisk as she wanted them to understand how dangerous and unpredictable the situation might be, although their imagination was already doing a better job at that.

Her eyes turned towards Asher as she continued without hesitation.

”Cadet Asher, you possess the ability to open portals, yes?”

”Yes, Corporal Sonya.”

Asher answered instantly with a cool tone.

”Can your portal get us into the underground space?”

She asked, not daring to assume, as various abilities and skills came with various conditions and limitations. It was best to always ask before anything was done to avoid accidents.

Asher simply nodded this time without speaking. Seeing Asher nod, Corporal Sonya simply nodded back at him, her attention turning back towards the other four Cadets as she addressed them this time around.

”We will be taking a two-hour rest before Cadet Asher opens the portal. Restore your stamina and Astra Energy within that timeframe.”

She ordered the Cadets, then turned and leaped into a higher branch, where she sat and simply waited for the time she had given.

If she was alone with Asher, she would have moved into the underground space already, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t exhausted, nor had she expended any Astra Energy, but the Cadets had expended some Astra Energy and burned a bit of stamina. It was best everyone was in top shape before they entered.

The Cadets sat on the branch as they began the process of restoring their Astra Energy reserves, their resting also restoring the stamina they had spent.

As for Asher, he simply leaned against the tree and closed his eyes, but his Omni Perception and Spatial Sense remained active.

Time ticked away as the two hours passed. Corporal Sonya jumped down from her own branch. She didn’t speak this time; she simply nodded at the Cadets as a whole, and they nodded back at her. She turned towards Asher, then nodded yet again, this time signaling him to open the portal.

Asher didn’t nod or speak. Astra Energy simply stirred from his body as he waved a hand, a portal opening midair. Corporal Sonya didn’t speak; she simply jumped into it the moment the portal was opened. Cadet James followed, then the other three followed right behind.

Asher jumped in last, the portal closing behind him the moment he went through it.

Asher’s figure appeared within the underground space, his feet touching the ground with silence as he landed. As he landed, his senses instantly spread throughout the underground space. The place was huge, extremely vast and expansive. He could sense a large amount of Monsters and Beasts, not just them... Emovirae as well. Each of varying ranks, reaching up to Rank 8 and the Myth-Class.

As Asher was about to report his findings, his lips opening to speak, he froze, his senses picking up something else. Asher’s eyes immediately snapped downward, his eyes narrowing as he couldn’t believe what he was witnessing at the moment.

At this moment, Asher had sensed another underground space below the underground space they had just entered. It had been so expertly hidden that he had almost missed it, and this time, it was deeper than two hundred meters.