BOOOM!!!
For approximately three seconds, my body was subjected to an incredibly powerful force caused by the massive explosion generated by the Necronian weapon. That same force launched me dozens of meters into the air at a speed that could have killed me if it weren't for the protection the darkness was giving me. The problem was that the sphere I was inside didn't allow me to see where I was going, nor could it tell me which way was up.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
I have to say, this experience was unbelievably agonizing, to the point where every second felt like an eternity.
The specter was keeping its promise. The darkness that made up the sphere felt much lighter and easier to shape than usual, so it didn't require much mental effort to maintain it. However, the specter's help would only last for seven seconds.
-FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!
Soon, I would have to maintain the shape of that sphere on my own, and I had no intention of sitting around doing nothing. That was why I clung to my desire to survive. I centered my mind around that single thought while my heart pounded wildly.
-I'm going to live, I'm going to live, I'm going to live.
Beep.
[You have now passed Floor 7.]
Floor 7. My flight had started on Floor 4, which meant I had traveled nearly sixty meters in just three seconds.
-Good, only ten more floors to go...
I thought, but the cube quickly corrected me.
[Nine left. We just passed Floor 8.]
Five seconds have passed. In just two more seconds, I'll have to force my stigma to maintain the sphere.
CRASH!
"AAAAG!"
-W-What was that?!
[We just broke through the ceiling of Floor 9.]
-Ge...
CRASH!
[And now we've gone through the ceiling of Floor 10.]
-Wait, we're on Floor 11 now, so...
FUUUUAAAAAASSSHH!
The sphere vanished.
Seven seconds are up. You're on your own now.
All of a sudden, I was out in the open air, soaring higher and higher at such an incredible speed that simply trying to breathe was nearly impossible.
"...!"
Fortunately, I was still conscious. Thanks to that, I quickly realized that I was heading straight toward the ceiling. I was about to be crushed against it unless I formed my own sphere.
-I'm going to live! I'm going to live! I'm going to live!
I kept repeating to myself as I clenched my left fist, channeling every ounce of my will into manifesting the darkness once again.
FFUUU-FUUAAAAASSSH!
It took some effort, but I managed to create a sphere of darkness... or rather, it wasn't really a sphere. It was more... square.
CRASH!
It wasn't perfect, but it protected me from the impact against the ceiling.
[Floor 11.]
-Ge...
CRASH!
-...nius.
[Floor 12.]
[...Oh!]
The cube let out a clear sound of surprise. My internal alarm immediately went off, and I asked without hesitation.
-What's wrong?
After a brief silence, the cube answered.
[This doesn't look good.]
-What is it?
[We're slowing down.]
-W-We're slowing down...?!
CRASH!
[Yeah, I mean, we're moving slower than before.]
-I... I know what that means.
At that moment, I couldn't see what was outside the sphere, so I had no way to confirm or deny the cube's words. The only thing I could do was trust it.
CRASH!
-We are going to make it to Floor 17, right?
[Mmmm...]
-Hey!
[I think...]
CRASH!
[No.]
This wasn't looking good. We were already on Floor 15, just about to reach Floor 16, and according to the cube, we weren't going to make it past that floor. In other words, it meant I would once again have to run to reach Floor 17.
"..."
One second passed.
"..."
Two seconds passed.
"..."
Three seconds passed.
"..."
Four seconds passed, and at that point, I couldn't help but ask.
-Where's the CRASH?
[Uh... looks like there's no Floor 16 anymore.]
"Huh?"
FUUUUAAAASSH!
"You've got to be kidding me..."
The cube's sudden revelation made my mind... hesitate, and as a result, the sphere disappeared.
I was in midair, my body plummeting at high speed, and from what I could see, there wasn't a single trace of Floor 16.
Apparently, that floor had collapsed or something. That meant there had to be at least a forty-meter gap between the floor of Level 15 and the floor of Level 17. I wonder how close I am to either one.
-Damn it!
"Focus!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs as I raised my arm toward what should have been the ceiling of Floor 16, where I could see a crack through which countless rays of light from Floor 17 were pouring in. It was like watching a beautiful, shining treasure drift farther and farther away while you could do absolutely nothing.
-No... no...
I wasn't going to give up.
-Not yet... I...
I had a rough idea of what I could do next. Maybe it'll work.
"I'm going to survive!"
FUUUAAAASSSSHH!!!
I manifested dark energy once again, but this time, instead of forming a sphere, I wrapped it around my arm until it took the shape of a sort of gauntlet.
"AAAAAAAH!"
Then I fired it. The dark gauntlet stretched dozens of meters until it reached the edge of that crack in the ceiling.
Tak!
The moment the fingers of the dark gauntlet dug firmly into the ceiling, I used my stigma to give the darkness a single command: no matter the cost, pull my body upward with enough force to reach the next floor.
The darkness obeyed. It tensed with such overwhelming force that my fall came to an abrupt halt.
"...!"
But there was one problem. The very instant the darkness tightened...
CRACK...!
I heard a horrifying crack coming from my arm.
FFFUUUUAAAAASSSSH!
A second later, my body was violently yanked toward the sky.
Ffffiiiuuuuusssh!!!
I wasn't moving anywhere near as fast as before, but saying I was slow would have been a massive lie.
I was getting closer and closer to the ceiling. If I didn't do something soon, I was going to slam right into it, and at the speed I was traveling, it wouldn't have been surprising if I cracked my skull open even if I used my arm as a shield.
-Focu...
I couldn't create another sphere. Simply maintaining the dark gauntlet demanded enough mental strength to leave me exhausted, and if I lost my concentration, the darkness would lose its shape and I'd fall.
-To hell with this!
If I couldn't use the darkness to save myself, then I'd use the...
"AXE!"
The Necronian weapon appeared in my right hand in less than a second. I gripped its handle with all my strength as I stretched out my arm, patiently waiting for the exact moment when I had to swing it.
FFFIIIIIUUUUSSSSHH!!!
When I was less than a meter away from crashing into the ceiling...
SLASH!
I swung the axe downward in a vertical strike.
CRASH!
Its blade came to a dead stop the instant it collided with the wood... concrete... whatever material the ceiling was made of. Everything could have ended right there, but fortunately...
CRASH!!
The speed I was traveling at gave me tremendous momentum.
CRASH!!!
The area where the weapon struck shattered into countless pieces until, at last, it gave way under the pressure exerted by the axe. My body continued soaring upward until I burst into Floor 17.
I had made it.
And I was still in one piece... well, more or less. I think both of my arms were broken.
TAK!
My body slammed hard against the cold wooden floor of Floor 17.
".....Ouch....."
-Thank goodness for adrenaline.
I thought, grateful that I still couldn't feel the slightest bit of pain.
"At... at last...."
I tried to get back on my feet, but that turned out to be much harder than I had expected. I tried to support myself with my legs and push myself up with my arms, but apparently, neither my arms nor my legs were functioning properly. Every command my brain sent them was answered with spasms and erratic movements from my limbs, leaving me deeply disturbed as I watched them behave like that.
"This is really bad..."
I quickly began thinking, trying to come up with a plan that would help me complete the mission.
"...!"
But while I was doing so, I realized something...
A silent presence, hidden within the darkness, had been watching me, observing every failed attempt I made to stand up with a curious gaze.
Tap.
Then, all of a sudden, it started walking toward me.
Tap.
For some reason, the very first thing my eyes were drawn to when the stranger stepped into the light was his elegant shoes adorned with golden ornaments.
"Wow."
-What incredible shoes!
I thought as the light reflected off them, making them shine brilliantly.
"They really sparkle..."
I said, genuine amazement evident in my voice.
-I wonder how much a pair of shoes like those would cost... uh... wait, that doesn't matter right now.
I raised my gaze to see who the owner of those incredible shoes was, and when I did, my eyes met a pair of gray eyes staring back at me with curiosity.
-Wait a second...
It was a person. A person just like me, with two legs, two arms, one head, and no strange deformities.
"Are you real?"
I asked, inwardly wondering whether what I was seeing was an illusion or reality.
The elegantly dressed stranger looked at me in silence before finally speaking.
"More or less."
"Huh?"
-More or less...? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
I was about to say something else when, out of nowhere, the cube interrupted me with a loud—
BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
-W-What's wrong, Cube?!
"Oh my, it seems someone got worked up."
Said the elegantly dressed man with gray hair.
The cube floated upward until it was level with his face, and while hovering just inches away from him, it began to glow. Not like before, though. This time, its light was much dimmer and had a bluish hue.
BEEP!
Strange symbols appeared on each of its faces, changing one after another over the course of several seconds until...
BEEP!
It stopped. Only one of its faces remained illuminated, the one directly facing the gray-haired man. On it, I could clearly see that the last symbol left glowing was an X.
"Heh heh..."
The gray-haired man chuckled as he looked at the cube with arrogance.
"From what I can see, you've all become far more cowardly than I expected."
BEEEEEP!
[Initiating procedure:
-Explosive X activated.]
"W-What?!"
-Explosive?! What does that mean?!
Despite my protests, the cube paid no attention to me.
BEEP.
[You have received a message.]
The cube projected a new hologram, but this time, it didn't project it in front of me. Instead, it displayed it in front of the gray-haired man.
"Mmm."
Once he finished reading it, the stranger's smile only grew wider.
-Okay, the message was obviously meant for this guy, but... would you mind showing it to me too?
"..."
-Please...
Beep.
After hearing my plea, the cube finally showed me the same hologram the gray-haired man had been reading.
[Hello, you miserable bastard. How's your heart doing? Good? Bad? Split in half?
If that's the case, I'm glad. Nothing would make me happier than watching you agonize while becoming incapable of asking your dear little friends for help. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll be possible for now. Not with that new entity you've merged with.
Still, there's no harm in trying. Bye bye, bitch.]
-Well... this doesn't look good at all, but... maybe I've still got a chance of making it out alive.
[PS: If you're reading this, rookie, it's nothing personal. The organization will make sure to notify your family and cover the costs of your funeral. As for your debt, though, we can't do anything about that. You'll have to take care of it yourself.]
-O... okay... this... at least it doesn't say I'm definitely going to die, just that I might... oh, wait, there's still a few more lines left.
[If you get the chance, tell the gray-haired guy with the smug look, "Bye bye, bitch," before you die.]
".....Huaaaaa... huaaahahahahahaaaaa."
I'm not sure whether that was a cry of sadness or a groan of pain. What I am sure of is that the sound came from the very depths of my heart.