Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 72: Soldier of Mastorn

Chapter 72: Soldier of Mastorn

"A little help here?!" Elijah shouted, backing away from the cloud of smoke as the fiend emerged, unharmed again.

"Yeah–!" Gael shouted.

Right as he set to move–

[Chance Summoning complete...You’ve obtained...!]

[Skill Permanently Obtained: (R) "Bolt"]

Through his body, the mystical knowledge coursed as he pointed his index finger towards the back of the rampaging lifeform. Each of his cells were charged, surging with electrifying power as it manifested through energy coiling around his arm before–THWOOM.

Lightning shot from his finger; the cobalt bolt struck the fiend’s back with a roar of sparks splashing from its body. At least a litre of goo was blown away from the abyssal terror’s body, leaving it momentarily concussed.

As he waved his bolt-firing hand as though he felt as though he just lifted weights all day with it, he watched Elijah bolt away from the stunned fiend, rendezvousing with him.

"Didn’t know you could use lightning magic! Think that might’ve been useful earlier," Elijah remarked with an indifferent smile.

"It’s not exactly easy to use," Gael brushed off.

"Good enough to give it another go?" Elijah asked, calling a fireball into his hand.

Gael glanced over before looking ahead at the malleable brute, "--Yeah, I can do that."

As the fiend stomped towards them, turning both its arms into blades, he pointed his finger at it. The electricity shocked his veins, swirling around his hand as he released it in unison with the soldier’s fireball—

Sparks of crimson and azure like that of a meeting between winter and summer; the elements howled. The flames expanded as the lightning flourished into flames of electricity.

"It’s not too good at doing any other than running forward—gah," Elijah remarked before gasping, grabbing at his side.

The popping smoke flexed as a distorted cry shrieked from within the veil.

"Looks like it’s still doing that!—" Gael shouted.

It emerged from the haze; the abyssal friend, burning and encumbered by electricity as its flesh convulsed. Each of its limbs shifted, from spikes to blades; multiple heads of sharks sprouted from irs shoulders.

"The hell is up with it?!" Gael shouted.

He ran in the other direction, leading the morphing mass right into what seemed to be a bakery—

It followed him in, slamming its abyssal body through the walls. As its chomping mouths lashed out, displayed cakes were caught in its tar jaws, flinging pastries in every direction.

As he planted his feet on the clay floor at the other end of the bakery, he watched the thrashing fiend. Clumps of its black flesh dropped from its writhing form as its many heads bit at whatever they made contact with.

’Those attacks had an effect—no doubt,’ he thought.

As he raised his hand, feeling the current of electricity through his veins, the wrathful heads extended—

The scope of the bakery was filled by the snapping jaws of the false sharks. He held his dagger in front of his body right as one of the abyssal mouths snapped against him.

"Nngh!—"

He held the teeth back, feeling himself lifted and pressed against the wall. The other heads of the abyssal horror lashed out blindly, chewing at the tables and walls. From the jaws he held back, another, smaller head sprouted, taking the shape of a piranha that bit right into his shoulder.

"Grrrh–shit...!"

The teeth sank right into his flesh, passing into the base as he focused on holding back the thrashing mass.

Any attempt to focus the lightning into his hand was thwarted by the constant gnawing into his shoulder, as well as having to hold back the jaws of the abyssal shark. As he focused all of his strength into his arms and legs, keeping himself from being pushed through the wall, an impact came from behind the entity–

A wave of heat; he could make out the sight of flames behind the morphing mass of black flesh. The fire brought the many-headed terror to shriek as its body vibrated. It was enough to halt its aggression, granting him the concentration needed as electricity gathered in his hand.

He shoved his hand right into the open jaws of the false shark, firing the bolt into whatever depths reached down into its abhorrent body.

The flash of lightning filled the room, glowing from beneath the abyssal flesh as it was blown apart from within.

"--Haah."

He breathed out as the shapeless creature collapsed in front of him, falling into a puddle of sizzling, black liquid. There was no resemblance left of the sea denizens it stole the shape of, only the abyssal substance that evaporated as it sat on the floor.

Gael held his bleeding shoulder, looking up as the Mastornian walked into the mess of a bakery, carefully avoiding the black puddles.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked, glancing down at the dark liquid.

"Not any worse than you," Gael answered, looking at the blood at his hand before staring at the much worse state of the soldier’s abdomen.

Elijah exhaled, leaning against a table, "I’m not doing too bad–"

The moment the curly-haired Mastornian’s elbow pressed against the stone tabletop, it shattered right under him, nearly bringing him to fall back. Somehow, seeing the stranger almost land on his rear washed away the doubts that Gael had.

"I didn’t think Atlantis would have...well, pastries," Gael said, grabbing one of the donut-resembling goods on the shelf.

Elijah brushed the dust off his body, "It’s not that surprising. Y’know, the people that formed Atlantis were originally from the surface."

"You mean...those shark guys?" Gael asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, them too–but most Atlanteans are human, like you and I," Elijah explained, grabbing a jelly-filled pastry for himself before he took a bite. "Those scary ones you see were cursed. That’s why they look like that."

"You say "cursed" like it’s no big deal. Anyway...What even was that thing?" Gael wondered, looking at the last droplets of the abyssal sludge dissipating on the clay floor.

"Good question," Elijah said, squatting down for a closer look. "Whatever it is, it’s responsible for the dead walking around. It’s also keeping us from leaving."