Chương 34: Chapter 31.2 - I am the best team, anyways

I didn't move. Its claws slid off my shields. As it fell on a clawed leg, it swung the other arm at me. Sarah slid around me, smashing her shield into the creature. The impact threw it away. A crimson bolt wheezed next to my ear. It hit the creature, exploding into a shockwave of heat and force. The windows on that street's side were all shattered. People all over the street and in nearby shops screamed, running away in panic. I looked around.

More of these shadow creatures were emerging from all over the street, launching from the ground straight into an attack. At least three for each of us. Ashy. In a burst of pink light, Ashy appeared, straight in the sword form. She swished through the air and cut apart the shadow closest to Astarielle. Everything broke into chaos. With enemies coming from all angles, and us having no formation to begin with, no semblance of order could be established.

I stepped to the blown-apart one, ignoring the two shadow creatures swiping their claws at me. The succubi could handle the attackers. Instead, I looked over the remains. They looked like scattered tar. Sarah smacked one with a shield and slashed another one, white flame exploding from her blade. Up ahead, Chen crushed one with his maul, the impact blowing it apart into a jade shockwave. Kenji slashed two across the throats while stepping past them.

Adaeze summoned a barrier around herself and one at each of her three teammates. Zhao hit a shadow spawn with a combo of five super-quick punches. But more were spawning around. Dozens of them. I glanced at Astarielle. She was casting something, hands up in the air, lips moving in a silent incantation—since I had her shut up—and Ashy flew around her, warding off enemies. I refocused on the remains, sifting through them with a shielded hand. Nothing hard lay inside.

I had expected them to have a core, or an inner construction, or something else that kept their shape. Nothing I could find. Astarielle finished casting. The air darkened, a massive jet-black cloud appearing all above the street. Crimson flame erupted from it, falling down. Ha. That was new. I hadn't ever seen her cast something like this. All the networking with magic researchers clearly brought some useful results. Adaeze strengthened the barrier around her and her teammates.

A faint, white light shimmered around Sarah, shielding her. The rain descended, scorching the creatures, leaving behind crimson napalm. New shadows streaked across the street. They coalesced and rose, creating a massive shadow creature. A torso planed on the ground, with two huge arms with claws, and a demonic head with burning eyes. Sarah bolted toward it. Chen joined her. The creature swung. They clashed, one with each arm. From the creature's back, two more arms stretched out.

Astarielle finished casting the next spell, flinging her arms forward. Three bolts of crimson flame streaked through the air, hitting the creature. Three explosions thundered through the air, tearing out chunks of shadow from it, forcing it to tilt back. Kenji and Zhao descended on the creature, each hitting its neck from a side. Ashy flew in through the opening in the centre.

"Woo!" She stabbed herself in the chest.

"Got hi—" Detonate. Ashy exploded. The released shockwave tore the creature apart, blowing it into a rain of tar. It forced Kenji and Zhao back, straining their shields. Adaeze had to reinforce all their shields, sending motes of energy to each of her team members. I looked up. The fire continued to rain. I glanced at Astarielle.

"You can stop it now. You may speak."

"Not really. I put the duration at five minutes. I can't really cancel it now." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. In a burst of pink light, Ashy resummoned, straight in a sword form. They flew around and wiggled to avoid some of the fire drops. My shields also started getting strained. Unlike Astarielle, I wasn't immune to her flames. I headed forward. The others already rushed ahead, getting out of the flames.

[ENEMY DEFEATED — MAJOR SHADOWSPAWN] [Drops: Large shadowspawn residue (Uncommon), Shadowspawn claw fragments (Uncommon) (x4)] [ENEMY DEFEATED — SHADOWSPAWN (x47)] [Drops: Shadowspawn residue (Common) (x47), 2 silver, 91 copper] The loot appeared on a pile in front of us. The residue looked like more tar, just grouped together into individual balls. Astarielle smirked as we walked past.

"Looks like rabbit shit." Yes. Yes, it did. I unsummoned Ashy and rejoined the group. They all glowered at me. But me walking out of a burning street, which I had just set on fire, probably looked intimidating enough. They didn't have any noticeable injuries or burns. Only Adaeze was covered in sweat, bracing herself by the staff. We pressed on. Sirens blared in the distance, approaching. Firefighters, most likely.

Looking at the street behind us, buildings now catching on fire, everything by the street incinerated, they were going to have a lot to work on, even with the rain of fire gone. The city stretched. Block after block of functioning urban infrastructure, inhabited and alive, the amber sky casting everything in a perpetual golden-hour glow. The locals gave us a wide berth, parting around us the way pedestrians part around a parade they didn't ask for. Some watched with curiosity. A few with wariness.

None with hostility, at least when we got far enough from the fire we caused. Kenji disappeared ahead, flickering between alleys and rooftops with an efficiency that was genuinely impressive. He reappeared at intervals, waving signals I didn't know how to interpret. Given that we continued walking, it probably meant things ahead were fine. Adaeze marked intersections with barrier tags — invisible walls she could snap into existence if needed.

She worked without speaking, her staff tracing patterns in the air, her focus absolute. Whatever I thought of her opinion of me, her craft was undeniable. Chen Yi walked at Sarah's shoulder, warhammer up, scanning every window, every alley, every shadow. Zhao Liang walked at the rear, hands behind his back, and I could feel his qi sense sweeping the area in rhythmic pulses. Each pulse painted a picture of the surrounding terrain that he processed without breaking stride. I walked with Astarielle by my side.

"They hate you," Astarielle whispered, falling into step beside me. Her heels clicked on the pavement.

"I hadn't noticed."

"That's why I told you. Especially the wiry one does. He's been tracking your position relative to his since we materialized." I smirked.

"As if that was going to make any difference." She blushed a bit, making a sweet smile. Zhao somehow happened to be straight next to me.

"I must admit, it fascinates me just how dishonorably you fight." I raised an eyebrow.

"Because I use summons?"

"Not just that. The type of summons you have chosen, the way you use them, and the absolute disrespect you give to both friend and foe. You represent every thinkable antithesis to what a warrior should be." Astarielle took a step aside, smirking. I shrugged.

"The way I see it, combat isn't just the execution. It's also the preparation. The way I fight is much more focused on the preparation. To me, it's crazy how you all focus on the execution while mostly ignoring the preparation aspect."

"Your preparation didn't seem to help your team much at floor eleven." Now, I glared back at him. That made heat rise up into my head.

"If you ever meet those who ambushed us, you will understand how stupid what you just said is."

"I don't think so. I think you merely got exposed by encountering a semi-competent enemy. If we were there, there would have been no losses."

"It is easy to claim superiority over a foe you've never met." We glared at each other for a few seconds longer, but then he took his distance, again. The city expanded into a wider district. Supermarkets, a cinema, a fountain, and some pizza booths. Some people sat around, reading a newspaper. Sarah motioned for a halt near the fountain. To my surprise, the others actually gathered around her.

"We need information," she said.

"We are walking toward the center, because that's where we expect the waystone to be. But that's a baseless assumption."

"Logically speaking," Kenji said, "The waystone is either at the center or at the end. The floors are designed by reason. Those are the two reasonable spots." I thought back to the floors. Yeah, that matched my experience. All the floors had the waystone at an end.

"A city doesn't have an obvious end. Not without finding its borders first."

"The end is opposite the start. It always is."

"Opposite which way?" I asked.

"The first street led in both directions." Adaeze hit the ground with her staff.

"That you cannot navigate the floor doesn't mean that others can." Oh, really? I raised an eyebrow.

"Where's the waystone then? Navigate us to it, if you are all so good at it."

"That's exactly what we are doing. Since the little prince can't find the way himself, we will have to lead him there." Astarielle snorted next to me, her hair catching on fire. I motioned her to stand down.

"Fine, then. So I don't burden you with my presence, I will go my own way. Let's see who finds it first." I spun on my heel, heading away.

"Damian!" Sarah shouted.

"Wait! We shouldn't split up."

"Don't split up then." She threw up her arms, letting them fall in a hopeless prayer. I walked away, entering the mall with the cinema. By the timer bar, I had a couple of hours easily. The rest of the team left in a different direction, Sarah with them. She did throw a couple of troubled looks. I took it that she decided to try to convince them to accept me to the party. As if that would ever happen. When they got away, I withdrew to a shadowy corner, summoned the lantern, and used it.

From the distance of the street where we fought the shadowspawns, the souls flew to me. Not much, but more than nothing. I went to ask the locals. There were two questions I needed to answer. First, if they knew anything about Paradise. And second, where the waystone was. I didn't have the pride to have to complete the floor myself. If they could do it without me, they were welcomed to. If I found information about Paradise in the meantime, then it'd be a success.

Without a better idea, I stopped by a security guard and said, "Hey, ever heard of Paradise?"

"Who hasn't?" He looked at me a touch suspiciously.

"They've got a branch in here." He motioned deeper into the mall.