Dimension System: SSS Rank Talent Awakening

Chapter 193: The Hidden Dangers

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"Let’s move before something else decides to crawl out of this cursed place."

Dabi grip on the Core tightening as if afraid it might vanish. "Loira, how much time do we have before this thing destabilizes?"

Not long. The Core’s energy is bleeding into the environment. If we don’t contain it soon, it’ll trigger something worse."

"Then we can’t afford to waste time," Jeni said, glancing back over her shoulder.

She conjured an ice barrier behind them, sealing off the path leading back into the unstable chasm.

"That should buy us a few minutes. But let’s not test our luck."

The group began their ascent. The path they had taken earlier was barely recognizable, now littered with fissures and warped terrain. Each step sent tremors through the ground beneath their feet.

The air was heavy with tension as the group climbed the precarious path out of the chasm, their breaths ragged from the intense battle against the Sentinel.

Behind them, the echoes of their fight seemed to linger, an ominous reminder of the dangers they had barely escaped.

Dabi clutched the Aetherial Core tightly, its pulsing energy sending faint vibrations through his arms.

Even now, it felt as though the artifact was alive, testing his will with each step.

"Stay alert," Zen said, his voice strained but steady. He took the lead, his swords still drawn. The bloodied edge of one blade glinted faintly in the dim light. "This place doesn’t like letting anyone leave."

Loira, walking in the middle of the group, kept her glowing staff close. Her sharp eyes darted to every shadow, her mind attuned to the unstable energies of the zone.

"The artifact’s presence is agitating the area. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"You think it knows we’re leaving with it?" Jeni asked, glancing nervously over her shoulder. Her ice pendant glimmered faintly as she walked, though her steps were uneven, her exhaustion evident.

"It doesn’t matter what it knows," Dabi said grimly. "What matters is that we keep moving."

But even as the words left his mouth, the ground beneath them trembled. A faint rumble, almost imperceptible at first, grew steadily louder.

Loira froze mid-step, her face pale. "That’s not the Core. That’s something else."

The rumbling grew into a deafening roar, and the ground split apart behind them. From the shadows of the chasm, dozens then hundreds—of twisted creatures began to pour out.

Their forms were grotesque, their glowing eyes burning with malice.

Some had elongated limbs with razor-sharp claws, while others crawled on multiple legs, their bodies covered in pulsating, shadowy growths.

"A beast tide," Loira whispered, her voice barely audible over the cacophony.

Jeni’s face paled. "You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s too many of them!"

Dabi turned to face the swarm, his jaw clenched. "Run. Now!"

The group broke into a sprint, the path ahead twisting and narrow. Behind them, the tide surged forward, a living wave of claws and fangs. The sound of their screeches was deafening, echoing off the walls of the chasm like a storm.

Zen glanced back briefly, his eyes narrowing. "They’re too fast. We won’t make it to the exit unless we slow them down."

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"I’ll buy us time," Loira said, skidding to a halt. She planted her staff firmly into the ground and began chanting an incantation.

Energy crackled around her, and a shimmering barrier of light appeared across the path, cutting off the advancing creatures.

The beasts slammed into the barrier, their claws raking against it with an ear-splitting screech. Cracks began to form almost immediately.

"It won’t hold for long," Loira called, already running to catch up with the group.

Dabi cursed under his breath. "We don’t have time to stop and fight. Keep moving!"

The path ahead narrowed dangerously, forcing the group to slow their pace. Zen moved to the front, his twin blades ready. "I’ll clear the way. Jeni, watch our flank!"

Jeni nodded, her pendant glowing brightly. She raised her hands, casting an icy barrier behind them as the creatures began to break through Loira’s spell.

"This will hold them for a few seconds!"

The beasts crashed into the ice, their claws chipping away at it with feral determination.

"Seconds won’t be enough!" Loira shouted, firing a burst of energy from her staff. The spell struck the closest creature, disintegrating it instantly, but more kept coming.

One of the beasts leapt over the ice barrier, landing directly in front of Zen. Its claws lashed out, aiming for his throat.

Zen’s reflexes were quick, his blades slicing through the creature in a single fluid motion.

"Keep moving!" he yelled, already turning to face the next wave.

Jeni stumbled as another creature broke through, its claws raking across her arm. She cried out, her magic faltering for a moment.

"Jeni!" Dabi lunged toward her, his sword slashing through the beast before it could strike again. "Stay behind me!"

Blood seeped through Jeni’s torn sleeve, but she forced herself to stand. "I’m fine," she said through gritted teeth, though her voice trembled.

"You’re not fine," Loira snapped, moving to her side. She pressed a glowing hand against Jeni’s wound, casting a quick healing spell. "But you’ll live. Now stay close!"

As they pushed forward, the tide seemed to grow stronger, the creatures moving with unnatural coordination. The path ahead was treacherous, the unstable terrain crumbling under their feet.

"Dabi, we’re running out of room!" Zen called, his blades flashing as he cut down another beast.

Dabi’s gaze darted to the exit above, still far out of reach. "Loira, can you clear the path?"

Loira hesitated, glancing at the swarm. Her staff glowed as she began to chant another spell. The air around her crackled with energy, and a wave of light erupted forward, disintegrating dozens of creatures in its wake.

The group surged ahead, but the respite was short-lived. More creatures emerged from the shadows, their numbers seemingly endless.

"This isn’t working," Jeni said, her voice strained. "They’re not stopping!"

"We don’t need to stop them," Dabi said, his tone grim. "We just need to get out of here alive."

The group reached a wider section of the path, a brief plateau before the final climb to the surface. But the creatures were closing in, their screeches echoing all around.

"We’ll make our stand here," Dabi said, planting himself in the center of the group.

"Are you insane?" Loira asked, though she was already raising her staff.

"We don’t have a choice," Zen said, stepping forward. His leg was bleeding from a shallow wound, but he ignored the pain. "If we don’t stop them now, we’ll never make it to the exit."

Jeni gritted her teeth, forcing herself to her feet. Her ice pendant flared as she cast a protective barrier around the group. "Let’s make this count, then."

The beasts surged forward, and the group fought with everything they had.

Zen’s blades moved like lightning, each strike precise and deadly. But for every creature he cut down, another took its place. His movements grew slower, his injuries beginning to take their toll.

Jeni stood close to him, her hands glowing with ice magic. She fired a barrage of projectiles, freezing the creatures in their tracks. But the strain was evident on her face, her magic faltering as exhaustion set in.

Loira unleashed wave after wave of destructive energy, her staff glowing brightly. The air around her crackled with power, but each spell drained her further.

Dabi held the line, his sword blazing with energy. The Core in his other hand pulsed erratically, as if responding to the chaos around them.

Despite their efforts, the tide seemed endless. Zen was the first to falter, a beast slashing across his leg and sending him to one knee.

"Zen!" Jeni cried, her ice magic flaring as she tried to protect him. But another beast broke through, its claws raking across her arm.

"Jeni, fall back!" Dabi shouted, cutting down the creature.

"I’m fine," Jeni insisted, though her voice was weak.

Loira glanced at the exit, her mind racing. "We can’t hold them off much longer! Dabi, you need to use the Core!"

Dabi hesitated, the artifact’s energy pulsing in his hands. "If I use it here, it might destabilize everything."

"We don’t have a choice!" Loira yelled.

Dabi closed his eyes briefly, then raised the Core above his head. Its light flared, blinding in its intensity. The creatures recoiled, their shrieks turning to cries of pain as the artifact’s energy washed over them.

The tide began to falter, the creatures dissolving into shadows under the Core’s power.

"Move!" Dabi shouted, grabbing Zen and pulling him toward the exit.

Loira and Jeni followed, their steps uneven but determined. The remaining creatures lunged at them, but the Core’s energy kept them at bay.

The group burst into the open air just as the ground behind them collapsed, the chasm swallowing the tide in a deafening roar.

They collapsed on the rocky ground outside the zone, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Zen leaned heavily on his swords, blood dripping from his wounds. "That… was too close."

Jeni slumped against a nearby boulder, her hand pressed against her bleeding arm. "I can’t believe we made it."

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