My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 45 The Empire's Mortal Enemy

Simon threw the copper lid on the ground; the crisp metallic clang echoed twice in the empty woods before fading into silence.

His fingers were still trembling slightly. The fragmented emotions that flooded his mind when the urn was opened were like the receding tide, dragging sand and broken shells, leaving a damp mark on his heart.

"Three seconds." Simon retreated from the edge of the pit and muttered to himself, "From opening the lid to annihilation, there are only three seconds. I must get close to the Hungry Angel within those three seconds, throw the can into its mouth, and then get out of the blast radius."

He looked at the spherical cavity, its cross-section as smooth as if it had been razor-cut.

"Time is of the essence. Someone needs to restrain it to ensure I can leave smoothly after throwing away the cans."

"I'll figure out a way to keep them occupied," Elphis said casually. "Or how about someone else? Do you have a suitable companion? Someone loyal enough, fearless enough, who can throw this can for you?"

Simon looked up at Elphis. The shadow of the iron mask obscured the upper half of the man's face, revealing only his lips and jawline. His lips were straight, without any playful curve.

"I will not let my comrades go to their deaths."

"You're not cut out to be the boss," Elfis said, scoffing. "The purpose of a boss isn't to ensure all the underlings survive, but to ensure that more underlings survive."

Just as Simon was about to retort, a strange cry suddenly came from above.

Sharp, hoarse, like an iron nail scraping against glass.

The strange bird that had been released from the pigeon coop behind Pike circled above the treetops.

"The Empire's lackeys! We can't let them discover any trace of Annihilation!" Elphis warned warily. "You all hide first, I'll draw them away."

Simon nodded, patted Flannery on the shoulder, and the two crouched down behind the bushes.

Footsteps came from the woods to the east...

Elphis pulled a homemade cigarette from his coat pocket. The tobacco inside was dark brown, mixed with some fine black particles.

He put the cigarette in his mouth, slowly lit it, took a deep drag, and the smoke squeezed out from between his lips, condensing into a small cloud of grayish-white mist in front of the iron mask.

A tall figure slowly emerged from the mist.

Father Andrei.

He was wearing that monk's robe, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his metal right arm and fleshy left arm.

Steam hissed and leaked from the ventilation vents on the back, and the sound of gears meshing was particularly clear in the quiet forest.

He wasn't wearing a hood; his long, dark brown hair was loose over his shoulders, the ends slightly curled and damp, clinging to his cheekbones.

Andrei stopped in his tracks, standing about ten meters away from Elphis. His light brown eyes first swept over the cigarette in Elphis's hand, then landed on his face, on the iron mask.

His pupils contracted sharply, like a cat suddenly illuminated by a bright light in the darkness.

"Elphis..."

When he uttered the name, his voice was filled with the excitement of a hunter seeing his prey, the rush of adrenaline.

"I only sensed a slight fluctuation of psionic energy and came to take a look." He shook his head, his metal right hand clenching so tightly that the knuckles clicked. "I didn't expect the Empire's highest-ranking wanted criminal to dare show up on the first floor. You're here to die!"

Elphis didn't move. He stood there, his iron mask facing Andrei, a cigarette between his lips, slowly taking a drag.

"Father Andrei." His voice was low, with a lazy, casual hoarseness, like someone casually talking while basking in the afternoon sun, "Clearly a natural psychic, yet willing to serve the Empire and be the old priest's lapdog, how pathetic."

Andrei's smile froze instantly, his right shoulder slumped slightly, and the hydraulic system of his metal arm hissed.

He charged over in an instant!

Simon didn't even see how Andre moved; one second he was ten meters away, and the next he was in front of Elphis.

The metal right fist slammed into Elphis's chest with a whooshing sound, so fast that only a gray afterimage could be caught. The force of that punch was enough to punch a hole through the steel plate!

Elphis's body will be punched through!

when--

He opened his palm, his five fingers gripping Andrei's metal fist, like catching a baseball.

The collision between metal and flesh didn't produce much of a sound, just a muffled thud.

"Didn't you have time for the Imperial Breakfast, Father Andrei?" Elphis's tone was still as languid as ever, as if he were asking about the weather today.

Elphis leaned forward, and his right fist slammed into Andrei's abdomen without warning!

As Andrei retreated, his feet plowed two shallow furrows in the mud.

He steadied himself, raised his head, and glared angrily at Elphis.

He clenched his fist tightly, and the power of his prosthetic limb suddenly erupted. The temperature rose, steam hissed out from the gaps in his joints, and the monk's robe on his shoulder was scorched by the high temperature. The edges of the cloth curled and turned black, and the heat wave spread from his body to the surroundings.

Andrei charged forward again, this time with even more continuous and intense attacks: left fist, right elbow, knee strike. With each punch, his prosthetic arm emitted a small puff of steam, leaving a brief trail of white mist in the air.

Elphis was retreating.

Every dodge he made was perfectly timed; his fist grazed the fabric of his coat, his elbow swept past his ear, and his knee struck him just as he had moved aside.

Andrei's attacks became increasingly impatient.

With his left fist missing, Andrei's right elbow strike was skillfully dodged by Elphis's sidestep. Andrei's body leaned forward, losing his balance. Elphis seized the opportunity and kicked Andrei hard in the shin with his right foot, causing him to stagger.

Elphis took the cigarette out of his mouth, held it between two fingers, and flicked it at Andrei's face.

The cigarette tumbled twice in the air, and sparks landed on Andrei's forehead, causing him to instinctively close his eyes.

The next second, Elphis's foot had already kicked him hard in the chest.

Andrei stumbled backward again, this time even further, his back slamming into a large tree. The trunk shook violently, and leaves fell from the canopy, covering his head.

Andrei suddenly raised his head and lifted his right arm. The palm of the prosthetic arm split open, revealing a nozzle as thick as a bowl protruding from the wrist.

The intense red light shone through the gaps in the steel plate, illuminating his face, which was contorted with rage.

High-temperature flames erupted from the nozzle, and the incandescent column of fire pressed down on Elphis.

The flames were so hot that the leaves in their path instantly charred, crackling and popping.

Elphis deftly rolled to the right, but the pillar of fire swept across the bushes behind him, instantly igniting the dry branches and sending orange flames leaping up.

"Oh no..." he muttered.

Two people were crouching behind the bushes.

As the scorching flames drew closer, Simon was forced to leave the bushes, but this also exposed him to the priest's view.

Their eyes met, and Andrei's face froze completely.

The flames extinguished from the nozzle in his palm, but the heat still distorted in the air. His eyes were fixed on Simon's face, and something seemed to shatter in his pupils.

"Simon?" His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the crackling of the burning bushes. "What are you doing here?"