Inside the facility on the other side of the vast rocky wasteland, Fiora was getting into combat formation, her spear taut in her hands.

Aether coursed through her body and her spearhead, its blade’s red fuller glistening in the dim spacious chamber.

Standing before her was a pack of 12 verminoxi, all black in color.

They were inside the recreational center of this facility. A sprawling, spacious chamber that exuded modern elegance. Its smooth polished architecture seamlessly blending advanced technology with an emphasis on open, airy spaces.

It was a grand, double-height atrium with multiple wide, sliding glass doors on the sides that automatically opened upon approach. The lobby featured an open layout, with comfortable seating areas, lush indoor planters, and soft, ambient lighting.

Glancing at the plants, she could tell they were fake.

There was also a holographic art installation spanning the entire atrium ceiling, creating an ever-changing visual scenery that mimicked the open sky.

She was facing the pack on the base gray floor of the atrium, a long rectangular space with floating seats arranged in circular patterns placed periodically along its length.

“They really went all out for their working personnel in the past, and here I am, one of the top officers of the jung-jo. What do I get? One shitty living quarter and some free cannisters of Vitarya.”

All around her the verminoxi were hissing furiously, trying to intimidate her away from their territory.

She looks at the giant rodents that were almost as tall as her, if not more.

“Who knew verminoxi could get so big.”

They were pretty popular pets back in the empire although the ones over there were barely taller than an adult human’s shin.

They also had pretty fur which was the reason behind their popularity meanwhile these furless abominations almost seemed like a different species.

“You poor wretched victims of dark essence, I will end your suffering.” She calls out to them with a soft voice.

She had a soft spot for animals. They were the only innocent beings she could never truly hate.

The verminoxi growl at her in response, their blood red eyes glowing with rage.

She hated that the intruders turned out to be blameless animals, even if they were infected with the dark essence, and she hated that she would have to put them out of their misery.

Dealing with people was so much easier.

The scouter in her eye beeped, drawing her attention back at the pack in front of her. It showed her their stratus level and avg aether count.

 

 

 

Looking at their aether count she lets out a brief whistle of surprise. These were pretty high numbers.

With numbers like these, these verminoxi here could easily tear through multiple regiments of the military’s junior ranks. Hell, they could even take out some of the intermediate ranking officers if they went all out.

Too bad for them they were dealing with a former senior ranking officer.

Seeing that their aggressive display wasn’t working on the strange biped, a group of 4 verminoxi separate from the pack and rush toward the potential prey.

“*sigh* Why did it have to be cute verminoxi, this is gonna ruin my mood for weeks.”

To the advancing verminoxi it seemed like she was simply standing motionlessly, but unbeknownst to them she had already begun her attack.

She was channeling her aether in her core, gathering it for a powerful release.

As the verminoxi sprint toward her, she raises her spear, its head glowing eerily.

Reaching close to her, all four of them pounce, ready to tear her limb from limb to reach her delicious flesh.

That is when she releases the gathered aether in her core.

Instantly, the spear and her arms vanish, the fast speed literally making them disappear. Despite the inhuman speed, the attacks were relatively simple.

It was a series of uncomplicated straight stabs, an attack that even a complete beginner would come up by themselves by simply holding a spear.

What was special and terrifying about her was that she was thrusting the spear more than twenty times per second.

Like bullets from a gatling gun, her stabs tear through all four of the vermenoxis’ bodies hundreds of times as they’re flying through the air.

Aside from the speed, each stab was powerful enough to rupture their bodies like water balloon bags.

The gatling stabs generate such a strong force and wind pressure, it changes the direction of the remaining black mush of verminoxi in midair and blows it backward.

In a couple of seconds, the 4 muscular rodents had been reduced to a black meaty paste, that falls on the floor with a wet thud.

The high-powered strikes had mixed their remains together in such a way, it was impossible to tell if they had ever been separate individuals.

All collective eyes of the pack pop out of their sockets at this overpowering display of strength, but Fiora had not ceased her attack.

Before they can even react, she extends her spear directly up in the air and restarts her gatling stabs, attacking the empty air above her.

The impossible speed of the motions blurs her spears and arms until they resemble a fuzzy wave.

The verminoxi pack stares on at the fast movements.

Initially, when she had started stabbing the air, they had freaked out. However, since she made no effort to close the between them, they had settled backdown.

Two of these verminoxi rightfully start backing away from her, sensing some hidden danger that they could not pinpoint.

They were correct about the danger.

Fiora stops impaling the air and sets her spear down, resting its lower counterweight on the floor.

The pack stares at her in confusion, not realizing their impending deaths.

As the verminoxi at the front of the pack tilts its head in confusion, it abruptly bursts, its head and torso exploding with a shower of dark blood and guts.

Its surrounding pack members whirl their heads toward it, alarmed by the immediate and gruesome death.

But then the verminoxi beside the dead body bursts as well, blowing up into pieces similarly.

Finally realizing the danger, the pack turns around to escape but it was already too by then.

Barely taking a few strides, one by one all the verminoxi in the pack explode, their guts and bones breaking apart as if hit by fast moving projectiles.

The only survivors to come out of the devastating attack are the two verminoxi that had initially backtracked away.

They stare in horror as their entire pack gets shredded into paste in a matter of seconds.

Although the verminoxi had already died, the invisible hail over their bodies lasts for a few more seconds, severely mutilating them.

In the end, black blood and organs were seeping out of the torn and riddled bodies, their former forms now unrecognizable.

Fiora surveys the carnage she has caused with a somber expression.

“I did it as quickly and cleanly as possible….I’m really sorry and I hope you didn’t suffer.”

She looks up and notices the two surviving verminoxi.

Meeting her gaze, the two terrified rodents jump a few meters back.

Creating some distance, they immediately turn around and bolt toward the other end of the atrium.

Fiora looks on as they scale the atrium’s walls and reach the upper level, before climbing further up and squeezing into an air vent on the roof.

She could’ve caught up to them but chose not to.

She had slaughtered enough animals for the day.

“I’ll leave theml to that merciless savage brute, I’m done with killing innocent animals.”

Turning around, she walks toward the only wide metallic gate leading out of the chamber.

---

 

While Fiora was clearing out the recreational center, Drystan was in the opposite end of the facility.

He was not in a good mood.

Discovering that the intruders were verminoxi, he had resolved to complete the task in under an hour, but he had no idea how many doors separated all the chambers inside the large facility.

The quickest way to clean up would have been for them to split up but since he had the only key, they had to do things the hard way.

First, he went with Fiora through the door on the right of the central control chamber, unlocking all the doors that came up along the passageway.

Then he had to make his way back and unlock the door on the left of the central control chamber. There were even more chambers and doors on this side of the facility.

As soon as he stepped inside one of the chambers titled ‘processing chamber’ a group of gray male verminoxi attacked him.

He disposed of them quickly and easily but these verminoxi were a clever bunch. Realizing his strength, a bunch of them managed to escape through the air vents to flee and warn the others.

The situation had quickly turned into a game of wack a mole as every time he unlocked a chamber and stepped inside, the verminoxi would swiftly escape through the air vents.

Chasing after them, chamber from chamber his key had glitched out again and stopped working.

So for the next few hours he had to tinker over the mechanism again, desperately hoping that it did not die out.

Thankfully it started to work again although it was only after wasting three more hours.

So much precious time, just wasted.

After everything, finally, he was now standing before the last door of the facility titled ‘purification chamber’.

Looking at the holographic map, he could tell all the verminoxi over the facility had gathered inside there.

The space inside was teeming with red dots according to the map.

Guiding his key mechanism over to the hidden panel in the wall beside the door, he gets to unlocking it.

While the mechanism did its thing, he looks at the map again and spots something that pops a blood vessel in his temple.

From the right side of the facility, two verminoxi were making their way toward the same chamber he was heading into through the air vents.

“Fiora that little…”

As if everything else hadn’t been bad enough, he had to endure her bitching and whining the whole time about her having to exterminate these dark infested critters.

He had no doubt, she had let them get away thinking he’ll take care of it. She’s always adding more to his plate of troubles.

The door lets out an affirmative beep, interrupting his chain of exasperated thoughts.

As it slides open, he channels his aether through his body, activating his sword.

Stepping through the door he finds himself under the collective stare of hundreds of eyes.

Similar to the purification chamber the boy had seen, the walls of this chamber were aligned with large column like tubes that contained what seemed like Vitarya. The tubes were divided into two portions, the upper parts were pitch black from the dark essence swirling inside while the lower portions glowed a greenish hue because of the unprocessed vitarya.

Of course, Drystan does not immediately notice these details since his attention is focused on the army of verminoxi surrounding him.

In a wide arch in front of him there were verminoxi, both gray and black, growling and glaring at him.

There were probably close to a hundred or more of them packed inside the spacious chamber.

Taking advantage of their large numbers, they were forming a semi-circular boundary around the entrance.

Despite their numbers, however, not a single one of them rushes in to attack him.

At some deep primitive level, they had all realized that any of them that advanced forward would be smitten immediately.

“That damn Fiora, how many of them did she let get away.”

He remarks while raising his broad gray sword with one arm.