My Eros System Grants Me Infinite Romance Routes
Chapter 15: Welcome to the Delta Gate...
CHAPTER 15: WELCOME TO THE DELTA GATE...
As Akira stepped through the barrier , i t felt like diving into ice-cold water. It was shocking and disorienting in a way that made him catch his breath.
But then A yaka appeared besi de him, and just like that, they were both on the other side.
The change was instantaneous. The cold night air was no mor e; it was now replaced by an oppressive heat that p ressed against his skin like a p hysical weight.
The distant sounds of the cit y were gone, replaced by an eerie silence b roken only by the echo of their foo tsteps on strange flooring.
They found themselves in a space that seemed to defy logic and the laws of physics. The walls were made of rusted, corroded metal that rose high above them, reaching up to a ceiling lost in shadow .
The floor was made of dark ston e, with g lowing l ines of sickly green light running through it. They pulsed like the heartbeat of a dying machine.
[W ELCOME TO THE DEL TA GATE: ’IRON REAVER’S CAGE’]
"Stay close," Ayaka whispered. "T he essence saturating this place will try to confuse your senses, make you see thing s that aren’t there. T he path to the Guardi an is always a straight line in fresh Gates like this, but that doesn’ t mean it’s safe."
They moved through na rrow, winding corridors. Akir a noticed st ran ge crystalline formations e mbedded in the metal walls, glowing shards that pulsed with the same rhythm as the floor’s veins.
[ITEM DETECTED: MINOR ESSENCE SHARD (1/10 GEM FRAGMENT)]
"What are those?" Akira asked, pointing.
Ai’s voice suddenly echoed in his head, clearer than before in this concentrated supernatural environment. "Ooh, look at these goodies! These are crystallize d essence, wh ich is the solidified energy from this dimension. If yo u collect ten fragments, you can create one Gem. G ems are the real currency for demons. You can use them in the system stor e to buy prem ium upgrades, skills, items... all the good stuff!"
"You should collect them," Ayaka said, apparently unaware of Ai’s explana tion. "Essence shards are v aluable. They can be used for crafting, trading, or converted into usa ble power. Don’t leave resources behind."
Akira started gathering the shards as they walked. Each one dissolved into light and was absorbed into his inventory with a satis fying chime.
[ESSENCE SHARDS: 7/10 ]
They moved deeper into the twisted corrid ors, the heat growing with each s tep. Finally, they walked into a vast cha mber.
In the centre, sitting on a throne made from twisted rebar and yellowed bone, was the Guardian.
It wa sn’t the huge mo nster A kira had ex pected.
Instead, it was a s urprisin gly thin creature. Its body had long and skinny limbs that b ent at odd angles. Its head was big an d looked like an insec t, covered in shiny black pieces that caught the dim light in the room. Hundreds of multifaceted eyes covered its head like a creepy crown.
A Grade Delt a threat.
The cre atu re’s head turned toward them. Those hundreds of compo und eyes locked onto Akira and Ayaka simultaneously. It hissed and the sound seemed to vibrate directly against Akira’s soul, making his teeth ache.
[ WARNING: GUARDIAN DETECTED - THE SCRAP MANTIS]
[WEAKNESS: NONE FOUND YET... ###SCANNING...]
The Scrap Mantis rose from its throne, revealing its full height... easily three meters tall. Its limbs made a clicking and scraping sound, l ike knives being s harpened together.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was distorted and layered, like multiple voices struggling to communicate through broken machinery. "Hum...man... boy... What... doing... HERE?"
Its b roken English sounded lik e it was mixed with insect sounds.
Akira stepped forward, raising his dagger. "We’re here to close this rift. Send you back where you came from."
The Scrap Mantis’s head tilted at an unnatura l angle. Then it made a cackling, grindi ng laugh sound that echoed through the chamber.
"Close... gate? HA.. . HA... HA..." The creature’s limbs began to tremble with what mig ht have been amusement or rage. "That... NOT... going... happen... boy..."
Then it lunged.
Akira barely managed to react. He threw himself sideways, the dagger held uselessl y in front of him like a talisman agains t death.
The Mantis’s claw sliced through the air where he’d been standing a heartbeat before, impa cting the rusted wall behind him with a sound like a gunshot.
The metal shriek ed, leav ing a deep gash that glowed at the edges. Shrapnel flew past Akira’s face, one piece nicking his cheek and drawing b lood.
"Shit!" he gasped, rolling across the stone floor.
Ayaka was moving with inhuman speed, already circling wide to the left, creating distance between herse lf and the Guardian. "It’s too fast!"
"You think?!" Akira shouted back, scrambling to his feet. His heart h ammered so hard he thought it might burst from his chest.
The Mantis did n’ t stop. It shifted its weight, those needle-like legs setting up with precision. Then in an instant, it became a blur. It wasn’t invisible, but it was moving too fast fo r Akira to keep up as it changed the angle of its attack.
[WARNING: INC OMING HIGH-SPEED S TRIKE (FATAL)]
"Move!" Ayaka screamed.
Ak ira dove forward this time, tucking into a roll that he didn’t know he could do.
His body moved on instinc t, powered by wha tever the ritual with Ayaka had awakened in him. He came up in a crouch just a s the Mantis’s blade-like arm carved through the space where his head had been.
"How am I doing this?" he muttered, surprised at his own agility.
"The essence transfer!" A i replied. " Your body is adapting! But i t won’t matter if you can’t fight back!"
Ayaka thrust both hands forward, and a burst of crimson energy erupted from her palms. The blast hit the Mantis square in its chitino us chest, forcing it to stumble back severa l steps.
The creature hissed in annoyance rather than pain.
"That barely did anything!" Ayaka’s voice carried a note of panic. "My power i s suppressed in here; the Gate is dampening my abilities!"
"Great!" Akira shouted. "Just fucking great! "
The Mantis recovered instantly, its multi-faceted eyes fixing on him again. It spoke in that horrible, grinding voice with broken English: "Weak... weak... WEAK... You... die... NOW..."