Zap! Zap! Zaaap!
The sky above Pluto was filled with golden sparks that flickered on and off. It was as if fireworks had burst in the outer space.
While the weaker ones could only see the light, the stronger ones could vaguely feel the shockwaves of aura fluctuations.
Just a small part of those shockwaves caused the level 7s on Pluto to sweat. They wouldn't even be able to approach the fight before being torn to pieces.
The weaker abyssals couldn't grasp the intensity, but even they looked at the sky with burning eyes.
There was a fucking battle for the first time in six years!
It wasn't an easy one.
The strongest abyssals all joined hands to fight the enemy and it's been more than two dozen seconds already, but the flashes didn't stop.
Whoever that enemy was, they were capable of not only surviving the combined wrath of the pluto division but also engaging in combat for so long.
After all, for high awakeners with unbelievably reaction speed, twenty-four seconds was a lot of 'time'.
Considering that so many awakeners of level 9 and level 8 went out, the enemies were much tougher than expected.
"Take your positions! Keep your senses wide open!" The officers instructed their subordinates in a sharp and urgent tone.
The abyssals that weren't on duty were mostly in the training halls, working their asses off. And they joined the guards just five seconds ago.
Now, all the abyssals on Pluto were on guard.
According to their levels, they were spread in a very strategic manner across the planet.
Firstly, Pluto's surface area wasn't so big.
And secondly, the deployments were targeted and were concentrated in only critical places.
So, the half-million abyssal army was now monitoring every square inch of the targetted place.
It wasn't monitoring through treasures or technology but by abyssal soldiers themselves.
Regardless of their path, each abyssal had enhanced senses.
When used properly, this special sense, be it fire sense, space sense, or even the enhanced five senses—would form a sphere around the awakener in which the user could detect any changes.
It's like a humanoid radar.
The bigger the level, the greater the range.
"Report it you have sense any abnormality!" The officers yelled at their subordinates through their alpha orbs as they themselves were yelled at by their superiors.
"We're all good, sir."
In a floating building, a room was filled with a few level 8 abyssals. They looked at the man in the black dress standing with his hands back. With a respectful expression, they reported the situation.
"All the important areas are covered?" The mid-level 9 abyssal, Dorak asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, sir. If the ghost ship tries to sneak in, it'll be found immediately." An old level 8 abyssal said.
Dorak glanced at the formation in the hologram and saw that it covered all the twenty core facilities.
"Not bad." He nodded in approval, causing the level 8 abyssals to smile.
"Once they report, I will seal the space there and we'll end this Dreamer headache once and for all," Dorak said in a light tone, but his curling lips and shining eyes revealed his inner excitement.
Space Awakeners were a rare bunch, not only in humans but also in abyssals.
Dorak belonged to the royal family of Thunder King. Despite being a level 9 space awakener, he was sent to Pluto and became a shame to his family.
Thunder King was extremely disappointed in him.
'Just you wait…' Dorak controlled his face from distorting. He wouldn't make such a lowly expression in front of others.
He'd wash away his shame with Dreamer's blood and return as a glorious royal.
His imaginations were cut short by the old voice.
"S-Sir, the reinforcements…"
"Hm? What about them?" Dorak raised a brow and sharpened his voice.
"T-They will take a few minutes to arrive. The teleportation formations to Pluto aren't under regular maintenance…and for the c-cluster cities' plan, a lot of materials related to Pluto were taken. We have to hold our own." The Old Abyssal said, his voice trembling as a complicated emotion filled his heart.
He participated in the first human-abyssal war as a level 4. Back then, humans were so weak, so helpless.
When the war started, his wife was about to give birth. He remembered joking that his son wouldn't have any humans left to kill and that's why he'd 'catch' a few as pets and let his son experience this species that his people have exterminated.
Almost a century passed, and he had grown from a level 4 to level 8 and hit the bottleneck. While his son… was also an old man and now had sons who also had sons and who also had sons.
Humans were still far from being defeated, much less exterminated.
In fact, without the emperor's active help, he doubted if they could win at all.
Of course, the military strategists would argue that abyssals could still win in an all-out war. But the price would be the destruction of almost 99% of the soldiers.
That number was only 70% a few decades ago and it's growing every year, bringing with it an unease that was hard to shake off.
The biggest fear of the old abyssal and many of his peers was that one day the number would reach 100% and soon after, they'd lose any chances of winning the war.
"Mr. Qass? Mr. Qass!"
"Yes, Sir Dorak!" The Old Abyssal snapped out of his thoughts.
From the cold face of his superior Dorak, he knew he was in trouble.
"So old that you space out now? In the middle of a fricking crisis? You should honestly retire." Dorak glanced at him from head to toe and commented in a light, but forceful tone. "I will report this incident. You will do more harm than good."
"…I…I want to work until I see the end of humanity." The Old Abyssal said with a determined look as he gazed right into Dorak's grey eyes.
"Please give me one last chance. This is what I yeared since my teenage years." The Old Abyssal pleaded.
Dorak narrowed his eyes and observed the old fellow before waving his hand. "Since I'm feeling good today, you'll be let off with a heavy penalty."
"Thank you!" The Old Abyssal sighed in relief.
"Anyway," Dorak shrugged and turned to others. "The reinforcements will take time, but let's hope that Dreamer shows up before they do."
The level 8s nodded with a bitter expression.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. If you guys were stronger, you'd have been sent to fight her." Dorak sneered.
"…"
The level 8s clenched their fists and glanced at a hologram in the room.
The marked position on it kept changing and chasing it were dozens and dozens of abyssals.
It was Enigma's position.
While the level 9s went out to hunt Bali, the level 8s went out to hunt Enigma.
Of course, Pluto still had a solid defense.
There was a mid-level 9 and they, a bunch of level 8s.
The remaining level 7s were covering the twenty 'core' facilities. Once the ghost ship got sufficiently close, they'd find out.
Then, the level 9 and level 8s would all attack it at once and bring it down in no time.
So, all they wished for was an attack on Pluto.
BOOM!
…their wish was granted.