System Breaker: Surviving Apocalypse with Nine-Tailed Kitsune-Chapter 51: Teleportation Device

"Let me get this straight, the person we were looking for just showed up and killed that thing with a single swing?"

Victor nodded.

He just finished telling Artheus what happened after he fell unconscious while Jax left to give the fallen member of their group a proper burial.

Artheus was hesitant to believe the story at first, but once Jax returned and confirmed it with a single ’yes’, he had no choice but to believe.

"So the stories weren’t exaggerated..." Artheus murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

Damon stood a few paces away from them, letting them have their little group meeting before deciding what they wanted to do. The next topic on their list was whether they would return to the Central Station or go with Damon toward the Citadel.

After coming to a decision, the group was finally ready to leave.

Damon slowly grew impatient as the three of them really took their time deciding what to do. In the end, it seemed to be a two against one decision. Both Victor and Artheus voted for going with Damon, while Jax looked to be visibly against it.

In fact, now that Damon thought about it, the man had been keeping an eye on him ever since they met. But regardless, after being outvoted, the man set aside his own feelings and went with the vote’s outcome.

The journey itself was quite uneventful, which worked well for Damon, whose mana still hadn’t fully recovered. Hearing how a full scouting group was wiped before they saw what hit them, he debated if he should wait until he was at 100% before heading for a citadel, but in the city filled with monsters, it was hard to expect him to remain a 100% of his mana at any point in time.

Battles, although they slowed from time to time, never ended. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Damon found himself quite surprised the moment they were faced with a random Evolved Undead Human. His three companions were quick to move. Artheus took the front without hesitation, with Victor ready to support him from the back.

Jax, whose eyes always observed everything around them, was the fastest to act. His arrows were already flying toward the upcoming monster before it even clashed against their tank. In the end, their perfect teamwork killed the monster in a couple of moments.

Although he acknowledged the strength of the other two, Victor surprised him the most. He could still clearly remember how his once scrawny companion would pass out with a single use of his ability, and now it not only seemed like he could cast it a dozen times, but there was also something else.

’Did he unlock another ability?’

The moment the battle unfolded, Damon was quick to notice Victor use an ability on Artheus even before the man would suffer any injuries.

"Victor," Damon suddenly called out, catching him off guard.

"Yes?" Victor replied as he slowed down a step to walk beside Damon.

"What’s your level now?"

"Huh?" Victor raised a brow, clearly surprised at the sudden question. "I... hit level twenty-one not long ago."

Damon nodded. It was quite a leap from a person who was stuck at level 1 for the longest time imaginable.

’He must’ve taken quite a few risks, huh...’

***

For the rest of the journey, the group remained mostly silent, communicating only when fighting undead humans, which Damon was not part of. It’s not that he chose not to fight, it was that his three companions were always quick to act, almost as if eager to prove their worth after he had to jump in to save their lives.

He, of course, didn’t dwell on that as he tried to guess what awaited them at the Citadel. His heart hammered faster the closer they got, and when they finally turned the last corner, and the teleportation device came into view, his unease reached its climax.

The device before them was a lot smaller than he had expected. It was a small, round podium made of grey stone that didn’t look particularly unusual, except for the engravings carved across every inch of it.

One part of that podium was raised, and on top of it lay a dark orb that seemed to connect to those very engravings.

The group stopped only a few steps away from it, each observing it closely.

"Well," Jax was the first to speak, his reluctance about the whole thing very clear in his tone. "This is it."

There was a moment of quiet hesitation before anyone stepped forward, each person lost in their thoughts.

Damon’s hesitation didn’t come from fear or unease, but instead came from his companions. He had no issues risking his own life, he’s done plenty of that, but watching others die wasn’t something he was exactly keen on doing.

"Last chance if anyone wants to turn around," Damon said, trying to break the tension.

But his three companions, although clearly uneasy, remained silent.

’Well, it’s their choice,’ He thought to himself before stepping onto the teleportation device.

The moment his boots touched the stone, he felt a strange sensation, as if a small current of electricity ran through him, and, judging by the reactions of others, so did they.

"Whoa, this is weird," Artheus mused, tapping his armoured shoe a couple of times before stepping on the platform.

It was only once everyone was on it that Damon couldn’t help but frown slightly.

’Why is nothing happening?’

His thought, however, barely had time to finish as Jax glanced at him with a perplexed look before placing his hand on the raised part of the platform, where a dark orb lay.

"You need to imbue mana to start it," He murmured as his hand wrapped around the orb.

There was a moment of delay before the orb, along with all the engravings, lit up in a brilliant pale blue light.

Then the world twisted.

Damon’s vision blurred. His stomach lurched violently as reality seemed to fold in on itself. For a split second, he felt like he was being pulled in every direction at once before it suddenly stopped.

His boots hit solid ground with a heavy thud. His vision snapped back into focus, though his head still spun from the disorientation.

"Ugh..." Artheus groaned somewhere to his left. "I think I’m gonna-"

"Stay focused!" Jax hissed from behind.

Damon blinked, forcing his eyes to focus. They were standing in the middle of what appeared to be a forest. Dark, almost black, trees twisted unnaturally toward the sky, like fingers of a palm trying to reach the heavens.

The air felt heavy, as if the gravity was stronger here.

’Better than flying,’ Damon thought, though his churning stomach disagreed.

"Everyone alright?" Victor’s voice came from behind him, strained but functional.

Damon turned to check on his companions. Artheus was bent over slightly, one hand on his knee, clearly fighting nausea. Jax looked pale but alert, his hand already moving toward his bow. Victor stood the steadiest of them, though his face had a greenish tint.

"Stay cautious," Damon began, but before he could finish the second part of his sentence, a loud whistle cut through the air.

His eyes widened as his head whipped toward the sound.

There, just a second away from hitting his face, a massive arrow was coming his way.

CLANG!

Damon raised his Jian just in time to deflect, the impact heavier than he expected it to be.

’Shit!’ He cursed inwardly before turning to his companions and shouting commands.

"Take cover!"