Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 154: A World-Wide Crisis Approaches

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Chapter 154: A World-Wide Crisis Approaches

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Not only was Athena unable to sleep, but Asks-The-Heavens and the first five members of his team, upon receiving Big Dream’s message, found themselves wide awake as well.

Even the smallest, swiftest changes had not escaped their keen eyes.

In almost no time at all, their organised group and the regional chat channel erupted into a flurry of messages, despite the fact that very few were actually awake to witness it.

[ Regional Chat Channel ]

“The sun is acting strangely; plans have changed. Cancel the original plans!”
“The sun is acting strangely; plans have changed. Cancel the original plans!”

…

A relentless stream of messages poured forth.

Athena opened the door to the shelter, standing in her courtyard once more.

She looked up at the enormous sun hanging above, surrounded by an expanse of darkness seemingly covering the entire world. To her, everything appeared normal; perhaps she was simply overthinking the situation.

Outside, the withered treants remained beyond the range of the defense towers' attacks. Using a pile of wooden blocks stacked outside the shelter, she leapt and climbed to the rooftop, re-establishing her formation for Black Friday.

The cold, dark barrel of the gun pointed mercilessly at one of the treants.

With a gentle touch, Athena rested her finger on the trigger and pulled it decisively.

The bullet pierced through the shelter’s barrier, soaring toward the distant treant. The tremendous force and destructive power created a massive hole in the trunk, splintering wood fragments in all directions.

The treant fell to the ground, yet Athena received no experience points for her effort.

Despite Black Friday’s formidable attack power, which surely carried immense recoil, this time she found the action to be remarkably smooth, without any adverse effects.

The regional chat channel buzzed with sporadic messages, remnants from that group sent before they settled in for the night, and Asks-The-Heavens had yet to provide her with further updates.

Holding her shooting stance, Athena waited for a moment before three small creatures emerged from their hiding places.

They appeared startled, as though awakened by the thunderous sound of the gunfire, still a bit dazed.

Athena regarded them with a cold indifference, stowing away Black Friday, only to produce an elegantly archaic bow and arrow, imbued with a melancholic beauty.

From her elevated position, she drew the bowstring taut, aiming at the trio through their panic-stricken eyes, and let fly.

The most uncoordinated among them, Paopao, was struck; the wound still oozed blood as it cried out pitifully. Yet, alas, there was no trace of sympathy or softness in Athena’s heart.

She took aim once more, her arrow directed at them again. Paopao’s pudgy paw snatched at the arrow’s tail, dislodging it and tossing it aside, the bleeding wound having already healed completely.

Beside it, Mikmik and Witty were no longer in disarray. Instead, their gazes turned steely, fixated on Athena as if she were a delectable prey.

They countered her actions with remarkable agility, attempting to leap onto the roof to launch an attack.

The arrow that had originally aimed at Paopao shifted direction, now targeting Witty mid-air. It had no time to evade and was struck, crashing back down to the ground.

Athena’s arrows flew with unyielding precision. In such close quarters, while she wouldn’t claim to hit every shot, her success rate was high; the next arrow was released toward Mikmik, who barely dodged, losing momentum in its jump and failing to land atop the roof.

Without a moment’s pause, she continued releasing arrows, and the once-active trio now found themselves unable to seize even the slightest opportunity.

“Transform back!” she commanded, her voice carrying a subtle edge of anger. Yet this slight shift in her tone only heightened the trio’s will.

They dodged frantically to avoid the incoming arrows, even pushing one of their own into the path of fire, while the others seized the chance to scale the roof.

Their actions were decisive, but their expressions—full of mockery, innocence, and pleading—made Athena feel utterly nauseated.

At last, Witty found a moment of opportunity and leapt upwards.

With its little furry head tilted innocently, it resembled a harmless rabbit, and it called out to Athena, seeking her favor.

However, in that moment, it was terrifying; half of its flesh was aflame, while the other half rotted away.

A small turret materialized above its head, launching a shell directly at Athena. She widened her eyes at the sight, leaping down from the rooftop without hesitation.

This base had dismal defense capabilities; a single shell obliterated much of the floor, sending debris flying and leaving behind a mere ruin in the blink of an eye.

That cursed rabbit emerged from the wreckage, the cannon still aimed at Athena.

Mikmik, beside it, vanished from sight and surged toward Athena, attempting to slice through her neck with its razor-sharp claws. Paopao, too, had grown larger, charging at her with reckless abandon amidst a cloud of mist.

Meanwhile, Witty cared not for its companions’ well-being, launching a second barrage of shells toward Athena.

She leapt to the side, her left foot carving a half-circle on the ground, sending dust and debris into the air. A fragment of stone struck something nearby, and her black abyss axe was soon at the ready.

The first strike missed, but she quickly redirected the axe, swinging it down upon Paopao’s shoulder.

Ignoring the pain, the colossal bear sought to pin her in place with its massive claws. Yet, with a backflip, she narrowly evaded and drew back her axe, just as another shell came crashing down.

A tremendous explosion rocked the area, sending the two creatures at the center into a spray of gore, while Athena was caught in the backlash of the blast.

The ground where she had once stood now bore a massive crater littered with bits of flesh. In the distance, the rabbit tilted its head, confused, and fired again.

Athena sprinted towards it, the scattered remnants of flesh behind her converging once more, reshaping themselves.

They retained the forms of Mikmik and Paopao, but now their bodies were riddled with cracks, grotesque and horrifying, stitched together from the remnants of flesh.

Clearly, the rabbit was the mastermind behind this; though the reason why this illusion lacked a system evaluation remained a mystery, Athena knew she had to attack first.

For should she falter, they could take her life at any moment.

A swift resolution was essential; the longer this dragged on, the more concerning it became. These monsters had begun mimicking the abilities and skills of the trio.

At first, when she attacked them, they could only imitate the small creatures’ appearances. Now, they were employing their tools and skills as well.

If this was an illusion, what awaited her beyond its confines?

The shelter was under relentless assault, a colossal, indistinct beast looming atop it, seeking to tear through the vexing barrier.

The defensive towers continued their barrage, and even Witty was manning its tiny turret in the fight, yet none of it had any effect.

The others, gathered around Athena, attempted to rouse her, but their efforts were in vain.