254 254: An all out asset [pt1]
The negotiations went better than Aurora had expected them to go. The boss of this floor had also been easier to deal with this time around than the last.
Maybe it was because Aurora had matured as a person or maybe because she was much more powerful than the other time around, but Aurora felt so much better after coming out of the room.
Rita’s worried expression was something Aurora had expected to encounter but it still felt good to be looked at in such a way.
“Did everything go alright there? I was worried because you took a long time.”
Rita asked as she approached Aurora. The rest of the people were doing a good job of maintaining their distance from her which was alright with Aurora. She did not want them to come near her anyway.
Most of the staff on the floor had ended up approaching her in the meantime which did not help Rita’s mood.
It was just putting her even more on edge and that was Aurora’s cue to get her out of there before any unfortunate accident happened.
“I am alright. I also got what I came here for so I am free until tomorrow. Let’s find Ava and have some fun today. We should check out our battleground for tomorrow.”
Rita looked confused when Aurora said that but she still allowed herself to be pulled away.
Aurora had a feeling that if she had not pulled Rita away right now, then something huge might have ended up happening in the end.
“By the way, you looked a little tense when you came out of the room. Is there something you are hiding from me?”
Rita’s eyes were curious and Aurora found herself unconsciously shrinking away from her. Rita was sometimes too much for even her heart.
And it was not like Aurora was intending to hide this from her. But she just needed some time to contemplate what to say to her.
“I want to tell you everything but not until we have Ava with us as well. It will be easier to spill the beans if we are all there.”
Rita did not ask any more questions after that. She silently accepted that Aurora would tell her when the time was right.
They found Ava pretty easily once Aurora opened her tracking system. Both she and Ur were resting on the outskirts of the city.
They were easy to spot in the mass of buildings. Ur was flying low enough to even land on Aurora’s other side.
“Are you done? What’s the verdict?”
“We need to find some S.P. stoned for tomorrow but I don’t it would be much of a problem for you, right?”
Aurora asked and got a wide smirk from the lady in front of her. Of course, as the overlooker, Ava had a lot of advantages over a normal person.
And since this floor lacked an overlooker, Ava was free to do what she wanted with it. It also included manipulating the floor to do what she wanted to do as well.
“Of course. Leave it all to me. I will get those S.P. stones for us.”
Aurora left it all up to Ava. It was easier for her to plan for tomorrow now. With her and Ava at the same time, their victory was all but assured.
“Let’s rest for today. Tomorrow will be a big day for us.”
Aurora went to sleep, expecting tomorrow to be a hectic day. But contrary to her expectations, she did not feel anything different once she woke up the next day.
She just had a red mark on her arm that likely indicated her team.
“Aurora, did you get a mark on your arm as well? Look, mine is red. And so is Ava’s.”
Rita pointed out at breakfast. Ava showed her mark as well which looked the same as Aurora’s. They were all on the same team.
“Of course, we are all on the same team. I did use S.P. stones to make that happen.”
Ava looked proud of herself and Aurora let her have this victory. Ava was proving herself to be the asset she was brought here to be so Aurora had no complaints about it.
“It is nice to see that we succeeded this far. But from here on, it’s an all-out war. Let’s crush our opponents and move on.”
If possible, Aurora did not want to spend any more time on this floor. It was not only unnecessary but bothersome.
The war ended up before it even started. No one was able to handle the combined worth of Aurora and Ava. Rita even participated but she took a more passive role this time around.
Floor 11 was crushed before anyone could even realize what hit them and the trio was off to the other floors.
There was nothing much to say about floors 11-15. They were similar and followed the same concept. They were also under the same gang and it was a similar process every time.
By the time Aurora reached floor 16, she had made a name for herself and people knew her by sight now. Even Ava and Rita had gained fame by being associated with her.
No one tried to mess with her or approach making use of her. Those who had tried early on had learned their lesson.
Aurora knew that she was changing at a rate faster than it should be possible but she could not feel it happening. It all felt rather natural.
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“Aurora, don’t you think that you have changed a lot ever since we stepped into the abyss? Don’t get me wrong because you are still incredible but haven’t you gotten a lot meaner than before?”
Rita’s words took Aurora by surprise. It had been a week ever since they had stepped into the abyss but this was the first time Rita had said this.
Truthfully, Rita had been thinking these words for a while now.
Aurora had always been a little aloof and detached but she had never been unnecessarily cruel.
But recently, she was showing no mercy and crushing her enemies when she came across them. It was a little scary for Rita to face such a terrifying Aurora.
That aura scared even her and she was on Aurora’s side all this time.
“Huh? Did Aurora change? She looks and feels the same as me. Just a little more efficient and a lot more able to swat away bugs.”
As ever, Ava did not seem to quite catch what Rita was saying. Either that, or she did not care what Rita was saying.
Both options were very likely right now.
“No, that was not what I mean. I meant how Aurora dealt with people. I feel like she is not very approachable these days. Even the children who approached us yesterday looked afraid of her.”
“And what is wrong with that? Fear is a good indicator to get people to follow you, right?”
Ava still seemed to be missing the point and Rita was too tired to tell it now. Instead, she turned toward Aurora with an expecting face. Surely Aurora got what she was trying to say?
But from that expression on her face, it did not seem to be the case at all.
“You know what? Nevermind. Maybe it is me that is being too sensitive. Please ignore my words and everything else I am saying. I am a lot tired nowadays.”
Rita backed down, feeling like she had no other choice but to do so.
If Aurora herself did not feel these changes then there was no need for Rita to point them out. Besides, she was not even sure if what she was feeling was right. Maybe it was the stress of the abyss getting to her.
“It’s alright to be concerned about me Rita, but don’t let it affect your performance. I won’t be there to help you out all the time.”
Aurora’s words were short and sharp. It felt like she was pushing a wall between herself and Rita.
It sucked that this was happening to her and like this but Rita did not want to argue with Aurora over this topic anymore.
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While Aurora was making fantastic progress inside the abyss, the outside was a different case altogether.
The tower which had stood as a symbol of peace and prosperity in the empire was all but a rubble ruin by this point.
They had been taken in by surprise when only Minerva had been there and then been destroyed.
Currently, the only goddess of the tower was left in the dust, unable to use her magic power.
“How despicable. To attack me when the other gods are not here. Did you plan all this, Lady Dheva? How devious of you.”
Minerva did not yell but her voice was loud and clear. She was utterly defeated and she had no excuse for it. And she also knew that she was going to die as a result of her choice.
How pathetic for a person like her to be forced into such a situation.
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