Abyssal Awakening

Scratching her cheek from Caera's proclamation, Alice coughed awkwardly.

"Erm… Yeah sure. Setting that aside, are you sure you should be out here? You know there's a curse in the air right?" Alice asked, wondering if Caera was aware of the dangers.

"Oh I'm aware. It doesn't bother me." Caera reassured with a grin.

"I noticed it when I helped create a stabilizing agent for those who were previously infected in the outbreak. It's a little hard to get out of your system but there are ways to prevent it from spreading. Naturally, I made sure I was safe before coming out. Though I must say, you're completely unaffected aren't you?" Caera asked as her eyes flickered for a moment before changing colours.

Sweeping her eyes over Alice's body, she could see no sign of destabilization or side effects trying to break out. In fact, Alice's body was 'enjoying' this curse.

Seeing the fervent gaze that Caera was looking at her with, Alice couldn't help but shiver and remember a certain department head who was just as excited by Abyss Blood. A certain someone whom Arunya warned her about.

Elara.

"Setting that aside, how do you suppose we can help combat the side effects caused by the curse? Their capacity is reduced and replaced by the curse, ending their lives as warriors." Alice asked.

Since Caera was a genius, she figured that Caera might have an idea about this. After all, she made the stabilizing agent for those already affected by the first outbreak.

"It's hard to say. Honestly it's easier to stop people from getting infected in the first place than it is to cure them." Caera sighed while folding her arms. Join us at m v le mpyr now

"Is that so?"

Right before Alice was about to tell her about her findings using her blood, she snapped her head towards the direction of Egil and Selen.

"No time to talk. Give me a hand and help out the Lords. Sigurd has my contract so his fire now negates Abyss power. Avoid that if you can. Don't let Sigurd die." Alice ordered, creating a blood mirror in front of her and diving in without hesitation.

"Of course my master, have a safe trip." Caera waved with a smile.

After Alice left, Caera swallowed her saliva as her eyes spun with excitement.

Contract? Flames that negate the Abyss? I want to see it!

"How many years has it been since I last fought? Ah~ I might be a little rusty but children of this era shouldn't be too difficult to put down." Caera massaged her shoulders as a menacing grin appeared on her face.

In the past, she was never a fighter. She purely focused on research and only got Sigils when she lacked energy to commence her experiments.

But after the culling of Ayr, she understood just how helpless she felt without strength.

Only with strength can she continue to experiment without obstructions. Only with power could she protect the assistants that helped her during her research.

Therefore, she sought the title of Lord.

However, the idea of bowing down to the Will disgusted her so she thought of an alternative way to achieve the title.

In the Abyss, there is only one way to reach the apex. To gain the recognition of the Will and obtain a title that encapsulates the path you walk.

Most who gain recognition will obtain a title that someone has uncovered in the past.

Then there are rare geniuses who can manifest a title never seen before.

One instance is the Slayer. A man so talented in the art of killing that the Abyss saw it fit to not even give him the title of Lord. He was not someone who could be fully described even when calling him a Lord.

But even if it is the Abyss itself that grants the title and power, Caera understood that the Will is an extension of the Abyss. To some degree, it has an influence on what the Abyss does.

Therefore, she refuses to be acknowledged by the Abyss.

Instead, she sought out a different kind of power.

Eyes began to open in her shadow as a strange power wrapped around her body. Her figure began to fade into nothingness.

###

*Pant… Pant… Pant…

Egil collapsed on the ground as his armour broke apart. Around him, the corpses of Elowen and the twins were scattered and Selen was nearby, passed out.

She had exhausted everything to help him fight. Whether that be speeding up his movements or slowing down the enemy.

With him acting as vanguard, the two formed a two person party and fought against the three hybrids.

He was able to land a few devastating blows against Ayla but in the end, he couldn't finish her off.

Next to him, a portal opened up as Alice stepped through with a frown.

She glanced at the two hybrids before turning her attention to the traces of Void energy left behind at the scene.

One of the Hybrids escaped.

"Are you alright?" Alice kneeled down next to Egil and grabbed a few healing vials from her pouch.

*COUGH!!!

Coughing up some blood, Egil forced himself to drink the vial as the wounds started to close around his body. However, the recovery rate was extremely slow, a side effect of having Alice's blood in his body thanks to the curse.

"Yeah, thanks." Egil forced a smile as Alice nodded her head.

She was glad that the two were safe.

When Selen's realm barrier dropped, she sensed the two on the verge of death and rushed over as fast as she could. Egil's condition was unstable while Selen's aura was similar to that of a Hybrid.

Helping Selen sit up, Alice fed her a healing vial.

"Urg…" Groaning in pain, Selen had already returned to her natural state but there were traces of her hybrid form across her body. Black spikes protruded from parts of her body.

What was surprising, however, was the scars on her back had now disappeared.

Perhaps it was because her entire body underwent a transformation once she became a hybrid. Regardless, Alice was rather happy that the scars disappeared.

"You… You have to chase after… her." Selen groaned.

Even with the healing blood, her body was extremely fatigued after killing seven hybrids solo.

"She, she knows who you are Alice."

Hearing this, Alice furrowed her brows as it was a little too late to look for the hybrid now.

"The Zenias have made a clone of you. Not an exact clone but she knows your name and found out that you're in the north." Selen warned but Alice patted her hand.

"It's fine. They're bound to find out anyway. Plus, it's too late to look for her even if I wanted to. I'm just glad the two of you are safe." Alice smiled.

Hearing this, Selen let out a sigh and nodded her head.

With Alice reassuring her, she fell asleep from the fatigue.

"Can you carry her to the Inn?" Alice glanced over to Egil who forced himself to stand up and nodded his head.

"The curse might've reduced my energy capacity but my physical power is still the same." He grinned, flexing his bicep.

"Then I'll leave her to you. You two should rest up now since the fights are coming to an end. There's only the Lords left to deal with."

###

Sigurd recognised these flames.

They're the same flames that Alice used. Flames that repelled the Abyss.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" He roared, creating a violet flame serpent that rushed towards the humanoid living shadow who was surprised by Sigurd's sudden boost of strength.

Just as he created a barrier of writhing shadows to block the strike, his pupils constricted in shock as the shadows were burned away without any resistance.

Confusion filled his mind, creating a gap for Sigurd to exploit.

Slamming his hand down, flaming spears shot out from the ground, piercing towards the Bestial living shadow.

"DODGE!!!" The humanoid living shadow shouted.

However, the beast ignored his warning.

He simply opened his jaw and tried to consume these flames.

"ARG!!!"

The flames lashed out in his mouth, burning away the 'flesh' that made up his body while the spears he didn't eat stabbed into his avatar.

Flaming symbols appeared across his body, forcing him to let go of Frida who took this chance to retrieve her avatar before it's destroyed.

"How?! How do you have our power?!?!" The beast roared, confusion filling his mind.

The flames cancelled out his 'consumption, allowing Sigurd's power to run rampant through his body.

There was only one source from which this could possibly be.

The Original's blood!

Glaring at Sigurd with bloodshot eyes, he dove into his shadow and tried to ambush Sigurd but he was ready.

Creating a flaming spear, he stabbed down into the ground as violet flames lashed out around him, forcing the beast out of his shadow.

Neither the beast nor the humanoid dared to take Sigurd lightly with the new addition of these flames.

Thankfully, Sigurd wasn't used to it.

Collapsing on his knees, he felt his vision becoming blurry as these flames exhausted far more power than he expected.

Seeing this as a chance, the beast lunged forward only for ice to appear around Sigurd, protecting him.

Frida could be seen weaving energy into a spear to assist Sigurd from above.

"We're killing Sigurd. No holding back. The others are already dead and Ayla retreated. Once he's dead we're leaving." The humanoid furrowed his brows as his shadows began to fuse with the beast. Their bodies broke apart before being reformed into a single entity.

A single horned demonic beast with bone white plating across its body. A pair of piercing white eyes and a set of crimson claws. Underneath this plate was the familiar writhing shadows that made up their body.

Without hesitation, the beast slammed its claws down and rushed towards Sigurd.

He wasn't even able to react in time as the beast had already pierced the barrier and the claws were on the verge of piercing his eyes.

"Be sure to thank my master when you get the chance okay? But kids these days are pretty rowdy, taking on all kinds of poisons into their body. Ugly looking thing." Caera chuckled, sitting on Sigurd's shoulder while stopping the claw from getting any closer with her finger.

"Who are you?!" The beast glared at Caera.

But the moment he made eye contact with her, a chill went down his spine.

He had to run!

"Bye bye~" Caera grinned.

*BANG!!!

A tentacle erupted from the beast's shadow, crushing him into a pasted as mouths ate up his corpse before disappearing.

In one move, two Lords were erased.