Abyssal Awakening

No one at that moment could make a single sound.

Ria was frozen by the power exhibited by Alice's attack.

That sense of danger. . . Even though she was in the spectator stand, she could tell just how terrifying it was.

The underlying concepts hidden within that attack, concepts that twist the very air they breathe, the realm they exist in, the feeling like the whole world suddenly turned against you.

But more than that, it was the fact that she knew this wasn't Alice's full power.

There were too many abilities she hadn't fused with the attack to truly call it her strongest strike. And if that's the case, how terrifying was the whole thing?

Clenching her fist, cold sweat dripped down Ria's back. She felt a fire igniting in her chest, the competitive spirit. She needed to master Nyzel's Three Fold lightning soon. . . No, she couldn't stop at just mastering. She had to go above and beyond.

Luke was in a similar situation.

If Alice was this strong yet she's struggling with opponents now, what kind of threat would they face in the future? He knew that the opponent was an Apostle but with the gap between them being so big, it was hard to truly comprehend how much danger was involved.

There's a significant difference between hearing about something dangerous and experiencing it firsthand was a chasm. He couldn't grasp it, not in its entirety.

Can he truly help them as a friend if all he can do is give buffs? He can't protect himself properly, a liability. Even with his tricks and second Resonance, if something were to happen without him having time to react. . .

Luke saw a vision of himself bleeding out on the floor with no chance of rescue. Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, he understood what he must do. It was time to reinvent himself, break himself down and rebuild from the ground up.

What must he do outside of simply buffing to survive. He has to break down this weak mindset and focus properly.

And despite the fact that Luke felt as though he's already tried to rebuild himself, clearly it wasn't enough.

In moments like this, he can't help but recall what Gin and Allura had taught in the past. The mindset makes the Hunter. Everyone's a little crazy on the inside. Even if Ria seems composed, there's no doubt that her past at the eclipse is gripping her deep within.

That's her fuel to push for greater heights, no matter how traumatic it is.

Luke might not have the same level of trauma, he barely remembers his time in the eclipse. But what he can do now, what he wants to do, what he wants to protect.

What if he saw it all broken before him? What if he saw the people he's been relying on fail? What then? As the sole person alone, what can he do? What can he wish he could do?

He closed his eyes. Envisioned a moment where. . . Ria is bleeding out in his arms. Veins bulged on his neck as he clenched his fist, a sense of determination, a fire in his gaze.

If someone was to do that. . .

He'll tear out their f*cking throat with his bare hands.

No matter the cost.

###

Alice stood amidst the smoke and debris. Rosalyn's personal realm was cut in half and slowly disintegrating by the edges.

And even with Cayla back, at that last moment, Alice lost sight of Rosalyn.

Just for a split second.

For that second, the Lord perceived her as a true threat.

For that second, Alice found herself unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Behind her, Rosalyn stood. The parasol blade pressed against the throat with an orb of energy ready to detonate on her back.

She was aware of Alice's regeneration.

So if this was a real fight, Alice figured she probably had a way to resolve that issue.

But this glare from Rosalyn. . . Alice felt like she was being targeted by a blood starved beast. Desperate and in a frenzy like state, willing to go through any means to survive even through sacrifice.

'I suppose it only makes sense for a Lord to have a few screws loose. Some just hide it better than others.' She thought with a sigh.

Raising her hands in surrender, Alice glanced back.

"It's my loss. How did you even dodge that? Not even this eye could track you down." She asked, pointing at her eye.

"Dodge? You think I f*cking dodged that? Who the hell throws out an attack that can cut everything out of nowhere and expect them to dodge???" Rosalyn snapped, smacking Alice on the head.

Blood was still hovering around her as it slowly reconstructed her dress.

"I f*cking died dipsh*t." Rosalyn admitted in annoyance. "I simply reconstructed myself using the blood behind you."

She was this close to losing herself for a moment, to indulge in her bestial instincts and walk towards survival, even if it meant harming Alice. The amount of restraint it took not to make another move. . .

Scariest of all was actually 'dying' once to that attack. The concept and understanding behind it. . .

"So what the hell is your power? You just casually mimic everything I do to perfection same with Allura and Kaden." Rosalyn asked, adjusting her sleeves once her dress was reconstructed.

Alice grinned smugly. "You wanna know? Hehe~ I bet you do huh? Why don't you take a few guess- BLERG!!!"

Rosalyn cut her off with a kick to the stomach.

"Why don't we confiscate a few more bottles of that mead. It was pretty tasty." She narrowed her gaze as Alice stood up straight with an awkward cough.

"Let's not get hasty here." Dusting herself and adjusting her outfit, Alice cleared her throat.

"The Sixth Sigil I got from Kazira is one that was cultivated with her own power. Revenant Recollection, that's what it's called."

Turning around, she lifted the back of her hair, revealing her neck.

She injected a bit of energy into the Sigil and it began to appear on her nape. A coffin with an upside down cross surrounded by a circle of flames.

"It's not a very complicated power and one that's somewhat derived from her Authority of War." Alice began casually.

"In essence, I can read the history of a battlefield and extract the lingering echoes of souls for my own use. It's a little restricted in terms of what I can extract so I can't just kill someone and read all of their memories, I'll go insane. But their combat experience can be 'overlayed' to either myself or an ally.

"For Kazira, that means giving a makeshift army a bunch of real combat experience immediately. Turning a ragtag group into a trained elite army. The effects differ based on the battle and the intensity of it since it affects the echoes of the soul. But for me. . ." Alice trailed off before pointing at her own tongue.

"It's a little different." She grinned.

"I steal a bit of a person's soul when I consume their blood, it lets me use their Sigils. Of course, what I can do with their Sigils is entirely limited to what I know. Even if a Sigil could do amazing things, if I don't know about it, I can't tap into that kind of power at all.

"But once I tap into that 'experience' and overlay it with myself, habits and combat experience become part of my own. When I drank your blood, not only did I temporarily gain seven Sigils, I also got an idea on how you fight and control your casting, how you made the most of your power. Overlaying Allura helped me with fighting using a sword, Kaden with going further in fine tuning casting controls."

This wasn't everything though.

This was simply the surface level understanding that Alice gained from a single glance. Outside of this, there was still the possibility through Physical Resonance. How will this Sigil synergise with mirror jester? How would it synergise with using Tiamat's Resonance? Or maybe even Duality?

By choosing Revenant Recollection, Alice had now opened the doors to the key portion of her powers. The portion that lets her steal Sigils and swap them out.

Now, it's not a simple case of stealing and using, it's now a case of taking, using and understanding. And it is through this understanding can she unlock the full power of the Sigils she steal and even take them to a level beyond their original owner.

Revenant Recollection is what allows her to truly make that power 'hers'.

Rosalyn listened in silence.

The way Alice was calmly talking about her power. . . Rosalyn understood. Alice doesn't see how truly terrifying it is.

It wasn't done out of cruelty or arrogance, but something else is changing. Her mindset.

Lords are insane yes.

But this? This was something that even gave Rosalyn shivers. The implications of what Alice could now accomplish.

Rosalyn tightened her grip around her wrists.

Not only could she take your powers and a portion of your soul, but she could now also take your experience. The hard work of others becoming a foundation for something. . . unnatural. Chimeric in nature.

A blend of four powers, adaptability and even mimicry.

If it reaches a point where she could also read memories? Doesn't that mean she can replace someone in your life and you'll never know that something was up?

The powers will be the same, the memories are the same, everything.

The closer Alice comes to reaching the pinnacle of power, the more Rosalyn understood the underlying dangers.

The weak hides in shadows, using trickery to reach the strong. But what if the strong could make use of trickery far better than the weak?

To put bluntly, this was a monster in the making.

If she reaches the peak and becomes a tyrant, who can stop her?

Doubts blossomed in Rosalyn's heart.