Abyssal Awakening

Killing the Ashcoil didn’t prove to be difficult. The only thing that was annoying was the corruption it left behind.

The hints of Nightmare and the land that’s been stained by Eldritch energy.

Or at least this is what Yuna and Solana thought would’ve been the main issue.

Instead, they watched as Alice torched the land using Leon who’s been modified with a few new attachments.

Specifically, Sigils and passive abilities to properly clean the corruption and leave nothing behind.

"There are still a bit to the left dear. Big patch on the right, try not to let it spread more." Alice ordered while surveying the land from above.

Helena was there to deal with any remaining lumps of flesh that might be left behind.

Seeing all of this, Solana and Yuna couldn’t help but wonder if they were dealing with something serious or if they were simply out for a stroll.

"Do you think if we grow some grain in this place, it’ll turn into the monster? What if we ate them?" Solana asked curiously, earning her a knock on the head by Yuna.

"Stop saying crap like that. Are there anyone still infected?" She asked curiously but Solana shook her head.

"Doesn’t seem to be the case. Anything left behind is dealt with by her golden chains." Solana shook her head before gesturing to Alice with her chin.

With Alice dealing with the decontamination work as well as checking if there are any survivors, their job had become significantly easier.

In fact, Solana took this moment to set up a chair by a nearby river and started to fish.

As for Karya and Allura...

"Tiamat?" Allura asked as Karya kneeled beside the recently scorched patches that Alice had purified.

"Not sure. Maybe the old dragon got desperate after losing so much to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started to work hand in hand with Nyer and the others." Karya shook her head.

They wanted to see if there were any potential traces that might link back to Tiamat.

After all, Alice only got rid of the corruption and not the residual energy that could give them some hints.

"Even if it was Tiamat, I doubt she can do much considering exactly what I removed from her body. Trying to... regain her power is nearly impossible." Allura blew out a cloud of smoke as Karya sighed.

"Under normal circumstances. But this is not normal circumstances anymore is it? You saw what that beast was like. I’d say it’s a prototype at most. An experiment to see if they can quickly manufacture ’hosts’ of Eldritch and Nightmare energy in short time." Karya narrowed her eyes.

The Ashcoil’s combat effectiveness had decreased significantly. Even though it was still a Lord level beast, most of its abilities had been skewed towards corruption rather than actual battle.

Not only that, but its authority wasn’t suitable for a battle like this.

Had it been a beast who had passive reinforcement or an authority suited for direct battle, things may not have ended so easily.

Of course, that didn’t mean Karya doubted Alice wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

Rather, the casualties would be much higher and Solana would’ve had to give some assistance.

Alice’s weapons were good but it’s clear she was still awkward in using them. She couldn’t quite fully synchronise with them yet. Maybe once she does, they would take on a new form.

This cannon form was just the initial blueprints.

A prototype much like the corrupted Ashcoil for whatever Nyer was planning to do.

"Anything we can take from this?" Allura asked, snuffing out her cigarette as she rubbed her fingers against the ash.

There was something... unsettling about the Ashcoil’s appearance.

Something that she couldn’t quite pinpoint and perhaps, it was even a warning of what’s to come.

Right as Allura was about to say something, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Her head whipped around but she couldn’t see anyone.

Just now...

A pair of eyes had lingered on her.

Not out of curiosity but rather intent.

Someone had been stalking their movements. Someone that managed to evade Alice’s weapons.

"You felt that too yea?" Allura narrowed her eyes as she slowly stood up.

Karya had a wary expression on her face as she nodded.

"I did. Anything we need to deal with?" Karya asked, adjusting her sleeves.

"Not for now. Not when we’re this close to the portal between our realm and the World Tree. Whoever was stalking was good at their job."

It was a brief glance. That was all.

Long enough to understand who was here, but not long enough to give away their location. Someone who was exceedingly familiar with Allura’s detection time.

Creasing her brows, Allura stepped away as they needed to regroup and pull back all the Elves who was sent to deal with this issue.

###

A figure could be seen walking away slowly. The fabric of reality wrapping around his body like cloth. He wore a hood as a single eye could be seen glowing ominously in the shadow.

He had seen everything he needed to see. The things he needed to verify had been confirmed.

What’s left was to carry out his job...

###

"My! What tenacity! What ferocity! A fine specimen as expected." A grinning man adjusted his glasses.

The doctor watched as Lords writhed under his experiments.

Each one holding on much better than even some of the most tenacious hybrids he’s constructed.

With what little left of Alice’s blood that they’ve collected in the past, the best they can do was to borrow ’faulty’ knock offs that Nyer had supplied. Blood that lacked the potency and purity of Alice’s blood but still good regardless.

They were good enough to serve as ’foundation’ for these new beasts.

Beasts who have old Lords serve as their based while Hybrids are inserted to act as vessels.

The result?

Hybrids who reach the realm of Lords while containing different sources of energy.

Of course, if the Hybrid’s ’soul’ was too weak, they’ll be consumed by the Lord. And without the vessel holding back the energy, the Lord would then be consumed by the corruption.

Thus came the result of the corrupted Ashcoil.

"They are simply sublime, don’t you agree? Or are you perhaps..." The Doctor grinned. "Offended by their new look?"

Behind him sat a woman with an annoyed look on her face.

There were deep bags under her eyes while black veins pulsed across her body.

She was still in the process of adapting to the new operation but once it’s done...

"Silence before I pull your tongue out." She glared as the Doctor simply shrugged.

"Now now, let’s not fight. Are we not friends here?"

Seeing that annoying look on his face, she wanted to punch it clean off.

However, knowing what he was capable of or rather, how durable he was, it was simply wasted effort.

"Stop that. Unless you want to test your immortality a little more. Need I remind you that you’re nothing but a glorified punching bag?" The Nameless Outer God glared, still annoyed by the conclusion of their last clash with Alice.

Before the argument could escalate, the door opened and two figures stepped through.

The first was a cheerful girl who skipped with a smile on her face while the other followed behind with composed steps.

"Aw, don’t fight now. If you could defeat sister that easily, what use is there for me to be there to play with her?" The young girl walked up to the Nameless Outer God with a giggle and went onto her tip toes to pat his shoulder.

However, her actions only served to rub salt into his wounds.

Just as he was about to glare at her, he noticed Nyer’s glance and held back.

"Are the Sealed Lords enough? Or do you need more? We need an army capable of holding back anomalies." Nyer asked.

He had been alive and uncontested all this time but that didn’t mean he was going to underestimate the new buds of this generation.

With Alice standing at the front, it’s clear that many of them had transcended the natural power scale set out by the world.

Anomalies that can break the balance with just a single one of them.

To combat such a situation, what he needed wasn’t a powerful army to kill them.

No, what he needed was for them to simply buy time.

To stall and allow him to accomplish what he needed to do.

As long as he could isolate Alice from the help she could receive, everything would fall into place naturally.

"Depends on how strong the anomalies are. Sometimes they grow exponentially in battle. Can’t underestimate the tenacious human spirit." The Doctor laughed.

He worked with data and realistic predictions. But that didn’t mean he would discount the potential of human emotion.

Sometimes, simple adrenaline could be the biggest factor in turning defeat into victory.

"How greedy. Is it your new assistant giving you new ideas?" Nyer glanced down at the pit of experiments.

"Perhaps. It’s very rare to see someone so... interested in the potential of beasts after all. A madness that almost rivals my own. A pleasant surprise. The most welcome kind." The Doctor laughed.

"Seems like she’s a little more than just a creep. Not bad. But don’t relax too much. Keep the mission in mind at all times."

"Yes yes, of course." The Doctor raised his hand in surrender before turning to the young girl who came with Nyer.

Sensing his stare, her face twisted a little in discomfort.

"Aw, don’t pull that face now. Just think of it as a little... incentive for our new college." He laughed.

Looking up at Nyer, she finally let out a sigh and pulled out a couple strands of her own hair along with a few droplets of blood into a vial that the Doctor had pulled out.

"I’m sure dear Elara would enjoy this gift of yours." He smiled, accepting the offerings.

Giving Nyer a slight bow, he stepped out while the girl tugged at Nyer’s sleeve.

"Do we have to keep her?"

"Mnm... depends. She seems useful for the Doctor."

"She looks at me weirdly... was she like that with sister as well?" The girl pursed her lips as Nyer lifted her up.

"Perhaps. But as long as she’s useful, let’s not judge." He smiled helplessly.

People had their own... quirks. Her’s is simply weirder than the others. However, her usefulness couldn’t be denied.

Giving the new prototypes another glance, he stepped out of the room with the girl.