Abyssal Awakening

Once the memories reached this stage, the scene froze as Feris hesitated to continue. Her fingers trembled as Alice understood what’s to come

"I’m guessing everything spiralled out of control once you reached the anchor." Alice asked as Feris nodded her head with a grim look on her face.

"I hadn’t expected it at the time. Even though things were getting dangerous, we had a plan. Everything felt like it would work out no matter what." Feris smiled bitterly.

It was reckless bravado and optimism.

She had seen bits of herself in Alice. That smile as if promising everything was going to be okay.

She saw a reflection of herself, before a domino of effects that caused everything to go horribly wrong.

Alice kept silent.

The longer she watched the memory, the more ominous she felt. The feeling of seeing the prelude to destruction with no way to change things.

To Feris, Noah, Rika, Yama and Tobi were more like family than friends. They were the world to her in the most literal sense.

If... If her gambles had failed with Ria, with Selen and her other friends... What then?

Alice turned her eyes towards the ground.

What had been sitting in the corner of her mind had now been brought to the forefront as she saw the events of the past.

The possibility of failure and... What the result looked like.

Feris’s rampage that she witnessed using her Sigil, the lack of friends or family around her.

This was the price of those risks. The planless plans she relied on.

After escaping the Zenia family, she gained everything she could’ve ever asked for and more.

Now that the idea that everything could just disappear...

Alice clenched her fist.

Watching this memory was truly akin to seeing a bad omen.

In which case ... It only fueled her desire to help Feris.

Maybe it’s out of self satisfaction, maybe it’s pity. Regardless, Alice didn’t want to take the ’easy’ way out.

Killing Feris.

That was the one thing she wanted to avoid if possible.

After all...

It was like looking into a broken mirror. Everything is there but the details were warped.

Bracing herself for what she was about to see again, Feris continued the memory...

###

The portal was opened over head as the entire group descended.

Their presence weren’t noticed since most of the people were focused on the battle on the ground while Lords were occupied with one another.

In essence, they were unseen.

The guardian was spotted. It was busy fighting a group of Hunters.

Perhaps due to the fact that it was the last guardian, several Hunters were sabotaging one another to prevent the beast from being killed.

Whenever someone had a chance to kill the beast, a sneaky attack would claim their life.

"Remember what we mentioned. Adapt with the situation but don’t forget your main goal." Noah commanded.

How strange...

The more dangerous it got, the calmer he seemed to be. His eyes scanned the entire battlefield, capturing as much information as possible. And once he was happy with what he could see, he lifted the blade above his head.

"Yama assist me! Feris! Focus on your job! Tobi keep Rika safe!" After issuing the orders, and eruption of energy burst out from behind Noah as Feris enhanced the entire party using Void abilities.

While the Sigils didn’t change, just having the Void attribute on their weapons allowed them offensive capability much greater than normal. In fact, in pure offensive power, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that they were on the boundary of being six Sigil Hunters.

But that was just offensive power.

However, that is enough for now.

*BANG!!!

Crashing down like a meteor, Noah slammed his blade into the top of the guardian. Resistance lasted only a brief second before metal split flesh. Its limbs tried to flail in protest but Feris had already accounted for this and secured the beast in place before Noah’s attack had even landed.

Before those nearby could realise what had gone on, Yama was the one who covered for Noah.

If Noah was the ’beast killer’ in their party, he was the ’human killer’.

Anti Hunter.

One who kills other Hunters.

Breathing out softly, mist drifted across the battlefield as Yama’s eyes lit up with a crimson hue.

With Feris’s Void buff applied to his body, he took a single step.

Void Steps!

The speed was faster than what he was used to but his eyes could still track the movement.

As he rapidly approached a Hunter from behind, his movements were swift. Hand over the mouth, fingers digging into flesh.

Pull to expose the neck.

Stab, twist, pull.

Then, to finish it off while their guard was down, a piercing needle longer than his forearm was jabbed into their ear, through the brain.

Detonating a single orb of energy inside their head, the first Hunter was quickly dispatched.

Spinning on his ankles, he moved onto the next with lethal accuracy.

The more he killed, the more on guard his opponents became.

But it was futile resistance.

He specifically chose his skills to handle humanoid issues after all.

Barriers?

Sorry, one of his passive Sigils grants him specific bonuses when attacking those with their guard up.

Guard up? Dead.

Guard down? Also dead.

One man tried to blow up his surroundings but Yama had already thrown two needles that pierced his eyes.

Unable to see his surroundings, his explosions were way off target. Sneaking through and ripping his torso open from the stomach was simple.

As his guts splashed against the ground, the Hunters closest to the guardian was dispatched.

There were others approaching the battle but his role was over.

Now it was Feris’s turn to complete her task.

With the Anchor now broken, everything keeping the fragment afloat had been destroyed.

Void aura surged toward the battlefield as those with low resistances instantly succumbed to the effects.

Blood rushed through their veins, their skin turned purple and flesh began to warp.

Unable to withstand the Void Corruption, they were transformed into beasts that could only survive in the Void.

Beasts that could only exists due to the Void bleeding into reality.

They had already been consumed as ’sacrifice’ for the heart.

But with the spread of the Void, Feris felt power flow into her body.

More than before.

Better than ever.

Ah~ This feeling.

It felt great. Like on cloud nine. She could feel joy flow through her veins.

It was... different to the usual joy she felt.

It came out of nowhere. No rhyme or reason.

Was it artificial? Was it pushing her towards the Void?

An ominous feeling filled Feris’s heart but it was quickly drowned out by the feeling of joy. Her mind felt weird. Her senses were warning her.

But this feeling was simply...

Too pleasant.

Her smile curved upwards. She took a deep breath, basking in the feeling of the Void flowing through her body.

Ah... but she couldn’t just enjoy the sensation yet. Not yet...

She still had a job to do...

A job.

Right.

A job.

One that she suggested to Noah and the others.

What was it?

Right... She had to teleport this beast upwards and deal with it.

Once that was done, she’ll be able to enjoy this feeling more.

Yes...

More.

More joy.

It wasn’t just because it had to be done anymore. She must do it.

For multiple reasons.

As Feris came to this conclusion, her smile turned into a grin.

A dangerous light flashed in her eyes as she slammed her palms down.

*BANG!!! RUMBLE!!!

The land broke apart.

No, the realm tore.

Cracks in space, entrances to the Void.

Her power had been amplified to an obscene degree yet...

Watching the teleportation circle unfold, Ciel had a frown on her face.

She half expected it but even so... seeing this was...

Weird.

Too weird.

She figured she needed to regulate what happened if the girl tried too hard. To make sure she didn’t die from ’overdose’ and become a sacrifice herself.

Instead, she was strangely resilient? Even if she was a vessel specifically crafted for the Void, this was too much right? Surely.

This level of power flowing through her vessel would surely kill her no matter what.

If she had even shown a slight sign of breaking, Ciel would’ve moved.

But the girl persisted.

She laughed, she grinned, she ripped the land apart as the maw was teleported into the air.

A giant worm like beast who had fused itself with a far of the Void hissed in confusion as its body was exposed.

A pillar of flesh that even when teleported so high up, was still connected like a funnel.

Countless eyes snapped open from the pillar and the worm glared at Feris.

Another vessel.

A potential to be a Ruler.

If its meal was to be undisturbed, the girl must die.

Its intelligence couldn’t be considered high. Yet it could still understand this much.

Just as it wanted to turn its head, Feris cackled.

"Your fragment..." She mumbled in her hysteria.

The feeling of joy flowing through her body shocked her system to its very core. She hadn’t felt this way before.

Overwhelming. Far too overwhelming.

But all she could think about was to get more of this feeling.

Its source? Naturally it was from the fragment.

If she claimed the fragment, she’ll feel better.

If she claimed the heart, she’ll feel joy like no other.

She wanted it.

She needed it.

She will take it.

She sensed the fragment lingering inside the worm.

Ripe for the taking.

Saliva dripped from her lips as she opened her mouth.

"Ahh~"

And took a bite.

A portion of the realm disappeared as did a large section of the Worm.

Feris ate the fragment inside the Worm and now all that was left was the final piece.

Finally it was in sight...

That last fragment.

Soon, her heart would be complete.