Abyssal Awakening

The situation around the final fragment was akin to a barrel of gunpowder.

It wasn’t the fighting or the danger.

No, everyone expects fighting.

But what caused this tension to form, was the invisible defensive lines. Threats unseen to the eye, attacks that could happen at any moment.

Violence and death that will sweep through any camp like a gust of wind.

Each faction had been careful. They kept a close eye on all those involved. Ensured that no one was ever too close to claim the bounty they all had their eyes on.

However, a group had shattered this fragile peace.

Noah’s group and Feris.

For days, weeks even. This delicate stalemate had existed. They sharpened their blades, waited for the right moment and then-

Interruption.

The battle between Feris and the Abyss Lord of Sacrifice was open for all to see.

A disruption that caused one of the factions eyeing the fragment to weaken.

They saw the Lord damaged beyond normal limits. They watched Feris tire herself out.

They saw two anchors be destroyed and now there is only one left.

A spark had just been tossed into the barrel of gunpowder and chaos ensued.

###

"F*CK!!! F*CK!!! F*CK!!!" A young man screamed in panic as abilities and weapons were thrown through the air.

"I gotta get outta here!"

He was way out of his comfort zone!

He was just a measly four Sigil grunt here for supplies! He wasn’t a combatant!

’Why!? WHY THE F*CK DID A BATTLE HAVE TO BREAK OUT WHILE I WAS HERE?!?!’ He cried out in his mind, tears streaking down his face.

He tripped over his own foot and rolled forward.

Sliding through the mud and blood, he noticed a furious Hunter with his eyes glowing blue. Energy surged around his body as he clapped his hands together.

"Blood Inversion! Let the God of Chaos claim your soul!!!"

*BANG!!! Slamming his palms against the ground, a ritualistic circle expanded as a blood moon hung over head.

Those he was targeting convulsed on the spot, unable to fight back.

Rusted chains burst out from the ground, piercing their body as blood spikes ripped through their body.

Their skin and flesh turned inside out.

In this battle, there was no heroes. Just statistics on a page of casualties.

"SH*T!!!" The young man cried out as he quickly rolled backwards. He was barely out of the activation range.

The worst part?

No one gave a sh*t!

Deaths like this was happening all over the place. Even a ritual for Enris was seen as common!!!

*CLANG!!!

Another jumped into the air and raised a single treasured blade.

The skies parted to reveal a spectral sword the size of a mountain only for a ravenous Hunter to sneak up behind him, ripping a chunk out of his jugular.

Unable to breathe, the sword disappeared as nails dug into his head, twisting his skull off as the spine followed.

Just as the ravenous hunter revelled in his assassination, a spear was thrown from below, piercing through his rear and exiting out his mouth.

The one who threw the spear, now weaponless, was unable to defend against the trident that stabbed through his eyes, pinning his head against the ground.

Flinching at the sound of destruction around him, the young man clutched his head and fell into a foetal position on the ground.

His ass wasn’t even a strong four Sigil Hunter! A weak thread attack and some poison bolts. How the hell was he supposed to compare!?

He was trying to find a way out but...

With everything going on, how was the exit so easily found?

The heavens and earth cried out in pain. The Abyss, Void and surface groaned from the collision of spells and physical abilities.

Lords clashed in the skies with their authorities, scores of Hunters being turned to mist as a stray bolt of lightning erased all signs of their existence.

Hell, he even saw a beast being summoned from the cracks of the earth. Lava spluttered out as those unfortunate enough to be close to the summoning were drowned in the molten rock.

Their screams muffled as lava flowed into their throat.

’I’m quitting! I’m quitting this f*cking job!!!’ He screamed in his mind.

Rather than hiding here waiting for the battle to end, he’d rather run to safety and take his chances! Anything is better than a stationary target!

Clenching his teeth, the young man pulled himself up and started to run.

Vaulting over a broken metal blade the size of a house, he jumped through the air and found an empty spot to land.

Just as he was about to do so, a burly man was thrown over as a trap was sprung.

Spears erupted from the ground, skewering the man as the young man’s face paled.

Quickly twisting himself through the air, he barely avoided it and rolled back onto his feet.

Run!

RUN!

That was the only thing on his mind.

Then, in the distance, he spotted a group of people.

They were running away from the main cluster of Hunters.

There were a couple of people going after them but unless absolutely necessary, they didn’t kill. They weren’t even trying to fight!

In this mosh pit of chaos, they were his guiding light. Surely they were nice people!

"OIIII!!!" He cried out, waving his hands towards the group.

But as he got closer, a tall man snapped his eyes towards him. His figure disappeared and a blade was about to descend on his head.

"Yama! Stop, he doesn’t have malice. We need to run!" The captain of the group shouted as the man named Yama held back his blade.

Confusion filled the young man’s face but this was a chance.

"Please let me come with you! I didn’t sign up for all of this!" He begged.

Yama furrowed his brows.

"I don’t recommend it."

Yet before the young man could even reply...

###

Yama felt a chill down his spine.

Quickly taking a few steps back, he made some distance between himself and the confused Hunter.

"Huh? Where are yo-aaaARGHHHHHHH!!!!" An unholy scream escaped his lips as insects burrowed through his shoes, through his skin and tunnelled through his flesh.

His body was consumed almost in an instant as one blink was it took for only his bones to remain.

"Tch!" Clicking his tongue, Yama regrouped with the others.

"This battle is f*cked!" Tobi trembled seeing the... creative ways people were dying near them.

They thought there was a bit of time before their next battle.

Little did they know chaos would unfold like this.

"Just keep running. The further we get from the battle the better. We need to make sure nothing is interrupting us when Feris does her thing." Noah suggested.

After Feris’s recovery, they discovered something... concerning.

The fragment was ’waking up’.

With the two anchors one, only one remained. Already, its power was leaking out, affecting those around it.

Weak ones were mutated, strong ones felt a surge of power.

This was a blood bath to see who’s ’worthy’ according to Feris’s words.

Naturally, as someone who possessed a few fragments herself, she could feel her own powers increasing.

But most importantly, she had an idea.

No matter how powerful they were, fighting for the Void Heart was out of the question.

One step into that battle and the odds of them joining the long list of gruesome deaths would be near 100%.

So Feris suggested the following.

"I’ll use the Void power around this place to teleport everyone away. Even if it’s not far, as long as I can send them away, we can take out the last guardian and claim the fragment."

A plan that wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the other anchors disappearing.

However, with the battle already so close to them, he needed to be far enough where the commotion wouldn’t instantly draw the attention of every Lord in the location.

They needed the time and space for Feris to finish her preparation.

Even so, this was their best shot.

So they ran like crazy. But the battle was far bigger than anything they’ve expected. The entire pit had turned into a war zone with one on ones migrating through the area. Sometimes it would be in the sky, sometimes they would clash on the ground.

There’s been several close calls now and if it wasn’t for Feris covering for them...

Noah dispelled the dangerous thoughts and rushed forward, leading the way while Feris mapped out their course.

With her resonance with the Void, she was able to determine which path was safest by manipulating the space around them.

She made it so it was harder for others to intercept their retreat.

Of course, she had to be careful since if she made it too obvious, eyes would be drawn to them.

But there was one other thing on Feris’s mind.

The maw that rested in the centre of the pit. That spiralling mass of teeth and Void energy that disrupted the space.

Like before, those unfortunate enough to fall into the pit were unable to escape, turning into food for the great leviathan that dwelled beneath.

It was a hunch but Feris could tell that beast had to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

That it would be the last thing she needed to do before claiming full Authority of the Void.

*BANG!!!

An explosion louder than anything she’s heard thus far exploded in the middle of the battlefield as Feris glanced back.

Someone had called forth the descent of a God.

The scorching heat of the sun, the frozen mist of the moon and the raging fires of chaos.

Sweat dripped down Feris’s back.

If all three are involved... how was she supposed to teleport everyone away?

"Tsk tsk tsk, no cheating now. My children are playing, let’s not interrupt shall we?" A voice echoed out through the realm as the aura of the three Gods were instantly cut off.

The descent failed!

Feris recognised that voice.

Ciel had made her move.