Abyssal Awakening

"We’re approaching the first site. Yama, is there anything around us that we need to care about?" Noah asked while dashing along the rim of the crater.

With the plan now in motion, time is of the essence.

The other factions won’t just watch them secure everything without making a move.

Even if Feris could hold them back to some degree, what if someone they couldn’t handle appeared?

"They’ve already taken notice. I think a few of them are now asking for what moves they could be doing. You know what it’s like with big factions. Can’t do anything without first confirming with higher ups." Yama replied as he had one of this eyes closed.

"Hmm... how many are making a move?" Noah narrowed his eyes.

Pivoting on his heel, he twisted his body and unleashed a vertical swing that cut through a few boulders that were ripped from the ground.

"Three. The others are not making a move. Not even notifying high ups."

"Three... Alright, it’s still within the limit that we can deal with. Rika, give us a quick boost." Noah requested as Rika nodded.

Clapping her hands together, markings appeared across each of their bodies as energy flowed through their limbs.

She was currently being carried by Tobi on his back since she couldn’t run as fast as the others.

*BANG!!!

Jumping into the air, Yama captured the entire battlefield in his view.

"Noah, whatever made those tethers must’ve realised what we’re planning. There are beasts being expelled from the Void to guard the anchors."

"No matter. Deal with them like how we usually deal with them. Feris, can you lock down their movements to make it easier for us?"

There were tiny portals opened near their ears, allowing easy communication between them.

Even Feris, who was keeping an eye on the main fragment was informed of what’s happening.

"Alright. But once everyone else joins the battle, I might struggle a bit." Feris nodded.

"That’s fine. Let’s just get as much done as possible. In a direct confrontation, we won’t be able to beat the other factions. So let’s use everything at our disposal. We’ll clear everything up before they have a chance!"

A smile appeared on Feris’s face as she created a frame with her fingers.

Immediately, a bird’s eye view of the first anchor was revealed to her as all three guardians looked up with mild confusion.

The main guardian, the one with the most energy surrounding its body, was a beast looming over them at the size of a small building. It didn’t have any hands but what it did have felt more than enough.

A pair of long black horns jutted out from its temple, black metal like tubes slithered behind its head like hair. Its face was covered by a strange mask that looked like porcelain yet... at the same time, it looked like stretched skin that had been covered with chalk.

It was better not to look closely in fear of finding out what it actually was. A set of blood shot crimson eyes staired at Feris while its entire upper body was wrapped with layers upon layers of white fabric and chains.

The beast didn’t have any legs. In fact, it was connected to the shadows that seemed to be gateways into the Void.

With Feris opening a ’viewing’ portal from above, the beast shifted its body as cubes burst out of its shadow, reaching into the sky.

The space that the cubes occupied were distorted and erased but such an attack didn’t scare Feris.

In fact, now that she had gained control over certain aspects of the Void, she understood the true nature of this attack.

All visual, no depth.

A smile hung on her lips as she adjusted the finger frame. A simple inversion and the space these guardians occupied was shifted.

Up became down, left became right.

The cubes that were shooting into the air slammed into the ground, carving deep cavities while a chunk of the land as well as the guardians were now suspended in the air.

Shimmering spikes stabbed into their shoulders and torso’s anchoring them in place.

No matter how they struggled, they couldn’t move!

However, with their attention focused on Feris, they failed to notice the group rapidly approaching them.

Or rather, they noticed but didn’t care.

With their energy levels, even if their guard was down, none of them could hurt them.

What they didn’t expect was their adjustments to Feris’s power that allowed them to fight enemies stronger than them.

Void Steps, proxy activation!

Taking a heavy step forward, Noah disappeared from his location.

His blade erupted with energy as its light reflected from the Guardian’s eyes.

"!!!"

At the last possible moment, the horns twisted in an attempt to block Noah’s attack.

*CLANG!!!

Sinking deep into the horn, Noah clicked his tongue but didn’t stop.

Letting go of his blade, Noah clashed his fist together before punching the Guardian in the face.

Stumbling back in pure confusion, wanted to use its skills yet Feris’s disruption of the Void prevented anything from happening.

"I’m still here." Yama narrowed his eyes, appearing from beneath the Guardians’ view.

Twisting his body, he slammed his heel into the sword, forcing the horn to break as Noah caught the blade from above.

*BANG!!!

Cleaving down with an arc of Void energy, blood burst out from the Guardian’s torso.

Sheathing his blade, Noah jumped back as dark tendrils threatened to burst from the wound.

With its life on the line, how can it allow a candidate like Feris to hold it back!? Not only that, but to die to these unknown nobodies?! Absolutely not!!!

"Are you frustrated? I bet you are right? So why don’t we stop thinking so this kind of thing doesn’t annoy you anymore." Tobi dropped down from above. Threads spun around the Guardian’s body with several bombs attached.

And before they could detonate, he was dragged away by Yama by his collar.

*BANG!!!

Before the Guardian could even fight back, his abilities and counters were shut down by the group and was quickly defeated.

"They’re getting anxious! One group is starting to move!" Yama shouted as he could see several figures running towards them.

"How fast are they?"

"Pretty damn fast! I think if we split up, we’ll be intercepted before reaching the anchors." Yama frowned, landing near Noah.

"Even with Feris slowing them down?"

"I don’t think I can slow one of them down by much. He looks pretty scary." Feris answered instead.

Amongst those making a move, there was a specific individual wearing a white hooked jacket.

Most of their physical appearance was hidden with the exception of a single glowing golden eye. His face was veiled in shadow with strands of blonde hair hiding the other eye.

Based on the physical appearance, Feris assumed they were a man but it could also be a woman. It was a slim individual.

While he was storming towards the group, Feris had tried to slow him down using the portals but whenever he was about to be teleported, he would shift out of the way at the last moment.

An individual with an astonishing sixth sense. A troublesome opponent.

"Alright. We’ll move as a group. Let’s aim for the anchor furthest from them. Even if there’s only one anchor left, we can rethink our approach." Noah suggested as the group nodded.

"Alright, I’ll hold him off properly. I won’t be able to give too much support for the next anchor so be careful okay?" Feris warned as Noah gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry, we got it handled."

Seeing that smile, Feris felt her heart flutter for a moment.

Nodding her head, she created a portal and stepped through in order to intercept the new intruder.

"!!!"

*CLANG!!!

Just as she stepped out of the portal, Feris felt a chill down her spine as she instinctively compressed the space in front of her and solidified it into a wall.

Inches away from her face was a single blade being held by the strange man.

"Hou~?"

Much like how Feris was surprised by his sudden attack, he too was surprised by her reaction.

He hadn’t expected her to react so quickly.

But stranger than that... her Abyssal energy levels felt exceedingly low. An anomaly that doesn’t make sense.

If it was indeed that low, how did she block his strike?

With the presence of the unknown standing before him, the man jumped back and reevaluated the threat.

While he was observing Feris, Feris was doing the same to him.

He was unlike anything she’s seen before.

Energy far superior to Noah and the others. A level of danger that couldn’t simply be explained by word of mouth.

He wasn’t strange like Ciel...

Feris exhaled softly.

Could it be?

That the man in front of her was a Lord?

Sweat dripped from her forehead as her hands became sweaty.

Flicking her wrist, several invisible Void defences were deployed around her out of concern for her own safety.

Sheathing his blade momentarily, the man crouched slightly before bursting into action.

"BANG!!!

With a single slash, three of Feris’s walls were slashed apart as she twisted her body and tried to grab him with her hand.

A thick well of Void energy coated her arm and had her grab been successful, the space would’ve collapsed where the man was. Even if it didn’t kill him, a large wound would’ve opened up.

Yet before her hand could reach him, he stopped his charge and evaded the strike.

"How dangerous... Logic points towards you being a master of deception. But that’s impossible. Girl... You haven’t properly made a contract with the Abyss have you?" His golden eye shimmered ominously.

Feris didn’t answer.

Her back was coated with cold sweat.

In that moment... he chose to retreat rather than attack.

If he had attacked instead after evading the initial strike...

Feris swallowed her saliva nervously.

This man that stood before her was a monster beyond man.