Shadow of the Abyss

Made to bow, Varquess's fingers bit at his clenched fists. He wanted to scream to curse, but before his Lady, he could only force a smile. He had offered his everything to the hells. His soul, his body, and his pride. And now it seemed even the kingdom he desired was falling through his fingers like sand.

"Kingslayer," Altair spoke up, measuring the man in a sort of different light. The last time he had seen him, he seemed so insurmountable, annihilating Forwin in a single stroke of his sword. Now? Now, he seemed small. He could smell the stench of the hells upon him. Eating away at his body and soul.

'What was a man without a soul?' he wondered, unable to even pretend what was before him was a king. Altair could not deny Varquess was powerful. But was simply being powerful enough to be a king?

Where was his regal might? His poised eyes? The mere image of the man made him sick.

"I care little about how you do it. What matters are results. I'm sure you can see it, but this city is going to be wiped away. Gather as many children as you can. Do so for—" he stopped, awakened to a sudden possibility that might lift his hopes. He hurriedly turned to Tasha and Thanatos.

Altair opened his mouth to speak to seek confirmation but stopped himself. 'I mustn't be hasty,' he thought, shaking his head. 'We'll talk when we're away from the eyes of gods."

Tasha frowned at the caution he portrayed. Based on her understanding of the boy, he was reckless. 'Could it be that had been a front? A front to trick everyone? Cursing Lord Astaroth before all that was the Myriad Heavens?'

"Interesting." Said Thaan.

"Indeed. For now, Ren, Syris, and Zag will go out to monitor the city. I'm curious about the eyes within the skies. They've not done anything. Have they?"

"A true hunter knows when to strike," Said Thaan calmly. "Killing the commoners was the correct strategy; however, that will not do much in the long run."

"I disagree," Altair shook his head. "Defeating those Soul Kings isn't very likely. At least not in the traditional sense. So why not make the competition amongst each other fierce? The more we kill, the fewer points they can collect to resurrect. But why has none of them at least tried to stop me or my shadows?"

Thanatos had no answer, but there had been a smile on his face. 'It will seem entering his Astral Sea has allowed him to have a better perspective of the world around him.'

"This is just a wild hypothesis, but it's because they're vulnerable."

"Vulnerable?" Said Syris, thinking it over. "I guess that makes sense. Malzeen did say that they require a thousand points in order to reach the second awakening."

Around them, everyone present aside from Varquess possessed a value of one thousand, signifying their value. Varquess, despite his Eight Circles, held only a low value of eighty. A pitiful number made known of his mortal bloodline and destiny.

Reina touched her devious lips and slid an eye towards the Lilm. "What do you think Lord Malzeen has in store with these Soul Kings of his? I'm sure a devil like you ought to have a fundamental understanding of souls."

"To resurrect people from the dead is a simple feat for us Devils. Especially when the soul of our target is within our possession." Tasha said, choosing her words carefully. "Altair is correct. A soul is usually defenseless in its raw state. That's why the body exists. It's there to protect the Soul Flame."

"Then they're defenseless?"

"No." Tasha shook her head. "Soul Kings, if I remember right, are souls taken from the Astral Realm. Beings who focus directly on the cultivation of souls. They are terrifyingly powerful. Fighting not with their Mana but rather their Souls. For them to be Soul Kings means they must have had extremely high battle prowess, potentially Chaos Lords."

"Chaos Lords?" Said Ren.

"It's Realm of Battle Prowess that once stood at the precipice of creation," Syris answered with a deadpan expression. "They are beings who, in theory, touched upon the Dao of Perfection without actually getting too close.

Mastering their art… and every other art to the highest peak possible: They were so renowned they were called Lords of Chaos because when they descended into battle, all they left behind was utter chaos and ruin."

Altair turned to Thanatos, but he shook his head. "I'll explain our situation to you, but for now, all I can say is no, we are not Chaos Lords anymore."

'Anymore,' he thought peculiarly, uncertain of what he meant. Nevertheless, Altair could see neither Thaan nor Zag sought to explain themselves now. He didn't push. It wasn't the time.

"What are the chances that these Soul Kings are, as you said, Chaos Lords?"

"Low," said Tasha, darkly uncertain herself. "That's why it's imperative we find a way to survive this Festival. Our best bet is allying ourselves with the major powers: The Ironbloods. My spies tell me that one of the princesses is amongst their armies."

"We—" Taken back by the sudden rumble outside the palace walls, Varquees readied himself when Altair spoke up. "Worry about the mission you were assigned. Get your heralds to gather the kids. Go."

Varquess stared at Altair with such a look of venom he vanished before his anger took hold of him.

Altair ignored him. "Thaan monitor him."

The Former God of Death evaporated into nodes of light, vanishing before the eyes of everyone.

"Now, then, our next course of action is to gather relevant souls." Altair began once more, a slight edge to his voice. " Ragnar and Zaros are two that both held the same value as us. We can't allow people like him to perish. We must either kill them or recruit them to our side."

"Didn't you just try to kill them?" Syris laughed.

"Tasha here is scheming to screw me over." He pointed out, glancing at the devil, who awkwardly smiled, once more feeling she was underestimating him. "They'll get over it. And if they don't, I'll seriously try to kill them. We've six months in this godforsaken place to receive an S Rank Skill. Whatever humiliation Ragnar might have faced will fade before his greed."

Syris snickered. "I knew staying by your side was the right call. Things went from boring as shit to crazy. I like." A predatory gleam flashed across her features. "Well, when do we start?"

"Now. Tasha lead us to the major powers. Let's stop by the Ironbloods first. I—"

BOOOOM~

Nearly blasted away by the searing heat threatening to kick them away, the doors to the throne room were flung open, slamming across the hinges with a bang!

"Nice Palace," said the familiar voice that made Altair groan.

"Not this guy again."

From the threshold, several eyes spotted Vynn's silvery eyes stepping through the embers of flames reeling through the throne room. Behind him, Draxian, his shield, stood wielding a sword made of fire.

[400]

Spotting the number above his head, Altair scuffed, unsure where his arrogance had originated.

"It's… you," Vynn muttered, noticing the familiar clothing of Altair and the masked image of Ren. His handsome expression contorted into a hideous grimace. "Bastard! Have you any idea the amount of trouble you've—"

"Do you ever shut up?" Syris asked, unable to hear anymore. "Gods. You're fucking annoying. What do you want, now?"

Vynn's gaze swept over the masked Ren, Syris, and Altair and settled upon Tasha. His pupils contracted, feeling his blood pull to his lower half.

"Hells," he gasped, never before seeing a woman so ravenously beautiful.
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Tasha grinned. " Hells indeed. Who might you be, young man?"

"We've no time for losers," Altair told her. "Lead the way towards the Ironbloods."

"What makes you think I know the way?" asked Tasha as a sort of test to push his buttons when under stress.

Altair's expression did not change. Masked by an intangible mask, he spoke, "Lead the way, Devil."

The edge in his voice had been one of warning. A warning Tasha had been quick to hear. She hadn't been quite sure what manner of power or authority he was relying on, but an indescribable whisper gave rise to a submission.

She bowed in an elegant curtsy, her lips curled up. "Please, right this way." She waved a hand, and before the eyes of everyone, the flames within the castle turned to nothing. She lifted her gaze to Draxian, measuring the man for half a beat, and stepped past him.

"Wai—" Vynn had been about to speak when a hand covered his mouth, silencing his tongue. Draxian said nothing, allowing them to leave, feeling all the strength leave his body.

"Dog! DO that once more, and I'll kill you myself!" Vynn barked, spitting over the ground, having tasted his servant's palm.

"That woman…" Draxian muttered, shaking so vigorously that Vynn, through his rage, began to notice. "That woman… Gods… Holy Lord of Cinder!"

Vynn paled. "Dog, what are you on about?"

"We… I must inform his majesty. Gods! He must know." Draxian mewled, layered by sweat seeping out of his clothing. He began to gasp, falling to a knee. Unable to help the shaking radiating from out of his being, the terror of it all clouding his eyes like a dense mist. "Gods…It's them… it's them again."

"Draxian?" Vynn called, beginning to worry. "What is going on?"

"A Devil. That there was a Devil, boy! A DEVIL!"