Abyssal Awakening

Leaving the forge, Alice couldn't help but recall the forging method that he showed her.

The vibrant scenery as the world was bent to his will. How he wrestled the energy under his control and used it to forge Selen's ring.

This kind of tyrannical forging method… She wanted to see if she could modify it and make it hers. To adjust the fundamentals and change certain properties to match her needs, just like what she did with Allura's Nova Core and Executioner's Blade.

Both of which were transformed into Void Flux and Void Flux – Cleave.

However, this was not the time to try it, she'll find some spare time later to experiment.

Glancing to the side, Alice could see Selen playing around with the ring as she's slowly getting used to the new vessel of energy within her.

"Seems like you're pretty eager to test it out." Alice chuckled as Selen nodded her head.

"Of course I am. After all, it's the first proper equipment I've ever got. The other times have just been spare weapons that the guards use or I create it myself using my Sigils." Selen shrugged.

Waving her hand, energy weaved together into a staff.

Observing this, Alice noticed a change. She noticed her gaze focusing more on the strands as the small details that were previously looked over now became clear to her.

A single instance of exposure to a truly marvellous forging method developed by Sigurd was enough to open her mind to a new world of detail and focus. If she had to describe it, it would be akin to a person who needed glasses all their life finally got their hands on a pair that were suited to them.

From a life of seeing everything blurred and muddled to seeing true clarity.

Looking down at her own hand, Alice began to wonder.

If she could see the true flow of energy that she unconsciously skipped over before, what else could she see? What else could she modify?

Clenching her fists, Alice was ready for a spar. Hell, not even a spar would suffice at this point. She wanted to just isolate herself and do a complete overhaul on the skills that she's learned over the course of her journey.

To reflect and modify the flow of energy to be more efficient. To recall the lessons that she's learned.

But there was something else she wanted to test before any of that.

"Hold out your staff for a moment." Alice asked as Selen tilted her head before nodding.

She wasn't sure what Alice was wanting to do with this but with what she's been doing recently, Selen figured that Alice was probably about to make a breakthrough.

Scanning her eye across the body of the staff, Alice could see the flow of energy and how it weaved together to form this staff. It was a similar construction method to how she made her own weapons.

Very basic and rudimentary but fitted the purpose.

However, after experiencing how Sigurd forges his weapons, Alice could see the shaky foundation of such a creation.

Gathering a small mote of energy on her finger, she paused for a moment before tapping it against the shaft of the staff.

*KRK!

A crack stretched across the entire body before shattering apart.

One tap, one spark of energy to disrupt the flow.

One tap was all it took to disassemble the staff.

Despite being shocked, Selen didn't say anything as she noticed that Alice had entered a flow state. Her eye lingered on where the staff had been and Selen could tell Alice was forming new theories in her mind.

A smile appeared on her face as she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The mental state of a hunter/warrior was the most important part of their skill set. A free minded hunter can make a myriad of skills from the building blocks of their Sigils.

Most would be able to create one or two specialised skills based on what they know. But Alice? She's like a sponge.

No matter what you showed her, she would break it down in her mind, understand it as best as she could and see if she could replicate it. One glance was all she needed to see the truth of the skill and the theory behind it.

This was what caused Selen to create her new skill in the first place. A counter measure against those who are similar to Alice, those who are extremely perceptive and focused on the details.

A smile curved on Alice's face as she closed her eye.

"Selen, have you ever wondered about how the day is far too short?" Alice asked.

The ideas that flooded through her mind, even if she was given a week, it wouldn't be enough time.

"Not really. But with my powers, it's not hard to extend my perception of the day." Selen shrugged.

"Fair point. I'm simply lamenting that there is only 24 hours in a day as there is too much to do for this short period of time." Alice laughed.

After leaving the forge, the two of them looked around for a place to spar.

Making their way to the barracks where warriors could be seen training, Alice and Selen booked a training room sealed by ice. A room dedicated to those with a minimum of five Sigils and designed to contain as much destruction as possible thanks to Frida's reinforcement.

With such a perfect sparring spot, Alice gave her body a stretch and changed into a different outfit that didn't restrain her movements.

A sleeveless white and black one piece dress with the icon on Ayr on the chest. The dress reached down to the thighs.

Gloves that reached up to her bicep and a pair of long boots reaching past her knees.

Tying her hair into a ponytail, Alice gave her neck a light massage before entering an offensive stance.

In the distance, Selen created a new weapon that Alice had never seen before.

"What's that?" Alice couldn't help but ask curiously.

In Selen's hand, she held a single blade while her spare hand controlled an orb that seemed like it was removed from the head of her staff.

"Just testing some things out, don't worry about it." Selen chuckled.

Creating a small blood orb, Alice tossed it into the air as the two waited for the start signal.

###

I can feel the sweat gathered on my palms as I faced Alice.

Despite her appearance and joking nature, she's the most fearsome Hunter I have ever seen. That thick killing intent, the instincts and the adaptability. She was in a class of her own.

However, there are still weaknesses that I can exploit as proven by my skill.

With the addition of Aeternum Vow, the chances of victory should be much higher than before. Yet even with this new equipment at my disposal, my heart couldn't rest easy.

I recalled her words in the elevator, her quick demonstration as ideas entered her mind.

Every time Alice had been eager for a spar, she's always showing something new. Therefore, I was going to go all out from the beginning. To end this fight as soon as possible before she could test it out.

This is a Hunt and I have only one goal.

To Hunt Alice!

Taking a deep breath to calm my mind, an action that I've seen Alice perform many times, I focused my gaze on Alice's body as energy flowed through my body.

'I must use everything at the start. Resonance, perception manipulation, acceleration and even the new skill Truth Seeker.'

If I don't do this, there was a high chance that the fight will end before it can truly begin.

*BANG!!!

With the detonation of the blood orb, it was my cue to begin.

[Truth Seeker!]

Usually, Truth Seeker should make a prediction based on what its seen so far. But because this is the start of the battle, I'm going to use my own knowledge and understanding of her to supplement the gap in information!

In the split moment when Truth Seeker was activated, I could feel blood drip from my nose as a flood of information assaulted my mind. All the possible combinations that Alice could do, all of her preferred routes of attack and how even the slightest movement from me would overhaul the predictions that Truth Seeker has made due to Alice reacting to me.

Truly, this skill showed me just how monstrous Alice's instincts are. A perfected honed weapon for battle.

However!

If she can't react then the movements won't change. I know that Alice is familiar with my skill so it wouldn't last for long but even a slight moment would be enough.

Perception Adjustment + Acceleration!

Power from the ring flowed into my body as an iridescent blue aura wrapped around me. I felt my mind open up from the flow of energy as the world seemed to slow down around me.

Resonance!

To make the most of the abilities of the ring, I dragged Alice into the monochrome world.

Right here, right now. I will defeat her!

###

"How many hybrids do we have gathered?" Elowen asked as she glanced at the mountain range in the distance.

Even from afar, she could sense the powerful barrier that Queen Verona had erected around the capital city. Even for them, infiltrating and unleashing the disease was not going to be easy.

"6 Hybrids have gathered in total. Two of which are still on the way." Troy replied.

"Good, we attack at nightfall." Elowen curled her lips into a menacing grin.

It will be a banquet of blood and horrors as they watch their loved ones turn into malformed beasts.