Abyssal Awakening

Chapter 268: Leaving Terminus

After climbing out of Tiamat's prison, Alice once again found herself in the barren hellscape of the Terminus. Only this time, she no longer felt the pressure exuded by this realm.

In fact, it even felt comfortable for her. Like a fish in the great ocean, she knew this pressure hadn't magically disappeared but rather, she simply adapted to the new environment.

Moving her body to get used to the new power welling up within her, Alice wondered if she should try and fight something to test out her new strength. But remembering where she was and the beasts that reside here, she abandoned that idea immediately.

She is crazy but she's not THAT crazy to try and annoy every Abyss Lord level beast she came across.

However, it wasn't as though there wasn't something she wanted to try out immediately. And since she was in Terminus, all the more reason to try.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused her mind. She summoned the obsidian blade and entered a low drawing stance.

This would be the culmination of everything she has studied thus far in the Inverted World. A showcase of all of the concepts and theories she's been taught or experienced.

Snapping her eyes open, Alice took a step forward.

The world began to lose its colour as energy gathered towards her blade before erupting with a burst of energy!

Gritting her teeth, all three of her Sigils flared into life as the fourth pathway opened, unleashing her resonance.

Crackles of purple energy crashed around her blade, her aura soared and a faint manifestation appeared behind her, not clear enough to reveal the beast yet just enough to boost her physical capabilities temporarily.

Void Flux – Cleave!

*KRRRRR!!!!!

Watching the crackling vertical wave of energy rush through the landscape, Alice felt the energy drain from her body.

"What the f*ck."

Hearing a void behind her, Alice turned around in surprise and saw Allura and Kaden standing there in disbelief.

"Ah! I didn't notice you sorry. How was the attack? Was it better than before?" Alice asked, wanting some feedback from them.

Turning to Alice, Allura could practically see the words 'praise me' written all over her face as she let out a laugh.

"Pft of course it was better than before. The fact that you can even leave a mark in Terminus proves it." Allura patted Alice's head with a grin and pointed towards the destruction she caused.

While it wasn't deep, there was a visible cut through the ground of Terminus. One that crackled with energy while traces of her violet flames could be seen along the edges.

Hearing Allura's praise, Alice smiled happily since it meant she was one step closer to reaching her goal.

"Honestly, I think you should begin working on your blade techniques now. You have two attacks that you can focus on, that slash just now and the spark one you fire usually. But your close quarters combat is still lacking."

"We could ask Nyer though since he's probably the best when it comes to swordsmanship." Kaden suggested while Alice flinched at the mention of Nyer.

"Ah actually, that might be a bad idea." Allura coughed awkwardly while Kaden tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't know why but Alice doesn't seem comfortable around the commander. Either way, I don't think we should force her to train with Nyer if it can be helped." She scratched her cheek while Kaden nodded his head.

"Alright, I can find an alternative for you then." He smiled towards Alice who nodded her head in gratitude.

"Though I think that'll have to wait. It's been a whole day since we sent you down to Terminus and the Gods have already arrived in the Abyss."

Hearing this, Alice froze up as she had spent most of the time sleeping!

"We need to get you dressed up for the meeting while we still have time." Kaden grinned while snapping his finger.

Teleporting the three of them back to Ayr, Terminus regained its silence once more.

Arriving at the top of the castle, Alice saw Velouria drinking some tea while sitting next to a mannequin with an outfit on it.

"Welcome back~ How was the training?" Velouria smiled, turning towards the three.

"Rather fruitful. Though we needed to get some help from Tiamat since Alice broke the training room." Kaden chuckled.

"No matter. The training room was made to be used anyway. But I'm surprised you went to Tiamat, was it to fix her issue with the body?"

Nodding her head, Alice opened her mouth.

"Erm… The restriction inside me. Tiamat mentioned that if I wanted to fully utilize Bloodline Release, I'll need to undo the restriction. Is there a key for it? So I can undo and redo the restriction." Alice asked while Velouria thought to herself for a moment.

"Hmm, it's not impossible. But there's a risk involved. You see, the restriction I placed on you is the strongest one I can manage. In a sense, it's not unlike the restriction placed upon the Old Abyss Lords by the Abyss. Just a little weaker.

"If I was to help you undo the restriction, even if it's just temporarily, it'll weaken the overall structure and eventually, the flames will break out on its own. Alternatively, I can give you a way to adjust the output." Velouria offered.

"Adjust the output?"

"It's a more permanent change. Right now, you have about let's say 10% access to the flames. Adjusting the output means you can increase it but never decrease. It's safer than the first option but you cannot undo your choices." She explained while Alice contemplated for a moment.

Using a key means there's a chance the entire restriction would be destroyed at once. While changing output means she can't take back her choices.

To Alice, there was only one choice and that was to choose the second option.

"Can I adjust the output then?"

"Of course. Give me your hand." Velouria nodded with a smile.

Grabbing Alice's hand, she placed her palm against Alice's arm and golden chain markings began to appear on the surface of her skin.

"This'll let you adjust your output. I've put a failsafe on it just in case but I doubt you'll need it. To undo parts of the restriction, you need to establish a contract of sorts. Think of it as a secondary check to make sure you indeed want to go through with it okay?" Velouria explained with a smile.

"Thank you."

"It's fine. But now that we've dealt with that, shall we get on with trying out your new outfit? I personally made it for you based on what you told me. It should help you function as 'Hunter' gear as well as your fighting methods." Velouria grinned as her hand clamped down on Alice's arm, preventing her from running.

Snapping her finger, the space behind the mannequin opened up to reveal an assortment of outfits, each different from one another.

'I let my guard down!' Alice cried out in her mind.

She thought she was safe since there was only one outfit but turns out she was hiding the rest in her personal space!

Unable to escape, Alice was dragged away by Velouria while Kaden watched with Allura.

"We should also get changed. It'll be rude to the Gods if we show up in our standard work clothes." Kaden suggested while Allura nodded her head.

###

In the end, the outfit they settled on was a sleeveless black and white dress with purple details and a large turtle neck collar. An off shoulder jacket with large sleeves and a pair of boots. On the chest of the dress was the emblem of Ayr.

Along her waist, Alice wore a silver belt with a pouch on the back that allowed her to store vials of blood and most important of all, the bag was crafted using spatial powers so the inside was far bigger than what it seemed.

Even if she were to land on the pouch after being thrown by Allura, the vials inside still wouldn't break.

"Fufu~ Cute as expected. The material should help you withstand quite a lot of damage without breaking. Though there are some secret features I'll let you find out on your own." Velouria winked while Alice gave herself a spin to see how the outfit felt.

It was certainly lighter than the other outfits she'd bought before. In fact, it was so light it felt as though she was wearing nothing at all which only served to make her feel embarrassed.

"By the way, wouldn't the other Gods get suspicious about the crown above my head?" Alice asked, pointing at the floating Crown of the Abyss.

"Hmm… that's true. Which is why let's turn it into a headband to match your outfit." Velouria chuckled.

Snapping her finger, the Crown began to resonate with Velouria's power before turning into a black headband. The design of which resembled the outline of the crown but was simplified.

"I only changed its form so nothing has changed except it's a headband now. It'll revert to looking like the crown again until Cayla fully wakes up in your body since the Crown is connected to her. Once she's woken up, she should be able to help you.

"Now then my dear successor, it is time for you to meet the other Gods."

Clapping her hand, Velouria enveloped the two of them in a strange energy that flickered between countless colours. But once this veil disappeared, Alice found themselves in the centre of a large hall.

Statues could be seen surrounding them while she noticed Allura and Kaden wearing a new attire along with Nyer who stood next to them. Behind them, the statue of Velouria could be seen.

Meaning…

The other statues belonged to the other Gods.

God of the Sun.

God of the Eclipse.

And Goddess of the Moon.