Abyssal Awakening

Chapter 491: Living Shadow

Enjoying their time on the bench, Selen glanced up at the sky.

"How do you think I should improve? Even if I'm good at controlling stuff, there's still a limit to what I can do. It kind of worked on the Lord of the Forge but he broke out of it quickly and basically disarmed me." Selen asked, hugging her knees.

"Wait what?" Egil blinked.

Since he had gone for a walk to clear his mind after seeing his mother, he didn't know that Alice and Selen had gone to meet the Lord.

Not only that, but she also used her skill on him? And it worked?!?!

"Well the Lord wanted to see what I was capable of so he asked me to demonstrate everything I know. After I did, he said I was holding back since I didn't use my new skill. Once I showed it to him, he blanked out for a moment. Just a moment and not long enough for me to do anything with that time." Selen explained, showing Egil the ring.

"Afterwards, he made this ring for me. Number 247 – Aeternum Vow. Equipment designed to help boost all of my time based abilities and even lets me see a bit into the future based on predictions."

Handing him the sheet that Sigurd had given to her, detailing the effects of the ring, Selen glanced up at Egil who was silently contemplating.

Perhaps its because she accepted his confession but she couldn't help but focus on each of his movements. The way his eyelashes trembled as his gaze flickered across the sheet. How he would furrow his brows or how he bites in the inside of his mouth when he's thinking.

"You've done acceleration, deceleration and perception. Have you ever tried to speed up the passage of time in a small area? Like withering someone's hand or something?" Egil asked, looking down, and saw Selen staring intently at him.

"A little. But I didn't really focus on that aspect since it was exhausting to do." Selen nodded her head.

"Maybe with the ring, it'll become easier now. But in terms of controlling a battlefield, I think just hindering their movements and stopping them from being able to do what they want would be enough." Egil handed the sheet back to Selen.

In his opinion, Selen was already a very annoying opponent to deal with. Acceleration, deceleration and perception adjustment was things that are hard to avoid. No matter what, one of these WILL affect your performance.

Once that happens, it's up to the damage dealer to do the rest. Of course, there were things that she could do to ensure her crowd control lasted longer. But for now, just disrupting the flow of battle was good.

Rubbing her finger across the ring, Selen had a few thoughts in her mind. Certain ideas that were yet to sprout. All she needed was a little push but that veil refused to budge.

While she didn't know it, it was a similar state to Alice before she had her awakening.

All it takes is a moment of inspiration.

"Argggg, how does Alice keep up with thoughts like this? I dunno, there's just too many things to consider but I don't even know when to begin." Selen complained with a pout, laying down on Egil's lap.

Chuckling softly, Egil patted her head.

"Just take your time with it. There's plenty of chances to try."

Curling her lips into a smile, Selen nodded her head.

But just as she was about to say something else, she noticed a faint sparkle above the capital.

'Is it a star?' She couldn't help but wonder.

However, that wonder soon turned to dread.

The fabric of space cracking apart. Lightning ripped open the curtains to an army of beasts with a familiar figure at the forefront.

A dreadful pair of multi coloured wings that shimmered with a myriad of vibrant colours. Jagged scales hindering the outburst of white blue and green flames. A beast on the verge of becoming a Lord.

A Hybrid!!!

Sitting up immediately, questions filled Selen's mind.

Didn't this city have a barrier? Weren't there Lords here? How did they even get in?! Why are they attacking with Lords defending this place?!

But before she could even contemplate the answers to her questions, the beast reared its head back.

Cracking open its jaw, rings of fire bloomed out in pulses, dying the sky in countless rings of blue and green.

From the centre, a single pillar of light shot down in an instant.

*BANG!!!!

Before the light could crash into the ground, ice materialised into a crystalline barrier that reflected the attack towards the sky.

"Foul beast! How dare you attack the capital!" A woman's voice roared out as Selen recognised it to belong to Frida, Lord of Winter.

Clasping her hands together, a blizzard erupted out, enveloping the skies in frigid destruction.

Yet strangely, despite this commotion, the people around them didn't even know what was going on. If they weren't looking at things from below, they wouldn't even have noticed this fight!

From the portal that the hybrid opened, an army of beasts crashed down. Each beast had a different size with some only rearing their heads through the portal.

Watching this happen, veins bulged on Frida's neck as her anger reached its peak.

"Since you dare attack the city of my beloved queen, don't even think of leaving!" Pulling her arm back, she punched down as a pulse of ice energy erupted from her body.

Resonance + Second Resonance!

The world began to tremble with reality beginning to distort. An array of northern lights decorated the sky.

This time, she wasn't going to drag the beasts into her realm since there were simply far too many. Instead, she'll make the entire airspace her realm!

*CRACK!!! SHATTER!!!

Frida's pupils shrank as she watched her realm break apart before it could fully establish itself.

"Delicious." A voice rang out nearby.

Twisting her body, Frida released a slash of ice energy behind her out of instinct.

*CRUNCH!!!

Crushing the energy between its jaws, a beast could be seen cackling with joy.

A nightmarish twisted amalgamation with flesh whips protruding from its body. A beast of writhing shadows and blood.

Its form, forever shifting and twisting as if it were living shadows. The beast's head is a grotesque twisting of strands, barely forming a semblance of a bestial head with a pair of glowing beady eyes. The jaws hung open with a malefic crimson energy leaking out.

'A Lord!!!' Frida gritted her teeth as the energy was unmistakable.

While it was a little stranger than most, there was no doubt that the beast in front of her was a Lord.

"Why the caution? Weren't you excited to introduce us to the city a moment ago? You didn't even want us to leave." The Lord level beast narrowed its eyes with a sharp grin.

*BANG!!!!

Before it could say another word, a hammer of flames slammed into its body, sending it crashing back.

"If you're going to visit the city, please do the proper procedures. Entrances are closed at night." Sigurd stood atop a tower with a war hammer hoisted onto his shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes at the army as a bad feeling dominated his chest.

An uncanny sensation.

Flames glowed around his eyes as he observed their flow of energy. Yet the sight of which almost caused him to hurl in disgust.

This unnatural flow invoked a feeling of rejection. A rejection that stems from the fact that his mind couldn't comprehend the existence of such beings.

"Frida and Sigurd. The Lord of Winter and the Lord of the Forge. Two Abyss Lords tasked with protecting the Capital of Verona. If I recall, Urigar doesn't live in the Capital so it should just be you two with the Queen. Am I correct?" A voice rang out next to Sigurd.

"!!!" Sigurd wasn't even sure when this man appeared next to him but cold sweat dripped down his back.

Rather than a man, it was more accurate to call it a 'shadow'.

A humanoid figure cloaked in a tattered jacket while dark tendrils of energy whipped around his body. His head was obscured by a hood but instinctively, Sigurd understood that there were no facial features to be seen. Much like the twisted beast that he hit, this man felt like a living shadow.

Pulses of red and black energy formed the majority of his body. A colony of strands that fused to form the outline of a man.

Behind him, a crimson halo spun slowly.

Before Sigurd could even reply, a torrent of tendrils slammed into him as he crashed into the cliff face.

"If the queen appears, I'll keep her busy." A woman landed gently next to the shadow. She had long dark hair and a pair of violet eyes. Stiches could be seen across her body with scales on the corners of her face.

Wearing a black dress with long sleeves, the woman glanced towards the giant tree situated in the centre of this city.

"But it seems she won't be making a move. At least not for now."

"Doesn't that work better for you? You're the most unstable one out of all of us after all." The living shadow stood up and glanced towards the direction of Sigurd who clawed his way out of the cliff face.

Nodding her head, the woman sat down and waited patiently.

###

"It's an ambush! We need to tell the guards immediately!" Selen gritted her teeth as her body trembled from the aura of three Lords in the sky.

On top of everything, their uncanny nature proved that they were also Hybrids!

'The Zenia's have succeeded in making Lord level hybrids!' Panick filled her mind as she glanced back at Egil but her pupils constricted in shock.

Little by little, blood began to drip from his orifices as Egil collapsed on his knees.

Scales began to form on his arms as bestial side effects manifested across his body!