Abyssal Awakening

Slashing the space in front of her, Alice tore open a rift and dove through, catching Suyin before her body hit the ground.

Explosions rocked the battlefield with stars and energy cascading down from above.

The serpent that Suyin was riding on, one of their main anchors of this fight, was nothing more than ribbons of scrap metal.

Landing on the ground, Alice stomped her foot as blood mist expanded in an instant. Her gaze flicked across the battlefield.

"I thought you said an enemy Lord wouldn't step in if I didn't?" Alice frowned. Tapping down with her foot, every soldier within range was marked by her blood.

"Yeah well that's what I thought as well until the literal f*cking sun dropped on my head!" Suyin raged seeing her darling inventions get destroyed one by one.

Alice didn't respond, she was focused on opening portals behind each Solider and saving as many of them as she could. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to mark everyone in time as some of them were caught up by the attacks.

'Should we intervene? Depending on how things go, we could even get some blood from her and take her powers.' Alyss asked.

Currently, they still have five vials of Abyss Lord blood, meaning they can fight at the level of Abyss Lords five more times.

With the enemy Lord making a move, if they simply watch and do nothing, too many people will die.

However, there was a clear drawback when it came to fighting directly.

Escalation.

Cayla didn't say anything, she left that decision to Alice.

If she wanted to fight, they will. If she wanted to do something else, she'll follow her lead.

'I don't think she's going to let us go even if I don't want to fight.' Alice frowned.

She noticed the enemy Lord staring at her while throwing attacks towards the army. A provocative gesture.

"Suyin, have people retreat. Isolde and Jin aren't fit for battle right now. This place might turn into a hellhole for a bit but I'll see if a fight is avoidable." Alice spoke seriously as Suyin glanced up and nodded her head.

"You better. If two Lords start to fight, other Lords will join and everything will go to sh*t. But if you can't avoid it, make sure you end the fight fast or take it elsewhere."

Nodding her head, Alice took a step forward as she activated her resonance!

Red spider lily patterns emerged across her skin as a torrent of radiant light crashed down from the heavens above.

Raising her hand towards the sky, black and violet energy converged into a singularity with her personal artifact hovering next to her.

Void Flux!

*RUMBLE!!!

Expanding in an instant, the singularity swallowed the pillar of light, preventing it from unleashing the calamity that was brewing within.

Void Steps!

Taking a step forward, Alice disappeared from her position, traversing the chasm of space in an instant and appeared behind Astrelya.

Surprising Alice, Astrelya's eyes were locked firmly on her body, even during Void Step.

"Esteemed Lord of the Abyss, surely you aren't intending to interfere with a battle between mortal armies now, are you?" Alice asked coldly. "If I recall, the agreement is that Lords do not intervene unless one makes a move first." Her eye, focused on the Lord like a hunter, observing her prey and waiting for even the slightest hint of movement.

Within her sleeves, a vial of Abyss Lord blood was ready.

"And last I checked." She added. "Our side has no Lord present nor was there one during the last battle." Her voice, soft yet firm. Showing respect but not willing to be pushed around just because her enemy is an Abyss Lord.

"There's no Abyss Lord yet you stand before me without fear. You broke my barrier, something even new Lords would struggle with. Am I not to believe that you are confident you will survive an encounter with a Lord?" Astrelya spoke slowly.

"Just a gimmick, nothing more. But that doesn't change the fact that you have now made a move. Are you not afraid of what might happen now that you've made a move?" Alice frowned.

"Afraid? No I am not. I've been a Lord for many years now. Do you know what's the thing that afflicts all long living beings?" She asked with a shake of her head.

Seeing that she was willing to converse, Alice decided to humour her.

"No I don't."

"Erosion of the mind. The numbing of feelings and the boredom that seeps through the flesh and soul. After a certain point in life, without sufficient stimulation, all living beings grow weary." Astrelya looked at her own hand. "They feel the pointlessness of it all. They live yet they are not alive. They regenerate flesh yet they rot from the inside."

"Your point being?" Alice frowned.

Astrelya tapped her chin and thought about it for a moment before smiling.

"Do you wish to drag things out? To avoid a battle? Are you perhaps distracted by the chance that I might turn around and kill those you told to retreat?" She chuckled softly before snapping her fingers.

Before Alice could even activate her personal artifact, she was dragged into an alternate realm.

A single table, a set of chairs beneath an umbrella. Floating above a sea reflecting the countless stars above and the myriad of colours that filled the cosmic sky.

"If you are distracted, I will not receive the fulfilment I desire. Come, sit, and let us converse. Let us lay bare our hearts so that we may clash with no distractions." Astrelya sat down with a smile.

Furrowing her brows, Alice hesitantly sat down. However, she couldn't help but feel unsettled by the fact that the woman in front of her as able to create a realm before she could even react.

"To expect something from someone, one must be willing to do the same. Therefore, introductions are in order. I am Astrelya, Abyss Lord of Stars. Eight Sigils are carved across my body." Astrelya smiled gently, pouring a cup of tea for Alice and pushing it in front of her.

Looking at the cup in front of her, Alice was silent. There was no reason for a Lord to poison it but there was something about this girl that threw Alice off.

Something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

But since she was the first to extend the bridge, Alice will reply in kind.

"Alice Agnelia. I'm not a Lord. I have five Sigils on my body." Alice introduced herself and took a drink of tea.

A warmth filled her body, soothing any fatigue that might've been built up.

"Oh my~ To break my barrier at only five Sigils." Astrelya blinked her eyes in surprise.

"Is that why the Abyss stirs within you? The self-same feeling I experienced when I was first bestowed with my title." Astrelya leaned forward, pointing at Alice's heart.

"Why did you attack the army?" Alice asked, cutting straight to the point and turning the attention away from her heart.

"Why? Hmm. . . It's obvious is it not? I wanted to judge your intentions. After breaking my barrier, you fell silent. You didn't charge, you didn't intend to act. If I were to attack the army, would you fight back or would you sit back and watch? I got my answer so I am satisfied." Astrelya beamed with joy.

"If you wanted to talk you could've just greeted me." Alice clenched her fist. "There was no need to go this far."

"There is a need. I needed you to only look at me, to make me your highest priority over everything." Astrelya tilted her head, kicking her legs back and forth in amusement.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Alice stabilized her mental state and looked at Astrelya once more.

"So what do you want? If you wanted to fight, why go so far as to talk? If you wanted a clash, there's no need to go this far is there?"

"You misunderstand. What I want, what I desire with my entire being is not a barbaric fight. A vile, ugly display of the soul." Astrelya placed her hand over her heart. "No, what I want is something far more beautiful. An understanding between two individuals that extends from an exchange of attacks."

"Had I gone for other Lords or Apostles, I would never have achieved this dream. If I fall in such a battle, my heart will never reach the Elysium I dream of.

"The death I desire, the battle I crave is one where both sides burn every last ounce of energy they have from deep within.

"A battle of purity with nothing else on the mind. No distractions. If we are to clash, I want my entire existence to be stripped bare, living in the moment. I will offer you my everything. A pure, unclouded attention where you see only me and I see only you." Astrelya reached out towards Alice's hand.

"Do you want a love confession or do you want a battle?" Alice furrowed her brows, pulling back her hand.

"Why not both? To fulfil my desire is the greatest most profound declaration of love that I can think of. If you can fulfil it then yes, it would be a declaration of love." Astrelya chuckled with a small blush.

"I've been told that your power is. . . transcendent. That you will be able to fulfil the desires in my heart. And seeing your confidence, I am inclined to agree. However. . . Distraction fills your mind.

"If we fight like this, I will never get the satisfaction I wish to die with. My dreams will wither and fade." Astrelya's voice began to trail off as her realm fractured.

"But I can wait. I've waited so long already. So. . . Alice, the target of my attention.

"Will you show me? Can you prove that you are worthy of the love in my heart?"