Abyssal Awakening - Chapter 636

Chapter 636: The Shattered Architect
[Velouria’s chains might be working for now but don’t rely on it. We’re not entirely sure of the full functionality.] Cayla warned as Alyss crouched behind another set of rubble.

Not far from them, two priests could be seen praying before a single statue.

‘I know. I don’t intend on using it unless absolutely necessary.’ Alyss agreed.

Neither of them knew the full activation of the chains. Only that if it comes into contact with a large excess of Eldritch energy, it’ll lash out to suppress the energy.

Taking a deep breath, Alyss narrowed her gaze and calmed her mind.

Since there were two, she had to take care of one immediately. A sneak attack with everything she’s got!

Absolute Zone!

Expanding her boundary, she was careful not to expand it too far as it might alert her targets.

Right now, she needed an attack with absolute speed, precision and power in order to kill one before they noticed that they were being hunted.

And thankfully, she had the foundations for all three. The martial arts that she stole can be combined to achieve her desired effect.

She had already performed it earlier.

The threefold strike.

An attack that includes three attacks at once, overlapping a singular point. Naturally, it included the foundations of the Instant Draw to maximise the power she could generate along with its speed.

When adding the Void Flux – Cleave into the mix, it was now one of her fastest and hardest hitting strikes!

Phantom Shift!

Exploding into action, Alyss activated her Resonance as her black limbs shot out of the priest’s shadow, holding them in place.

She couldn’t use the Violet Flames since the last time they tried it, it got assimilated. Meaning it wasn’t strong enough yet. Therefore, there was only one power she could access for now that would achieve the same effect.

Tiamat!

They had already switched out the Sigils earlier so it was prepared and ready!

Threefold Strike!

Appearing behind the priest, Alyss drew her blade as the colour of the world seemed to be sucked away in an instant, turning it into a monotonous realm. The only colour that remained was that of crimson from her blade.

Two diagonal slashes in opposite directions followed by a vertical slash. However, Alyss only furrowed her brows after feeling no sign of resistance from her strike.

She missed!

Danger roared out in her senses as she immediately raised her guard.

From her own shadow, two large hands burst out, slamming into her body and causing her to crash across the ground.

Quickly flipping herself upright, Alyss’s eye darted around the arena with her Absolute Zone at full force. Next to her, a woman with bandages over her eyes smiled as a corrupted halo manifested behind her body.

Clasping her hands together, the feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed Alyss.

What was up was now down. Left was right, right was left.

It was different to the trick they would pull using duality. Instead, it’s as though the laws of this realm had completely flipped on its head and she was now doing everything wrong.

Gritting her teeth, Alyss had to offset this immediately otherwise she’d be in danger!

Duality!

The Sigil of Duality manifested on her back as she forcefully changed her own controls. That way, she’s still adhering to the new functionality of the realm while still performing how she would normally.

Mirage Step!

Immediately retreating before the hands could get her, Alyss sheathed her blade.

Instant Draw – Soul Chaser!

*CLANG!!!

Widening her eyes in shock, she watched as her attack was blocked by a series of hardened black energy in the form of hands.

She could feel the vibration running up her arm as the blood blade was shattered by the impact.

[Dodge!]

Shifting her weight, she narrowly ducked under a grab before pulling her arm back.

Reinforcing her arm, she gritted her teeth and punched up.

Destruction point!

*CRACK!!!

Blood burst out from her arm as the impact of the punch broke it.

However, a crack began to spread through the crystalised hand. Not letting this chance go to waste, Alyss twisted her body, unleashing a roundhouse kick into the weak spot and shattering the hand!

Creating a blood blade using her own blood, she threw it at the priest controlling the arms!

At that moment, Alyss noticed the sightless priest smiling once more.

“!!!”

Quickly shifting her body to the side, she dodged the blood blade that was sent back towards her!

Rather than being sent back, she noticed her initial target now standing where she was earlier.

Their position swapped!

[I know who one of them is. Tha’Zirr also known as the Shattered Architect. It’s an Outer God that twists space and manipulates certain laws within.] Cayla rummaged through a pile of notes.

‘Okay great, then you know how to counter it right?’ Alyss asked while trying to create some distance between them.

However, the Icon of Tha’Zirr simply smiled, allowing the other priest to run towards her. All of a sudden, Alyss’s position was swapped and she had to hastily parry the punch that sent her tumbling back.

[Normally it would require you to have spatial abilities to counteract its manipulation. But right now we’re in the middle of a ritual so I don’t think the Ruinous Void can help.] Cayla frowned.

‘Better to give it a try than to dismiss it immediately!’

Slamming her hands down, limbs shot out to grab the Icon of Tha’Zirr but the space seemed to stretch infinitely, never letting the limbs reach its target.

“Tch!” Clicking her tongue, Alyss gathered energy into her blade.

Before using the artifact to destabilise the local region, she’ll use the lance form to attack the connection between the icon and the realm itself.

Threefold Strike!!

Overlaying the artifact with her sword, she slashed up.

No matter how this woman manipulates the space, this attack is guaranteed to hit!

*CLANG!!!

Looking up in shock, Alyss noticed the countless crystalised hands that manifested to block her attack.

Gritting her teeth, she wanted to break the hands when the other priest rushed towards her.

“Gotcha.” Alyss grinned.

Fractured Form!

*CRACK!!!

The space around them immediately began to crack as the Icon of Tha’Zirr lost her smile.

With just the space around them now destabilised, the Outer God couldn’t exert its rules anymore!

Alyss didn’t let this brief gap go to waste as she immediately rushed towards the second priest.

Threefold Strike!

*KRK!!!!

Shredding the priest’s arm, she followed up with a slash against the chest, a stab from the stomach and through the spine before plunging her hand into his mouth.

*BANG!!!

Hardened blood and metal exploded from her arm, destroying his jaw as the golden chains that came into contact with his body began to burn his flesh.

Void Flux!

*BANG!!!

Detonating a Void Flux inside the man’s body, his body exploded into countless chunks as his lower half fell limply onto the ground.

Not wanting to let him regenerate, Alyss stomped down as the countless darkened limbs began to tear away at the lifeless corpse, consuming and assimilating it into her shadow.

Flinching slightly from the pain of the chains, Alyss ignored the pain for now. What matters the most was eliminating as many of these host bodies as possible so that Alice could come back.

“You’re next.” Alyss aimed her blade towards the Icon of Tha’Zirr who stared at the hands without a smile.

Looking up at Alyss, she reached for her bandages and removed it.

“!!!”

What was covered by the bandages was an endless non-Euclidean space that stretched on infinitely within the confines of her skull.

A constant spiral of staircases that continued deeper until there was nothing but darkness.

Once Alyss found herself staring into this spiral, she noticed the world around her had changed!

Even after using Ruinous Void to destabilise the space around her, she was still captured!

Around her, a myriad of paths coiled and diverged. Paths that shouldn’t make sense began to combine in ways that defied the laws of space. The irregularity of gravity that is pushing and pulling on her body.

*Sss!

Sucking in a sharp breath of air, Alyss gritted her teeth as she collapsed on one knee.

The golden chains around her limbs were now erupting with a blinding light, searing into her flesh.

She felt as though her hands and feet were about to be torn off as chains burst out from her shadow, piercing into the realm around her.

“ARGHHH!!!” A hysterical scream that sounded as though countless voices has been synthesised into one cried out.

Alyss noticed that she was out of the strange realm.

In front of her, the Icon of Tha’Zirr kneeled with her head looking up at the sky. From the cavity of her face, mutated geometry and buildings spewed out with her body twitching beneath its mass. Her lips trembled but she couldn’t say any words.

What was clear however, was that the chains caused a backlash of her power just like what happened to the Icon of Ith’Zir!

Threefold Strike!

Ignoring the pain in her limbs, Alyss rushed forward, eviscerating the priest’s body.

Little by little, the constructs faded to ash as the statues they were praying returned back to a blank slate.

Alyss wanted to say something to lift up the mood but the pain of the chains prevented her from enjoying the situation.

Blood rolled from the wounds and her regeneration refused to kick in.

‘Where’s the next location?’ Alyss managed to squeeze out but Cayla had a frown.

[We ca-]

‘Alice is waiting for us! This bit of pain is nothing. Compared to what the Zenia’s did, this is nothing at all.’ Alyss forced a brave smile as Cayla hesitated before nodding.

Letting Alyss known of the next location, Cayla watched as Alyss made her way over with a slight limp to her step.