Shadow of the Abyss

"Show me, boyo~" Iliana howled, shooting like a bolt from of the ground. A crater nearly twenty meters wide exploded beneath her feet from the sheer force. She arrived startled as Altair\'s blade seemed to arrive at her throat first.

[Grave of Night, Third Form: Devouring Night]

Eyes slightly contracting, Iliana pivoted off the balls of her feet, leaning her back nearly to the earth, cutting her momentum in a single instance. She watched as his blade slid past her nose, changing direction in the same half-instant. When her eyes widened, she noticed Altair was not merely using the Third Form but the First Form.

"There you go!" she shouted, channeling Abyssal Qi into her sword. A gush of ember swallowed the skies as Altair\'s blade struck hundreds of times before a third of a second passed, pushing Iliana back.

Suddenly, Infernal runes lit up over Shadowclaw\'s edge, and as Iliana\'s sword instantly met with the Princes, destruction ensued.

[Hellish Rebuke]

Hellish flames exploded, swallowing the battlefield in a geyser of fire. Stones turned to liquid, the air to flames swallowing the abyssal, forcing her on the defensive.

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"HOW\'S IT FEEL!!!!" Iliana roared, leaping out of the flames untouched and skidding over the earth.

Altair barreled through hellish flames, cleaving his blade down toward her. Arcs of sword light followed his sword, cutting through light and darkness.

The sigils of his eyes exploded with a baleful light so profane Iliana could only laugh as her blade clashed against altairs.

"Body and soul, Soul and weapon, spirit, and world are now one within you! All emotions are your power! So release it, boyo! Show me what you got!" She continued parrying the blow with ease when another, followed by another and another and another, came like a wild barrage.

"DIE!!!!" Altair roared, opening his mouth so a wide a ball of mana twirled into form before firing off point blank.

[Enma!]

With her off-hand, Iliana caught the beam of energy dancing in a circle as her sword parried all incoming attacks. She simultaneously hurled the spell at the boy. Altair did not seem surprised, but as Shadowclaw crossed paths with Enma, the beam of energy vanished into the sword.

Skin peeled from off the Prince\'s arm when Shadowclaw suddenly exploded with the very might of the hells. So dreadful was its power that Altair needed both arms to wield the blade, bleeding out an Aura not even he could handle.

\'Was that an aspect? Is it absorption?\' Iliana thought, glancing at how wretched the boy\'s body was becoming. \'Not yet. He can still do more.\'

She licked her lips, beckoning to him.

Altair obeyed. He arrived via Sovereign\'s Gale above Iliana, slashing at her head. Catastrophic damage ravaged the city as Altair merged the First, Second, and Third sword paths into one. Stones turned to the vaper as the earth began to thrash back and forth, parting and crumbling. Lava overflowed from Yarwins\' crust in upward geysers of destruction as they clashed over and over.

When from the skies, it came, having brewed since the start of the baptism of blood. Iliana saw a single scarlet bolt fall from the heavens.

"SHADOW CAGE!" Altair roared, freezing Iliana in place as his sword and infernal lighting caught the air.

Startled, he whirled to find her foot clapping across his jaw, blasting him through the wretched city like a cannon beam.

\'He should be out of Mana now.\' she thought, releasing a single breath of air.

Through buildings across ponds, striking hard against the wall of Vesim, did he stop, feeling nearly every bone in his body shatter at once. Still, he stood.

Falling from the wall onto his feet like a nimble cat, blood pooled from the Prince\'s mouth as a rage, a pit of fury he never knew had swallowed him. His body was battered, his mind aflame with so many different emotions, and his meridians were nearly destroyed.

Through his vision, the cracks across space did not seem to fade but expanded until everything seemed like it was going to fall apart. All of it seemed to only kindle a flame within the chest.

"It\'s beautiful, isn\'t it? That feeling in your heart." Iliana said, floating down from space. "It\'ll never leave you now. Everything you feel from this point on will remain within you, adding to the madness. Anger, Lust, Love, Hate, Joy, or even pettiness will forever be your tools of war and your cage. So roar a cry of defiance towards the Heavens and Hells, disciple! Run wild with me.

Let Master show you just how powerful you are."

Altair merely growled savagely his thought so scattered, his domain so distorted he could barely think straight. Yet sensation, a glimpse of enlightenment, kept coming at him, altering everything he ever thought possible.

A sword of joy, a sword of hate, a sword of desire, a sword of wrath… all of it was spiraling through his young mind, integrating itself within not just his swordsmanship but his mental palace.

"Let out it, disciple!" Iliana roared. "LET IT OUT!!!!"

With a cry that shook Iliana\'s spatial domain, an echo reigned through the void far and wide like the depraved cry of a demonic dragon.

From outside the spatial Isolation, Beelzsubub turned with a look of shock reeling over his mind. "The Ninth Form… Hells," he muttered, tightening his fist betrayed by the smile lifting over his lips. "Will this be his final fall into madness or the first… For the Path of Carnage comes after the Baptism of Blood. What do you think, Adam?"

With a flick from out of space, the First Man emerged with a conflicted expression. He folded his arms and said, "He reminds me of Eve. She, too, walked the path of the Ninth Form."

"She was the first, too," Beelzebub claimed. There was a grimness to his voice there, one he did not bother to hide.

"Did you and your brothers ever find out how those damn forms came to be?"

"No. Though it was not for a lack of trying. We always thought those Nameless Forms came from the Abyss. And to this day, I still believe so. However, to my knowledge, not even the Abyssals know of its origins."

Adam grimaced. "Altair might be a problem."

Beelzebub glanced at Adam and then through the spatial isolation towards the young boy, releasing the roar. He smiled, "That is Tenebrae\'s son."

"Tenebrae has adopted plenty of children. Zariel killed most of them."

"This one is special…. Look at his master."

Adam obeyed, focusing on Iliana, frowning at the mask that blocked even his gaze. He narrowed his eyes, filling them with Almighty Qi, and shook when their eyes crossed.

The Monarch grinned viciously. "That\'s a first-generation Abyssal. That body is a mere vessel. Touch him… And you are dead. Unless you think you can handle an Abyssal."

With a half smile, Adam shrugged. "I\'ve got the Father\'s Eternal Blessing. I could—"

"Her name is Iliana… rings a bell?"

The name sounded slightly familiar. "Maybe… who is she?"

"One of the Twelve Abyssal Generals. The One Who Conquered Destruction, Iliana Of The Abyss."

"You\'re kidding, right?" Gabriel asked, leaping out from space. He leaned over his elder brother\'s shoulder, gasping. "It could just be a coincidence! You never know. That mask is quite a terrifying piece."

Pushing off the Gabriel, who had always been too touchy for his liking, Beelzebub folded his arms upon his throne. "That\'s what makes this all the more fun. Why don\'t you go rip her mask off, Gab?\'

"Me?" The archangel pointed to himself and laughed. "So I can fall in love? Naw, I\'m good. I\'d rather not have someone like that. She\'ll ruin my life."With a few strange looks towards Gabriel, the archangel explained. "What can I say?

I\'m a sucker? And Iliana seems like someone that\'ll gobble me up."

***

"Are we almost there?" Jin asked, walking in on the bridge aided by his guardian, Sabine. He glanced at Captain Roxian.

"We\'ve pierced through the deficiencies of Babels Tower, my Lord. However, there seems to be quite a bit of traffic ahead. I—"

"Cut them all down," Jin said coldly.

Roxian looked a bit flustered. "My Lord, that is—"

"Bullying," Sabine said.

"Piss on their feelings," Jin exploded. "This is Keres we\'re talking about. If we can\'t retrieve him, are you going to explain why to Father? Above all else, you know Father prioritizes efficiency. I\'ll not play the game of politics. Not when Keres as we know it is alive."

Sabine hesitated at the mention of her Master. "You\'ve got a point, but without His Majesty present, it would be unwise to anger any major powers."

"Father once told me if your kingdom has to rely on one person to survive, it\'s a failure of a kingdom. Tell me, Sabine, is the Astral Kingdom a failure?"

Quick to catch herself, Sabine bowed. "Forgive me. I miss spoke."

Jin gave a tooth smile, snicking inwardly at the victory that had taken him years to achieve. He patted his guardian\'s shoulder with a smug grin and nodded. "Worry not, Sabine. I\'ve brought some of Grandpa\'s devils… just a few Blood Reavers and a few Abyssal Fiends. You know… just in case."

Everyone on the bridge turned to their Prince with a peculiar expression. " In case of what?" Sabine said incredulously. "War against every major power? That\'s overkill."

" Hehe, I\'m a Snow. Now raise our banners! And Lets GOOOOOOO!!!!!"