Atop the grotesque, nightmarish throne sat a figure shrouded in shadows. The ruler of this dark domain emanated an aura of otherworldly power. Their silhouette was imposing and formidable, a silent testament to their dominion over this twisted realm.
"Don't get carried away!" A voice flung out, gathering a dark aura amidst his pitch-black gauntlet. It formed a massive lance that flung out at a speed unreadable to the naked eye, but upon stabbing the silhouetted figure did he truly feel a sensation of solid fear.
Two hands gripped his ankles, pulling him completely underneath the soil. He struggled and gasped for air as the earth around him began to compress as if it was straining to destroy the sole thing it had detested the most.
"Sorry, but, I killed him. The owner of this throne world was pretty strong..."
The silhouette disappeared and a myriad of abyssal weapons hovered in the air. Each one glinted with a tinge of stars. And like a starry night, they filled the sky. It was beautiful. Absolutely stunning.
...
(Orion POV)
It all vanished as fast as it could emerge. All mixes of mana and skill tied into a beautiful skill known as a throne world dispersed into the air, leaving the battlefield to be strung with soldiers coughing up water and corpses bloodied by the initial fight.
"I guess it's over already..." I muttered to myself, seeing Cy appear before Luna. They bantered back and forth with Luna seeming pretty genuine with her anger, but it's not like she was completely pissed. From the beginning, her goal was to win this battle... and I guess I wasn't supposed to help either.
"What's up? It's been a while..." A shadowy figure emerged from the darkness looming over me. It had been created by the towering walls that separated each ring of this kingdom into certain castes.
"You look better than before," I walked towards Findir, his height matching mine completely. The only reason why he looked taller was because of that bun he put his hair in.
"You're one to talk... You don't even feel like the same person. You may look it, but I'm a bit suspicious if I'm even talking to the right person," he chuckled and with a slight pause between us, I moved in and brought him in for a hug.
"Nice to see you again."
"Yeah..."
We soon separated and Findir waved a little goodbye as he walked over to Luna who had Cy in a headlock. I had no clue what he could've said for that to happen, but I was more focused on the dark elf turned dark elf demon.
Towards his core, a power swirled uncontrollably. Unlike the smooth richness of mana, it seemed chaotic and frantic, as if it was begging to be let out. It bashed against the inner walls of his mana core which somehow held strong, containing that streaming potency just waiting for its possibility to blaze.
"Intersting... a miasma core... I never thought that would be possible.... Using his constitution as a dark elf who is already so closely tied with miasma, his body was most likely able to endure a reformation of his core. Must've been with the help of him though..."
Demon Lord Mammon. He wants something from him. Maybe he's using him as a test subject as even in the first eon, something like this has never been achieved. It's so unstable even with the most perfect conditions... that I can't think of any other reason than to use him as a test subject. Or did it come naturally? Or maybe he's just-
"Orion, what are you thinking so hard about?" Luna appeared in front of me within a split second. I couldn't even feel her move until words started to flow from her mouth.
"You're stronger as well..." I smirked and as she brought me in for a hug, I stared at her horns. They were massive. Bigger than mine, bigger than Cy's, bigger than Findir's. It was clear that in terms of a status point, she was the strongest.
I mean, I never got the chance to evolve again since I was busy slaving away on those stairs. All I did was train and polish myself to the utmost max and since she was back here in hell, it makes sense that she would go on hunting trips to gain more XP.
"And you..." I chuckled as I brought Cy in for a hug. "You look better than before... healthier, maybe?"
"Well, I was getting my ass beat by that bitch of a queen for a while... but I don't think you were in any better position. Last time I saw you, the bags under your eyes were so thick and dark that you looked like a walking corpse..." Cy laughed with me, leaving both Luna and Findir confused.
"What? Care to tell us what happened?" Luna questioned both of us.
"It's better to tell you when Bella is here..." I replied.
...
(Aisa POV)
"Master... it seems you have finally regained your strength."
In a room draped in prosperous darkness, an aura of malevolence united. The woman at its center was an embodiment of chilling power, a force of nature that defied the very laws of reality. As she stood there, her presence seemed to unravel the very fabric of the atmosphere, causing it to quiver and fracture.
Her figure was an unsettling blend of elegance and dread. Clad in obsidian robes that seemed to absorb all light, she moved with a grace that defied the sinister energy that surrounded her. Her ebony hair cascaded like a waterfall of shadows, framing a face that bore the weight of countless secrets and untold horrors.
The air itself seemed to recoil from her, as though unable to bear her chilling might. As she extended her hand, delicate fingers adorned with dark, arcane symbols, the space around her fragmented. The very molecules of air shattered and reformed in her presence, creating an eerie, ever-shifting mosaic of reality.
Her eyes were twin voids, obsidian orbs that held a glimpse into the abyss. When she glanced in any direction, the atmosphere rippled and cracked, as though the laws of physics themselves were struggling to contain the raw power within her gaze. It was as if the universe itself quaked in fear of what she might do.
"I assume you have prepared everything?"
With each word she spoke, the very airwaves seemed to shudder, carrying the weight of her command. Her voice was a symphony of dread, resonating with a haunting melody that sent shivers down the spines of anyone who heard it. It was a voice that could freeze the bravest of souls and send tremors through the hearts of the most steadfast.
"Of course."
In her presence, reality itself seemed to waver, and the boundaries between the tangible and the intangible blurred. Those who stood near her could feel the hairs on their skin stand on end, and a sense of impending doom hung heavy in the air.
This woman, so chilling in power, was a living embodiment of the uncanny, a force of nature that could crack and sever the very atmosphere around her with a mere glance, a word, or a gesture. She was a harbinger of humiliation and anybody who stood in her presence was immediately lowered in the greater status of the universe.
"Then let's get going."
