Abyssal Awakening

After taking a long walk around the place, they came back to the room and saw Egil sitting by the bed while his mother was sleeping.

"I wanted to take her somewhere to eat since she's been stuck in a bed for so long. But her body couldn't take it so she's resting now." Egil spoke up with a smile on his face.

He continued to hold her hand as she slept and watched over his mother.

"It's to be expected. The cure I gave her helped remove a lot of the curse from her system but there'll be lingering side effects. Healing blood won't be as effective and using Sigil powers to heal her will also have reduced effectiveness. She'll have to rely on her own recovery most of the time." Alice nodded, pulling a chair next to him.

"Thank you." Egil smiled.

"You're welcome."

Hesitating for a moment, Selen also pulled up a chair next to Egil but turned her head and looked at the wall.

Alice found it a little strange but shrugged.

"With your mother now recovered, I assume you're going to look after her in the capital right?"

"Yeah. She only has me to look after her. Now that she's recovered from the curse, I want to make sure she's feeling better before I do anything." Egil nodded.

"Then I find it necessary to warn you about a possible fight. The Zenias are probably going to launch a stronger attack than last time since they now know I'm here. I don't plan on staying for long because the longer I stay, the more they'll target the north." Alice explained while getting some dried salted peanuts from her pouch. A snack to have with her mead that one of the workers introduced to her.

Hearing this, Egil furrowed his brows.

One surprise attack by this family and the capital was already in a big mess. If they decide to send their main forces, what would it look like?

Egil didn't want to know nor did he want to find out.

"What do you think are the odds of this capital surviving unscathed?" He asked.

Thinking about it for a moment, Alice shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. But the chances of people surviving aren't high, even if I'm here. I don't know why the Queen didn't make a move but the Lords are not going to cut it."

Opening her flask of mead, she took a drink and narrowed her gaze.

Those strange living shadows… They had access to her blood so if the Zenia's have more of them, Sigurd and Frida will no doubt die. Caera would be fine but Alice understood one thing after interacting with Caera.

This was not the same person she knew in the Inverted World. More than that, she only moves based on her own self interest. Everything else is of not value to her.

A dangerous quality to have with someone close to her but Alice couldn't deny her usefulness right now.

The only thing she could really do is try her best to make sure Caera doesn't cross any lines she shouldn't do.

But even if that were to happen, it's not like she can do anything to harm Caera in the first place. If anything, it might even work against her.

'Even though she said she'll give you her everything, you still can't trust her huh?' Alyss smirked while sitting on her throne.

'Of course not. Trust isn't something you can get with just words. I'll have to keep an eye on her.' Alice sighed.

"Do… Do you think it's possible to keep my mum safe with the power I have now? If the Zenias attack." Egil asked after a pause.

Blinking her eyes, Alice tapped her chin.

"If it's just one person, yes, yes you can. But that's assuming you can leave. With you having my blood now flowing through your body, I don't know if the Zenias will be able to track you down or not. In a direct confrontation, there are still things to improve on but it should be feasible."

With the new abilities that Egil unlocked, he'll be stronger than most people. While she didn't know his full capabilities, she's at least certain that he'll be a pain in the ass to kill.

'That kind of tenacity should help him escape with his mother if danger arrives. But…'

"Egil, let's have a spar. It's been a while and I want to see what your armour is capable of. If it matches what I think, you should be fine. And come to think of it, technically our fight ended as a draw during the Warrior's Honour. Let's call this a rematch." Alice offered with a grin.

Egil wanted to accept but hesitated since his mother was still recovering.

"Just go, I'll look after her while you're gone." Selen spoke up.

"Alright." Nodding his head with a smile, he gave Selen a hug before standing up and following Alice.

###

Standing in the arena that was empty, Alice gave her body a stretch while Egil did the same.

Everyone was being treated for the curse so no one was here to interrupt them. They could go a little crazy.

"The main drawback that I've noticed when you go into that armour is a berserked state. Your mind is only focused on one thing. We need to deal with that if you want to use it to the full extent.

"Since I didn't fight you, let's see what you can do." Alice gestured as Egil nodded his head.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as the Sigils across his body started to flicker.

His energy capacity isn't enough to activate them so he needed an alternative source. Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l'e-NovelBin

Bloodline Release!

From his shadow, a great armoured beast jumped out, looming over him like a guillotine.

Even though this is the second time that Alice had seen it, she had to admire its aura of destruction. Just standing in the presence of this mutated soul was enough to trigger her fighting instincts.

Its flesh was constructed from the same dark jagged armour that ate away at Egil's body. Beneath the helmet, a blood red mane of hair fluttered in the wind while a pair of crimson eyes glared at Alice, exuding a thick wave of killing intent.

On the crown was a pair of curved jagged horns.

Cracks could be seen forming across the body of the beast as it shrank in size, wrapping around Egil's body.

"ARGGGG!!!!" Letting out a shout of pain with the armour growing teeth and digging into his flesh, Egil slammed his arms down, creating a dust cloud.

*BANG!!!

Bursting out from the cloud, Egil could be seen trying to stab Alice with his claw.

"Control your mind Egil. This state is powerful but your killing intent is too strong. It's easy to tell what you're aiming for." Alice bent her body back and dodged his strike effortlessly.

Twisting her body, she punched him in the ribs but he didn't move at all.

"I get that you're a berserker in this state but brute forcing things are a stupid move." Alice rolled her eyes.

*BOOM!!!

A void flux detonated where Alice punched and launched Egil tumbling backwards.

While the explosion was able to send Egil flying, Alice noticed the lack of substantial damage.

There was a constant moving barrier around Egil's body, deflecting and negating any abilities thrown at him.

"That's gonna be useful. But only if you have the brain to put it to work." Alice flicked her hand as she could see the bestial glare that Egil was giving her.

*BANG!!!

His speed had increased tremendously but with his killing intent being so clear, Alice could predict where he would be.

Once again, she dodged his strike with ease and grabbed his wrist.

Using his power against him, Alice tossed Egil into a portal and slammed him down from above.

Crashing into the ground, Egil was about to attack again when a singularity appeared in front of his face.

*BOOM!!!

"Hou~ You managed to get away in time. At least your instincts of self preservation isn't fried. If it was me a few months back I would've just ran into that singularity head first." Alice chuckled.

Reaching out with her hand, Alice activated her Sigils as blood and metal converged towards her palm, forming a spear.

A bit of practice was all she needed to modify the forging method of Sigurd, to make it more efficient for her own use. Repurposing and removing some parts to shorten the forging time.

She didn't need a masterpiece that won't disappear. What she needs is a tool that can do its job in that moment.

"I'm gonna have to be a bit rough now. I was too preoccupied with helping people the other night that I didn't even get a chance to fight! Can you believe that? So I'll need you to help me out a bit alright?" Alice narrowed her eyes with a grin.

Egil summoned his own spear and lunged at Alice.

*CLANG!!!

Their spears clashed as Alice directed it into the ground and used it as a vaulting stick.

Landing two kicks against Egil's chest, she spun her body around and fired a point blank Void Flux that was deflected by his innate barrier.

Grabbing his spear, Egil wanted to take advantage of Alice being in the air but it was already seen through. A portal opened behind Alice, teleporting her behind Egil and landing another kick to the back of his head.

Stumbling forward, Egil hastily slashed his spear backwards but missing his target.

*BANG!!!

A spear slammed into the side of his head, forcing him to collapse on the ground. But what awaited him wasn't the floor of the arena but rather a portal.

"And here comes the finishing hit." Alice smirked, teleporting Egil above her.

Enveloping her hand in a spiral of violet flames, she punched, up, shattering the barrier around Egil's armour and punching a hole through it.

Throwing Egil to the ground, Alice leaned over him with her spear over her shoulders.

"Too early to rest ya know? We're just getting started." Alice giggled as Egil felt a chill.