Abyssal Awakening

Slowly opening her eyes, Ria glanced at the world around her.

Having attained Lordship, her perception of the world had... changed.

Like getting glasses after seeing the world blurred all this time, this sense of clarity was new for her. It overwhelmed her mind yet she couldn’t let it show.

Not now. For there is a burning question on her mind.

Standing in the middle of the tower, chains still scatted around them, she slowly turned around toward Astrelya who looked at her with surprise evident in her eyes.

"My my... To think you’d transform the authority in such a manner. Seems like you left a rather good impression on the Will." She chuckled.

Ria felt like a rabid ball of lightning before. But after achieving Lordship, that feeling transformed into a silent raging storm. You never know when the lightning will strike and each passing second leaves you dreading the moment she strikes.

Ria creased her brows before exhaling slowly.

A golden glow radiated from her eyes as she clicked her tongue.

"I knew it." She mumbled in a mix of disgust and annoyance.

"I was wondering how the hell someone like you can even exile me from the Cult. How someone can tamper with Enris’s markings and why Hayil would scream Enris the moment she saw you." Ria walked toward Astrelya who rested lazily on her cloud.

Astrelya narrowed her eyes, the smile was kept on her face.

"Ohya? And what kind of conclusion did you come to? Don’t tell me... you want to fight?" Astrelya’s aura erupted, clashing with Ria.

Yet much to Astrelya’s disappointment, Ria didn’t attack.

Even when entering the optimal range of attack, she didn’t lash out.

All she did was stare at the Lord of Stars.

"If Hayil was considered a failure, then I suppose I should call you a success? Hayil had a trace of Enris’s authority yes. But you... You hold more than just a trace.

"It’ll be no exaggeration to say what you hold is almost equal to the original divinity. So let me ask you this. You’re not Alice. If you were truly a success, Nyer wouldn’t have created Alice. What are you?"

"I am who I’ve always been. Astrelya, Lord of Star-"

Before she could finish, Ria crossed the final gap and stared her in the eyes. Without saying anything else, she punched up and Astrelya tried to lean back.

Authority of War!

Her body was frozen and afterimages manifested around Ria’s fist.

She was going for the kill!

Astrelya’s grin widened.

Snapping her finger, the authority was dispelled momentarily as she flipped back, avoiding the hit.

Just as she looked up, Ria was already gone.

A flash of lightning and she appeared behind Astrelya.

"Alright, let’s give your new powers a taste shall we?" Astrelya laughed, swiping with her finger as constellations appeared between them.

Ria ignored it as a net of Lightning clashed against the motes of light. Both sides equalising as she lunged through the smoke.

Lightning transformed into a spear overlaying her arm as magnetic coils manifested in front of her jab.

*BANG!!!

Punching forward, the attack accelerated in the blink of an eye, splitting the tower in half while Astrelya managed to redirect it to the side.

Ria instantly swapped position, creating a blade and slashed down.

Raikiri!

*CLANG!!!

Rusted weapons parried Ria’s strike, both authorities clashing as two unstoppable objects crashed against one another head on.

The weapons were forcefully redirected, neither gaining an advantage.

Twisting her body, Ria kicked toward Astrelya who parried her knee.

Sliding back, she traced a few constellations in the sky as a pillar of light erupted around Ria.

Then, within that light, a gap was formed.

Shinsei Raikiri!

A lethal jab that Astrelya narrowly dodged by tilting her head. A single line of red appeared on her cheek as her grin widened.

Excitement burned in her eyes as Astrelya created a mote of light in front of her before crushing it.

Resonance!

Light burst out from Astrelya’s body, drowning the tower in radiance as constellations spiralled around her. Her hair shifted to that of a golden blonde that shimmered with starlight.

Her eyes bound by white bandages etched with Sigils and beneath the bandage, golden tears streamed down her cheeks.

Unfurling behind her, three pairs of wings spread outward.

As for her outfit, a celestial gown appeared, woven from white and gold threads.

Then, above her head, a crown of stars shattered to form spears of light.

Astrelya flew into the air.

"I am the light at the end of all things." She chanted as a ritual began.

Alice was able to block this strike when she was at five Sigils. As a Lord, what level of power would Ria show her?

"I am the memory of the first dawn.

"I am the star that illuminates the all consuming darkness."

Around them, the tower began to change as it transformed into a realm that benefitted Astrelya.

Ria glanced up. There was no nervousness in her expression. Just patience as she allowed Astrelya to finish her ritual.

After a brief pause, Astrelya opened her palms and a single spark manifested from the coalescence of energy.

A spark so bright it flooded the realm with light.

’Show me. Show me what you’re capable of.’

Astrelya allowed the spark to fall.

Ria cracked her neck and took a single step.

In that moment, energy rippled outward, disrupting her realm.

Snapping her finger, the star was swallowed with a torrent of lightning that crushed and contained the strike before it could destroy anything.

"Eh?" Astrelya blinked, confusion filled her mind.

She had imbued her strike with hints of her authority, to make it impossible to block.

Rightfully, it should’ve detonated without issue unless Ria countered with a force equal to it.

Yet...

It was contained without problem? Her attack? Contained?

"There are more ways of using authority than just making attacks unblockable." Ria spoke, walking toward Astrelya slowly while massaging her wrist.

In order to block her attack, Ria had actually applied two aspects of War’s authority in her lightning.

First was the authority that made her attack unblockable. It’ll create a force equal to Astrelya’s attack that’ll counter the detonation. However, leaving it as it is would also just destroy their surroundings.

This is where the second authority came in. To make it impossible for retreat.

She knew that Astrelya’s output was greater than hers at this moment. Even if Ria was confident, she wasn’t stupid.

Then there’s also her theorised true identity. If her suspicions are true, she’ll never beat her in a head on confrontation. Not now.

So by combining both the unblockable attack and denying retreat, an immovable wall with increased durability was formed. Then all that’s left to seal the deal was the authority of famine.

What seemed to be a simple counter was actually the manipulation of three authorities in order to completely shut down Astrelya’s attack.

"Why don’t we drop the bullsh*t now Astrelya. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Especially erasing the mark. However..." Ria glared before sighing.

"Did you simply bring me here to clean up after everything you’ve done, or was it actually because you wanted to help me? Enris."

Astrelya hovered in the air for a moment before slowly walking towards the ground, one step at a time.

Little by little, her Resonance was stripped away until she was back in her base form.

"Nyer creates some fine works. Discovered loopholes that many can’t even imagine. Violations of the fundamental rules of the Abyss." Astrelya smiled.

"Sigils are usually unique to the individual. Even if you make extra bodies, they either cannot get bounties or their powers reflect yours.

"When you call me Enris, it’s not exactly correct. But it’s not exactly wrong either." Astrelya took another step as the full aura of the Eclipse appeared around her body.

"I suppose I should reintroduce myself."

"One of the Angels belonging to the Eclipse, the largest fragment of Enris’ masks. Astrelya, the mask that ascended to Lordship." Astrelya gave Ria a courteous bow.

"What do you mean by not correct but not wrong either? Are you or are you not Enris?" Ria creased her brows.

"Does your shadow count as you? I am attached to Enris. I reflect her actions but I don’t share her thoughts. I am part of her yet I cannot be considered to be her. Does that make my position clear?"

Ria paused for a second before nodding.

"What do you plan to do now? I’m sure you should understand that until everything is resolved, I won’t be giving you nor Enris the fight you desire. Not when sh*t is this bad."

Now that she’s ascended to Lordship, she needed to get out of the Abyss as soon as possible. She needed to reconvene with the others.

"I’m aware. If I couldn’t forcefully make you rely on the Eclipse, what made you think I believed you would fight me properly?" Astrelya yawned, throwing herself onto a cloud.

"However, that’s only if I try to force you to fight. You told me the answer yourself didn’t you?" She chuckled, causing Ria to thrown.

"By now, the real ’me’, Enris, has probably made contact with Alice already. While we’ve been down in the Abyss, Nyer has made large movements on the surface, preparing for Velouria’s resurrection. So for the time being, I believe we are allies."

Flipping her body on the cloud, she did a lazy stretch along with a yawn before turning to Ria.

"So how about it? Care to ally with the God that caused you so much misery?" Astrelya chuckled, reaching out with her hand.

Ria stared at the Lord in silence.

Contemplated the possibly.

And finally, she reached out and shook Astrelya’s hand.