Abyssal Awakening

"Seems like the battle between the Apostle and the anomaly has started in full. Don't you agree that it's a rather interesting sight? To see the arrogant one discard her arrogance and face a foe with all her respect." Zal-Ka'Rith chuckled, snapping his finger.

Around him, several grimoires appeared, swallowing the attacks that Voruth'Zal sent towards him.

However, Voruth'Zal didn't respond. He simply narrowed his gaze at Zal-Ka'Rith who was temporarily borrowing Kazira's body.

"No words?" Zal-Ka'Rith tilted his head to the side playfully. "I thought the humans said that the mouth becomes loose in battle. A conversation between two people who are about the fight. Yet here you are, not responding at all."

"What is it that you are after? As a neutral party, I refuse to believe you would move for free." Voruth'Zal spat in anger.

"Now now, don't you think it'll be a little rude of me to disclose such important information so freely? Just know that I'm here to keep you occupied. No matter the outcome of this fight, you will not intervene." Zal-Ka'Rith grinned.

Clasping his hands together, the world around them began to shift.

"What happened to giving us a hand when we first performed the ritual? I thought the offer I gave back then was sufficient for your cooperation." Voruth'Zal flicked his arm upwards as demonic claws tore apart the boundary that Zal-Ka'Rith was trying to summon.

"Do not get me wrong, it was more than enough. And cooperate I did. But during the cooperation I found. . . something amusing. Hence why I am now here." Zal-Ka'Rith smiled while stepping to the side. Each step he took would morph the world around him.

A realm of fire, a realm of ice. A realm of blades and a realm of shadow.

Each time the realm shifted, a new attack would be sent towards Voruth'Zal. Yet he was able to block them with relative ease.

Both of them were being cautious with how they approached this fight. Neither committed to a full on assault as one misstep was all it took for catastrophic losses.

"Then don't you agree that you're going against our agreement by trying to fight me now?" Voruth'Zal questioned as he could barely hold back his anger.

"Hmm. . . I suppose you can say that."

*RUMBLE!!!

Spectral shadows and wraiths burst out of Voruth'Zal's body and swarmed towards Zal-Ka'Rith who grinned.

Conjuring a book, he opened the pages before slamming it down.

"A tale about holy knights exorcising the dark."

With the book as the centre of the array, radiant runic signs and silhouettes manifested around him, pushing back the darkness.

The silhouette standing directly behind Zal-Ka'Rith raised her sword. Glimmers of starlight converged towards the blade before bursting forth with radiant energy. A single slash to cleave the darkness in half!

From the cleave, dark tides crashed in from around them while Zal-Ka'Rith conjured another book.

"A tale about a fisherman crossing the ravaging storm."

A barrier of sorts formed around Zal-Ka'Rith, shielding him from the tide.

*CRACK!!!

However, large tentacles wrapped around the barrier in an attempt to crush it.

Seeing the cracks forming, Zal-Ka'Rith leaned back for a moment before smiling.

"A tale about the Abyss Lord of Seas slaying his eighth Sigil."

Tossing the book into the air, three azure blades slashed around him, forming the spectral image of a dragon.

Claws that tore the tentacles apart, maws that clamped down on the main body of the beast and flung it away.

"Tch." Voruth'Zal clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Zal-Ka'Rith's power as the Writhing Script was one where he could repurpose the tales that he's witnessed.

Everything he's seen, everything he's come to understand, he's able to summon it using his grimoire. There are certain restrictions on what he can use as the requirements must be fulfilled before he can use it.

But once the requirements are fulfilled, no matter how strong the original holder may be, Zal-Ka'Rith can use it!

And as a being that has lived for a long time, there's no doubt that he has an army of counters for everything he does.

"Why don't we take this time to relax and watch the fight old friend? There's no reason for us to go at each other's throats now is there?"

Voruth'Zal didn't respond. Doing so would fulfil another condition within Zal-Ka'Rith's grimoire. One that Voruth'Zal has seen in the past.

Accepting the moniker of Old Friend was a trap in itself. Once that happens, his body will be cut in half!

However. . .

As the Silence Beyond Death, he was not someone who Zal-Ka'Rith can kill easily!

The reason why Kazira was able to get a new vessel, the reason why she can use the abilities of the materials that he collected, was because his dominion was one of death.

Aiming his finger towards Zal-Ka'Rith, Voruth'Zal tapped down.

*KRK!!!

The realm tore in half as a scythe crashed down from above. A skeletal figure draped in tattered cloth ripping through the boundary between realms and descending upon the battlefield.

Furrowing his brows, Zal-Ka'Rith turned his grimoire into a blade.

"A tale about a holy sword hidden within the lake."

*CLANG!!!

Fighting back with the authority of War, he watched as the skeletal figure stumble back. But the blade in his hands was already corroding away.

"Abyss Lord of Death it seemeth." Zal-Ka'Rith chuckled.

"I had the honour to watch him fall many years ago. As someone who holds a similar power to mine, I had to make sure I extracted it properly from his corpse." Voruth'Zal narrowed his gaze.

Controlling the avatar of death, gravestones began to appear around Zal-Ka'Rith whom weaved through them without care.

His goal was not to kill Voruth'Zal. But the data he represents. The potential in death.

For Zal-Ka'Rith, the Writhing Script, allowing Voruth'Zal to perform simply means that when it's time for extraction, the tale he receives will be simply sublime.

After all, the more he knows, the broader the 'tale' becomes when he uses it. Each extraction only works once and once he's gained a story from them, he can't do so anymore.

Therefore, with this opportunity, the tale that Zal-Ka'Rith wanted to obtain was as such.

A tale about Voruth'Zal, the Silence Beyond Death.

Just thinking about it caused Zal-Ka'Rith to droll as his lips curved up into a twisted smile.

Since the start, he was a reader, voraciously consuming the tales and stories that heroes and villains write with their actions. Every decision, every motivation, he consumed with unending greed.

And at the end of it all, he will become the library of the realms. A being who can peer into the history of all things and record it for his own satisfaction.

But the one he looked forward to the most, was Alice Agnelia.

Even now, the tale was still being written, the potential is boundless.

What kind of title would she give him? He wanted to see it to the end.

###

To create a gap within the defence of Kazira was not an easy one.

It was already difficult in the past but now? It felt borderline impossible.

Not only was Kazira blocking it with her own Zone but she was also respecting the moves that Alice was doing.

To not overestimate herself and take things one at a time.

She was not the one in a rush, Alice was.

Alice needed the gap in defence, all Kazira needed to do was to survive the barrage.

*CLANG!!!

Parrying another one of Alice's strikes, Kazira shifted her body to the side and raised her sword.

Downward slash!

Alyss took over, parrying the slash and allowing it to travel up the sword. Redirecting it with a flick of her wrist, she took a step to close the distance between them and aimed for a pommel strike!

Yet before her slash could connect, Kazira released her sword and aimed for a punch to the stomach.

Alice tagged in, transforming the portion of her body that would've been hit into blood. But it was a feint as Kazira began to gather the blood toward her hand!

Since her physical resonance turned her body to blood, it was practically a guaranteed grab attack!

Void Flux!

Forcefully detonating a Void Flux in front of her chest, Alice coughed up a mouthful of blood as the two of them were pushed back. There was a cavity around her stomach as the flesh stitched itself together.

At this point, she'd rather take a hit from her own attack than to let Kazira grab her!

Looking at the wounds that she sustained as well, Kazira adjusted her grip on her blade and narrowed her gaze at Alice.

Keeping her calm and maintaining the distance, only moving when necessary.

And to make matters more annoying, they couldn't attack from behind, each exchange had to be from the front!

A direct confrontation leaving hardly any space for trickery. No blind spots, no sneak attacks, no circling around the back. Just two warriors locked in an exchange of blades.

However, that didn't mean Alice was stuck at a dead end.

No, she had been preparing something to break Kazira's guard!

She's been testing the limits of what she could and couldn't do, to understand the laws that Kazira had put into place.

Taking a deep breath, Alice focused her gaze. She rested her blade above her left arm, using it to aim towards Kazira. Her stance was low as every muscle in her body relaxed.

Since she wanted a head on confrontation, Alice obliged!

*BANG!!!

Alice's body snapped into action like an arrow fired from a bow.

Void Step!

Stepping on a manifested layer of Void, Alice's body shot forward as she appeared in front of Kazira!

Kazira felt a chill and instinctively tried to parry Alice's attack.

Vector Manipulation!

Alyss grinned.

Mirage Step!

Dodging Kazira's Vector Manipulation, Alyss ducked into Kazira's range.

'Cayla!' Alice shouted, gritting her teeth and energy flooded into her weapon.

[I know!]

Counter Seal!

The weapon that Kazira forcefully seized at the start, to keep it out of the fight. At that moment, the chains around Ruinous Void snapped apart as Alice summoned it to her side.

Lance form!

Artificial Resoannce!

A guaranteed hit bolstered by the power from the Authority of War!

With this strike, she'll break Kazira's guard!