Abyssal Awakening

Sitting on her staff above the ground, Alice flicked her finger and several beads of blood manifested around Caelum before detonating into Void Fluxes.

However, now that he understood what her blood did, Caelum wasn't going to let himself be taken advantage of so easily.

Twisting his body, he punched towards one of the sparks as radiant energy enveloped his body, protecting him from the blast.

With a series of punches and kicks, he forcefully detonated the sparks as Alice curled her lips into a smile.

She had expected this hence why they weren't fully formed Void Flux's but rather, beads focuses on spreading blood mist.

The light around Caelum's body began to flicker and wane, causing him to pause in surprise.

Furrowing his brows, flames gathered towards his back as a pair of fiery wings unfurled. Twisting his body, the wings burned away the blood mist as he launched himself towards Alice.

Letting out a giggle, Alice allowed herself to fall back into a portal and appear where he had stood earlier.

Snapping her finger, motes of blood sparked around Caelum as her violet flames detonated into a sea of fire.

Latching onto his wings, Alice grinned as it began to eat away at his energy.

She could feel a flow of energy entering her, filling her up as the energy she spent seemed to be replenished.

Dismissing his flaming wings, Caelum slammed his fists together before clasping his hands.

From between his palms, solar energy gathered into a singular orb.

"What is this foul ability you are using!?!" Caelum roared, throwing the orb towards the ground as it detonated to reveal a painting of the stellar skies encircling a singular sun.

Flicking his finger upwards, the sun extracted itself from the portal. Alice felt as though her body was being melted just from being in its presence.

'Let me handle this one.' Alyss called out as Alice nodded her head.

Closing her eyes, golden chains manifested and Alyss took over.

She stabbed the staff beside her and slammed her hand against the ground.

Her shadow began to twist and expand while violet flames danced upon its surface.

"It's not foul, just unique." Alyss laughed as black limbs shot out of her shadow, grabbing onto the miniature sun.

A twisting black and purple energy began to infect the celestial orb as Caelum gritted his teeth in annoyance.

No matter what he did, his energy was continuously being drained at an absurd pace. And the attacks he launches would be corrupted and negated by the strange blood and fire.

As the ex Archbishop, this was the first time in his entire life that he'd seen something so strange and unholy.

Understanding that he must take it into his own hands rather than relying on his Sigil powers, Caelum flickered above the sun and pulled his fist back.

*BANG!!!!

Punching the sun, he shattered it into a rain of fireballs towards Alyss who smirked while the chains disappeared.

With Alice taking over once more, she raised her hand.

*Click

Snapping her finger, countless sparks of Void Flux appeared in front of the fireballs and consumed them in the blink of an eye.

Grabbing the staff, she twirled it around her body before slamming it into the ground.

Beneath her, a large ritual circle began to expand.

Alice had taken the knowledge she gained from seeing Selen fight as well as her previous experiences to form a new attack with Alyss.

A ritual to exchange their power. But this time, rather than the flames, she sought out a different aspect of Alyss's power.

Not only that but fresh inspiration from the thought of Kaden, his curses and how he uses his shadows.

Inky shadows and tendrils shot up from the edges of her ritual circle to form a cage. Webs of corruption latched onto one another as the gaps started to close one after another.

A sense of dread filled Caelum's mind. His entire being, his soul was screaming for him to escape this cage.

Realising the danger he was in, Caelum gritted his teeth as he plunged his fist into his heart.

The golden markings around his body erupted in stellar fire as his entire body began to change.

Resonance!

*Badum!!! Badum!!! Badum!!!

His heart began to pulse as the fire grew stronger. Exploding outwards, a red and blue fire wrapped around his body as a cocoon of flames appeared.

Raising her eyebrow, Alice was about to act when the cocoon began to break. It suddenly contracted, dragging all of the flames towards the centre, forming a single core. From that core, a body was being constructed. Light and fire became his new flesh as Caelum was reborn in his Resonance.

His hair turned from black to a pristine white. A pair of glowing eyes and a white and gold winged helmet. Armour appeared around his body while a pair of wings unfurled behind him.

Summoning a pair of gauntlets bursting with energy and the mark of the Sun God, Caelum pulled his body back before crashing towards the ground.

*BANG!!!! CRACK!!!!

A pulse of fire clashed against the darkness.

'Divinity!' Alice widened her eyes, recognising that power to be the same that belonged to the Sun god Solaris.

Just as she thought this, Caelum's fists were mere centimetres away from hitting her face as she bent her body back at the last second to dodge. But Caelum took that into account and adjusted his strike into an elbow slam.

*BANG!!!

Opening a portal between them, she created the exit behind his head as he his himself with his own attack, giving Alice the chance to roll out of the way.

Recalling the shadows that were draining her energy while being burned away by his current aura, Alice furrowed her brows.

"Seems like your heretical power cannot stand against the radiance of My Lord after all." Caelum narrowed his gaze.

"Hah! And here I thought you said you were an Ex Archbishop? How come an ex member of the church of the Sun is using its power? I thought you didn't get to use it anymore once you leave?" Alice questioned with a brave smile.

Refusing to elaborate, Caelum reached forward and grabbed the empty air. Tugging it, flaming chains manifested and coiled around Alice's neck.

Seeing this Alice widened her eyes as veins bulged on her forehead and neck. Her anger reached its peak as Sigils manifested across her body.

She may not care for the love of the Zenia family anymore, but this didn't mean anyone could wrap something around her neck!

Resonance!

The pattern of a red spider lily blossomed in Alice's pupil as briar thorns burst out from her body, wrapping around her arms. An obsidian crown crackled to life above her head, floral patterns stretched across Alice's cheek and lilies blossomed along the wounds caused by her thorns.

Wearing a bloodied white dress, Alice grabbed the flaming chains with her bare hands without caring about the damage.

Biting the inside of her mouth, Alice spat a mouthful of her own blood onto the chains as it began to wither rapidly with thorns and violet flames rushing towards Caelum like a wave of malevolent spirits.

Horror filled his heart as he immediately let go of the chains before jumping back.

In his resonance, Caelum had become closer to his God to the point he could sense the different energies in people. How many Sigils do they have, what church do they belong to or even if they're part of the Eclipse.

But Alice? She was pure, unrefined corruption dyed in the colour of the Abyss. No, she felt like the Abyss itself.

Each pulse of the dark realm matched the pulse of her heart, its authority resting in her crown.

With each step she took, a new sense of dread would take root within his body.

"What the hell are you?!" He screamed, unsure as to what he was looking at. She couldn't even be considered human with the aura she was radiating.

"You don't need to know." Alice narrowed her gaze as she snapped her finger.

In the blink of an eye, a garden of red spider lilies blossomed within the castle and latched onto Caelum's body. Briar thorns shot out from his surroundings, piercing into his body, tearing off his wings and stabbing through his chest.

Blood drained from his body as it was being siphoned by the briar thorns.

The flames around Caelum's body began to fade as Alice stepped towards Caelum and looked at him face to face.

Defiance roared in his gaze despite his current state as Alice curved her lips into a wide grin.

She recalled what she had done in the Inverted World and a sadistic joy appeared in her eyes.

"Pft, do you think you get to return to your god after you die?" She asked.

Hearing this, Caelum froze up.

"I remember sensing a little something from a few people that I've fought in the past. A precious, delicate connection to their God. But you know, once you partake in the blessing of the Abyss, that connection is weakened somewhat no matter how you try and reinforce it." Alice whispered.

Her voice was like the teasing of a demon as it approached its victim.

"All it takes…"

"Is one little snip." Alice giggled softly as she snapped her finger and tapped against his chest.

From his flaming heart, Alice's blood dug deep and began to pull out strands of energy.

Caelum's face paled in horror as he wanted to struggle but Alice jammed her left hand into his mouth, stopping him from talking.

"Shh~ just watch. Something fun is about to happen." She tugged against his tongue, causing him to choke.

Flames manifested on her hand as she grabbed the strand of energy.

Narrowing her gaze, she revealed a sadistic grin and pulled.

*SNAP!!!

Breaking the strand of energy, Caelum's body began to twist and convulse while the flames around him disappeared in an instant. His connection cut off from his God and his soul doomed to be consumed by Alice.

Pulling her hand out, she shook off the saliva in disgust while turning around.

She was going to let him hang there for a little longer so that she could siphon more of his blood into vials to be used later.

At that moment, Alice felt dread.

"Manifestation." A haunting voice rang out from behind her.

[Night Breaker Spear – Crystallisation of Myth]