Abyssal Awakening

At the end of the training session, Allura had a plan for Alice.

"I'm not sure how this will work just yet, but I'll leave that to the blacksmith I'm going to commission it from. But once the fighting stops, I want you to not use your second Sigil. The device I'm thinking of getting made would be one that allows you to control your flames little by little.

That way, you can get used to controlling these flames without having them explode and hurt your allies." Allura explained. Having the device ready wasn't something she could get done within a day.

'If I want to get something accurately made, I'll need to take Alice to meet him so that he can judge her power for himself. The fact that I need to use a skill I've refined over the years to deal with it already speaks volumes of its power. But, it's not an accurate estimate.' Allura thought to herself.

It was about time they moved cities.

For now, they had gained what they needed from Zadash. Alice understood what it meant to be a Hunter; she'd seen the demonstrations and all that remained was for the young hunter to discover her own path.

'I'll also be getting busy. Cayla has started to wake up much faster than anticipated due to Alice's growth, and that Eye doesn't understand the consequences. If I want Alice to have a somewhat easy time to get stronger, I need to start eliminating some threats without her around and revoke my neutrality with some people.' Allura narrowed her eyes.

Seeing the worry in Allura's expression, Alice wanted to help her, but she didn't know how.

Furrowing her brows, she hesitantly reached out and grabbed Allura's sleeve.

"Erm… Is there anything I can help with? If you have something you need to do, you can go. I'll try to keep myself safe," She asked, but Allura shook her head.

"Don't worry too much about it. I'll just disappear occasionally, but it's nothing you should worry too much about. Though we might be moving cities a little more often since I'll be needing to do some work in the mainland-"

"The mainland?! Are we allowed to go as well?" Ria shouted in excitement, cutting Allura off mid-sentence the moment she heard the word 'mainland'.

Peeking behind Allura, Alice could see the absolute excitement in Ria's eyes while Gin simply watched with a small smile.

"Perhaps. But! That's only if you can start holding your own while we're on the way there." Allura chuckled, knowing how excited Ria was about visiting the mainland.

"Is the mainland very different from Zadash?" Alice blinked in confusion as she had almost zero knowledge regarding the Abyss and its landmass.

All she knew was that there were layers to the Abyss, with each one being more dangerous than the last.

"Fufufu! Let me educate you, ignorant one. The mainland is the place where all the different cultures, Hunters, professions, and technologies of our quadrant gather! It is a blend of everything that breathes life into the Abyss, and serves as a gateway to the surface!" Ria jumped on the table and started to wave her hand around while Gin and Allura sat back, humouring the excited girl.

"Gateway to the surface?" Alice paused, as such a thought made her wonder if she would encounter the members of the Zenia family.

"Yep! To access the Abyss, one has to go through certain channels, and thus, they built the main city around it. In the heart of the city, there is a tall, elevator-like structure that stretches as far as the eye can see. It pierces through the veil that separates the surface from the Abyss.

Once you breach the veil, you will arrive in the upper city." Ria explained while using her fingers to draw an imaginary elevator reaching through the sky.

"And since it's one of the few channels connecting the realms together, trading is prevalent within the city of Saragar. But they don't trade with normal wear. No, no, no! They trade with knowledge and materials that can only be obtained in the Abyss. And that's why I'm excited! Because there will be people who find new ways of using Sigils!" Ria smiled widely while leaning towards Alice.

"To clarify, she means the people hailing from Lordriel. They are a group of people that specifically focus on refining their physical body using Sigils and finding ways to manifest physical power strong enough to destroy everything in their way. They are experts in the art of strengthening the body, and the last time I fought a Lordriel expert a while ago, we fought to a standstill.

Without using extreme methods that would make the fight unfair, I could not harm his body at all." Allura remarked in a rare case of humility from someone with her level of confidence.

Meanwhile, Alice was shocked as she couldn't imagine anyone being able to defend against Allura who stated that she specifically chose skills that would help her kill opponents fast.

"What?" Allura furrowed her brow, seeing the multiple shocked gazes directed towards her.

"Alright, I said that his defenses are strong, but I never said I couldn't kill him." She retorted.

"I think they're just surprised that you're actually being humble for once." Gin translated with a smirk.

However, before they could continue, both Allura and Gin stood up with a frown.

"Seems like you felt it." Allura narrowed her eyes.

Gin nodded.

"The aura of a Lord. But, it's strange… It's triggering my warning senses, but it's almost as if I'm detecting something… unnatural. How to describe it… It's like I'm seeing something completely black on a white canvas." Gin frowned as Alice and Ria looked at one another and decided to stop talking. With how they were reacting, the White Death must have arrived nearby.

"That's the aura belonging to a Fallen Abyss Lord. It wouldn't be this potent if a standard Abyss Lord died, but these were specifically sealed so they could repent. I don't think the White Death has reached the potential of a Lord, but keep your guard up just in case. If anything, kill it as fast as possible." Allura suggested as Gin nodded.

Their original plan was to show off the power they held so Alice and Ria could gauge the upper limits, but the scenario was too unnatural for Gin to mess around.

"How strong do you think it is?" Allura asked, as they were unable to correctly gauge its power with the strange phenomenon surrounding the beast.

"Hmm… 6 or 7 Sigils, give or take. I'll finish it up quickly so a clean-up can happen."

"Need a light?" Allura chuckled, offering a cigarette.

"Fuck it, sure. It should be the young Hunters dealing with this crap, but here I am, a retired Hunter coming to save their asses." Gin shrugged while accepting the cigarette.

Once the cigarette was lit, he disappeared with a swirl of black mist.

"Let's go get a good seat to watch this ordeal. You don't see an Abyss Lord fight often, especially one of Gin's calibre." Allura grinned while Ria was worried.

"Will grandfather be okay? I know he's strong, but he's been retired for a while because of his body."

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. I made sure of it. Now, follow me. Once he's finished up, I'll throw the two of you into the battle so you can enjoy yourselves." Allura smiled deviously before snapping her fingers.

Flames erupted from beneath their feet as they were transported elsewhere.

Their destination was the top of the clocktower, the same location Allura had shown Alice before. The group needed to be that high if they wanted to see Gin's full power.

###

Swallowing his saliva nervously, Neal couldn't help but feel worried by the situation. As he expected, reinforcement from the other branches hadn't arrived, and all they had left to defend themselves were a few Hunters brave enough to fight.

Neal could only count on Gin and Allura, but he hadn't seen them in a while.

Meanwhile, dark clouds gathered in the distance as a figure slowly entered their view.

In the darkness that prevailed in the Abyss, the glaring white skin of the White Death was easy to spot. The moment it came into view, their vision shifted as a large, looming shadow covered the skies.

Fear seeped into the Hunters' bones, but the illusion was soon dispelled with a single clap from Gin.

"Make sure no one is near the battle, unless you want unnecessary casualties. I can't guarantee I'll cover for anyone." Gin warned as Neal caught his breath and nodded.

His face was pale from the pressure exerted by the White Death, but the reassurance he felt from Gin appearing on the battlefield was more than enough to dispel the fear.

Walking out of the city, Gin finished the cigarette and stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"Eugh. How the hell can Allura even smoke this sh*t." He frowned and clenched his fist around the cigarette, turning it to ash.

Looking at the figure staring at him in wariness, Gin understood that it had some form of consciousness.

"Not making the first move?" Gin asked as he continued to walk.

"Then I'll take the honours."

Stomping with his foot, an aura of death erupted from Gin as a cold blue glow appeared in his eyes.

Reacting out of instinct, the White Death lashed out with its claw.

*BANG!!!*

Pausing in shock, the White Death watched as Gin stopped its attack with a single finger.

"And you dare to accept the moniker of 'Death'?" Gin asked.

He smiled.

"Cute."

Countless black markings appeared all over Gin's body as bones erupted from the air surrounding him, forming a large skeleton before being wrapped in a black cloth. Beneath the cloth, a white mask with horns emerged as its eye holes lit up with a blue flame.

"Alice, you may not know this, but every Abyss Lord is granted a title by the Abyss once they reach the rank of lord." Allura chuckled before taking a deep breath of her cigarette.

"Gin's title is the Abyss Lord of Death."