WALLACE GARRET

As Kei and I walked side by side, our footsteps echoed through the chambers. We shared our experiences, recounting the dangers we had faced and the rewards we had obtained in our quest to find an exit.

I informed Kei about the remnants of the void order that I had discovered, a clear indication that they had been present before us. I emphasised the need for caution.

"First, we need to locate Elsie," Kei suggested, and I nodded in agreement. Ahead of us stood a grand door, radiating an aura of power and significance. It reminded me of the boss rooms in video games, with its grey metallic appearance and a lustrous sheen.

"This door... it’s open!" Kei exclaimed as he bent down to examine it. The door’s immense size had made us overlook its accessibility, but there was a small opening, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.

"Let’s investigate," I urged as we entered the narrow opening, exploring our surroundings. As soon as I stepped into the room, my eyes widened in awe.

Before us stretched a vast chamber, resembling a grand hall. It seemed to extend endlessly, flanked by towering stone statues on both sides, as we walked along the central path. These statues, three times our height, were meticulously carved, allowing us to discern their distinctive features.

Among them, I recognised Nelchael, the 9th overseer whose projection I had encountered. It became evident that the statues represented all the overseers.

However, what truly caught my attention was not the grandeur of the chamber but the lifeless body at its far end. Resting upon a pedestal, the corpse belonged to a colossal beast, its pale white skin and protruding fangs indicating its ferocity in life. It lay motionless, slowly disintegrating, its body stained with blood, a testament to the torment it had endured before meeting its demise.

"This must have been the guardian beast of this chamber," I deduced, drawing connections between this creature and the adversaries we had encountered thus far.

Out of nowhere, a presence manifested before us, materialising behind the lifeless beast. As we drew nearer, the figure gradually became clearer. Cradled in their arms was a girl, peacefully asleep, her form delicate and vulnerable.

"Elsie!" Kei exclaimed, recognising the unconscious form in the stranger’s arms. I turned my gaze to the person holding her.

She was a woman, appearing to be in her late twenties. Her peach-coloured skin and shimmering, light pink eyes exuded an enchanting aura. Clad in a robe crafted from white cloth, which seemingly acted as both armour and garment, it accentuated her feminine figure. Her hair, a delicate shade of light pink, added to her captivating presence.

"You have arrived at last, Wallace," she chimed in a melodious voice that held an enchanting quality.

"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Peachith, a Voidshade. While exploring this place, I happened upon this girl. Regrettably, I had no other option but to render her unconscious. My apologies," she expressed in a friendly manner, gently lowering Elsie to the ground next to the pedestal. Elsie remained in a state of unconsciousness, propped against the pedestal’s walls.

"What is your purpose here? And why is the void order present?" I questioned, drawing upon my inner tranquilly and harnessing the surrounding soil with unwavering determination until reaching my limits. Power surged within me as I readied myself for battle. Kei mirrored my actions, unsheathing his daggers.

"No need to be so hostile... Well, I don’t mind entertaining you for a little while," she retorted, her aura shifting from neutral to ferocious. A flicker of anticipation gleamed in her eyes as she licked her lips, seemingly regarding us as her prey.

With a swift and fluid motion, Kei lunged towards Peachith, his dual daggers glinting menacingly in the dim light. As he closed in, an inky black mist enshrouded his form, cloaking him in a veil of shadows.

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Simultaneously, I unsheathed my Glacireave, a frost-imbued weapon that crackled with icy energy. Drawing upon the sol coursing through my veins, I infused the weapon with power, causing a frigid aura to radiate from its gleaming surface. Gripping the chains tightly with my bare hands, I prepared myself for the impending battle.

Peachith, displaying her remarkable agility, effortlessly evaded Kei’s ferocious dagger strikes. Her movements were astoundingly swift, but this time I found myself able to follow her actions more clearly, a testament to my own growth and strength. Though her speed still surpassed my reaction time, I could now catch fleeting glimpses of her elusive manoeuvres.

As she leaped backward to avoid Kei’s unleashed black mist, a mysterious energy aimed at her, and some tendrils of the dark mist managed to reach her form. Although the impact appeared minimal, it had an unexpected effect—it granted me a heightened perception of her movements, enabling me to anticipate her actions more effectively.

"Not bad," Peachith remarked with a hint of amusement. Propelling herself into the air, she executed a lightning-fast downward kick aimed directly at Kei. The speed and precision of her attack were truly formidable, leaving Kei seemingly vulnerable. However, I could only catch fragments of her trajectory with my normal senses.

Realising the critical moment at hand, I swiftly tapped into my blessing, activating the power of seersight. Through the combined synergy of sight and my heightened senses, I transcended the limitations of my perception. Now, I could perceive the faint trajectory of her kick; her movements were no longer a blur but instead discernible to my enhanced vision.

With impeccable timing and precision, I propelled my weapon towards Peachith, fully aware of the imminent danger posed to Kei. Just as she prepared to deliver a devastating blow to Kei’s skull with her powerful kick, she abruptly altered her momentum, executing a mid-air back flip that evaded my hurtling weapon.

As expected of a skilled Voidshade, Peachith possessed an uncanny sense, allowing her to detect the imminent threat of my weapon mere moments before it would have struck. However, I had anticipated this response and tapped into the art of space-weaving.

In the instant that she deftly dodged my weapon, it underwent a spatial distortion, reappearing behind her. Seizing the opportune moment, the scythe approached from behind, aiming to pierce through her defenceless back.

Yet Peachith's astute awareness once again detected the weapon’s presence, prompting her to swiftly shift her body at just the right instant, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike. Though the scythe grazed her body, leaving a superficial wound, she skillfully grasped the chains as they whizzed past her, utilising them to anchor her landing.

Curiosity ignited within her as she examined the half of my weapon that had been warped away while the other half remained firmly in my grasp. Connected by the spatial distortion I had meticulously maintained, the weapon seemed to defy conventional understanding.

"This is Cyanthos!" she exclaimed, a grin spreading across my face in response. The inherent frost energy of my weapon began to radiate, enveloping her in an icy aura. Reacting swiftly, she instinctively jerked away from the weapon just in time. Unable to sustain the spatial distortion any longer, the warped half of the weapon returned to my possession.

The frostbite effect of the weapon took its toll on Peachith’s body, rendering her complexion pallid and dulling her senses to a degree. As a result, she was unable to evade Kei’s incoming dagger, poised to strike at precisely the right moment. With a swift motion, the dagger pierced her arm, crimson blood flowing from the wound as evidence of its successful contact.

A triumphant smile escaped me, accompanied by beads of sweat streaming down my body. Exhausted and drained, I had expended every ounce of my strength, and with Kei’s assistance and the element of surprise, we had finally managed to inflict a wound on the formidable Voidshade.

However, my smile quickly faded as Peachith’s aura intensified, surpassing any ferocity we had witnessed before. With an elegant motion, she materialised a pink, curved sword seemingly out of thin air. Her eyes transformed into fiery crimson, and she became an entirely different being. It was as if she had been toying with us all along.

"Playtime is over," she declared, her voice reverberating through the area like a resounding sonic boom.

Realising that our lives were in imminent danger, we had no choice but to flee. Engaging in a direct confrontation with Peachith now would surely result in our demise. Lost in contemplation, an unexpected voice pierced through the room, emanating from near the pedestal.

"Peachith, stop," the voice commanded. As soon as the sound reached Peachith’s ears, her anger dissipated, and her crimson eyes gradually returned to their gentle pink hue. The once ferocious aura surrounding her dissipated, replaced by a neutral energy. She had calmed down, as if compelled to comply.

The room suddenly filled with the echoing sound of approaching footsteps, and gradually, a figure materialised before us. Peachith gracefully walked towards the figure and offered a respectful bow.

"Welcome, Master Mrizem," she said with a voice laced with reverence.