My father and Malgoth had been fighting for close to thirty minutes now, neither looked particularly exhausted and they both looked as if they were scouting out the abilities of the other. My enhanced senses within my transformed state allowed me to rather easily keep up with their movements and they were both moving faster than Lita had when we fought the Ice golem.

I was itching to go down there and test my capabilities.

Malgoth was clearly a magic-based fighter as he attacked from the skies with a range of spells from blue fireballs, and purple lightning to splitting the earth itself. His ability to fly also gave him a higher vantage point than my father, making his spells more accurate while limiting my father's attacks to his spear. Thankfully my father's void skill more or less countered his attacks. I would garner that most mages, when faced with that spear would be completely unable to put up with it.

“Squirming like a cockroach. Stay still!!” Malgoth was clearly beginning to lose his patience, his attacks becoming far rougher and more predictable. To lose your patience like that in the middle of a fight, he was either overly confident or an idiot. The more I watched him, the more I was leaning toward the latter.

“Soul wave.”

Bursting from his staff were countless, twisted deformed faces made of black smoke. Twisting and merging together into a tsunami of souls, they reached nearly a hundred meters high, each head of souls as big as a house, swallowing everything in their path as they relentlessly pursued my father. The dreary sounds of painful speeches echoed across the mountainscape.

“Saaaaaave me”

“Pleeease have mercyyy”

“Nooo, just myy son, spare him”

“Aghhhhhhhhh!”

What a distasteful skill. For a soul-based class, this was the first soul-instrumented attack he had released. He was probably finished playing around.

But so was my father. Looking at the sight of pained, tortured souls, I saw anger flash within his eyes.

“Haaaaah!!”

Spinning his spear in a vortex at an alarming speed, the air around him seemed to converge together, meeting at a single point until a small black sphere was created. All the surrounding air, snow and even sound itself seemed to get sucked into it.

A tsunami of souls nearly a thousand meters wide and a hundred meters tall and still expanding. As soon as it approached the sphere in front of my father like water being sucked into a drainage hole, the giant landmass was absorbed into the ‘singularity’, returning to nothing.

[World Aura Manipulation - Level Up]

[World Aura Manipulation - Level Up]

[World Aura Manipulation - Level Up]

I gained three levels through just watching the cast for the skill!! It must have been an extremely Advanced skill for the voidability.

If I somehow were able to re-create that ability within World Manipulation Sphere…

“May those lost souls return to where they came, free from your shackles.” My father said. Then pointing the tip of the spear at Malgoth, the small black hole was now absorbed into its tip. A circular void half merged at its end. It honestly looked a bit silly, the main pointed part of the spear was now…well it looked dull.

My father readied his stance into a spear throw. A spear throw in this situation? He was fully prepared to lose his weapon if it missed. With my father's stats, his strength stat was definitely superb, extending his arm like a bow, he let the spear loose.

Releasing the spear into a pillar of black light, it moved with a speed I could barely keep my eyes on, collapsing the air around it as it reached Mach speeds.

“Hmph” snorting, Morgoth attempted to dodge the trajectory of the spear.

“Uugghh”

However, what happened next surprised even me. Similar to when it had absorbed the wave of souls, Malgoth was being pulled toward its tip, unable to escape its suction force.

“U—unhand me!!”

I wasn’t too sure what happened when you got absorbed into that hole, but I doubted a large amount of endurance would be enough to save you once you got ‘sucked in’.

“A—aghhhhhg!!!!”

Using every skill under his belt, Malgoth fired a series of attacks at my father and the spear desperately. However, even before reaching my father, they were all absorbed by the black hole at the tip of the spear.

!!!

“Looks like you're in a bit of a difficult spot, younger brother.”

Suddenly, a bewitching feminine voice echoed through the battlefield that should have been on the brink of conclusion.

“Ahhh, what a scary attack!” appearing in between Malgoth and my father's spear as it pulled in his fleeing figure was a woman wearing a fox mask, hiding her face. She wore—little clothing, emphasizing her ‘assets’. Stretching her arms bewitchingly, A red mirror hazily appeared in front of her.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

My father's spear struck the mirror—and was absorbed into it.

“Shouldn’t have tossed your toothpick so casually like that sweety” she said, clapping her hands together as if to mock my father.

“…I should have assumed Lizette wouldn't have lost to this fool. My spear?”

“Perfect mirror, let’s just say your spears perfectly safe with m—

“NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR HELP ALZITH!!”

furious, Malgoth began shouting at the newly appeared demoness acquaintance of his.

“Haa, why are men like this—so conflict-oriented? Fyi, I just saved your life. Can’t say I dislike the heated passion at the right moments, but we would have already conquered this world and taken that bitch off her throne if we just worked together.”

Malgoth visibly shivered, If his hood was lowered, I was sure there would be nothing but pure disgust plastered on his face. Who was this woman?

“Merge back…with you?”

“Ok ok, no need to go THAT far little brother. Honestly, if not for that dreaded hero we wouldn’t be at each other's throats like this, and let’s be honest, your not exactly the smartest between us—like really, you absorbed an entire city? When you could have easily just used a more low-key approach?” Sighing lightly, Alzith exaggeratedly shrugged her shoulders, as if she was taking care of a mischievous younger brother.

Malgoth visibly began shaking in rage.

“I even had to clean up all your dumb leftovers from your messes. Honestly, I felt like I deserved at least a tiny reward, so I came here a bit earlier to…scout the place out. Yes, and If I found the successor first, well, we could just ‘split’ him.” She said merrily, clapping her hands together as if she was genuinely just concerned for Malgoth.

I—might need to help my father here. The situation looked dire. He had lost his spear, a new perhaps more formidable opponent had appeared, and Urila was still nowhere to be found. Useless oaf.

Looks like there was no point trying to hide anymore.

Analysis.

Name: Shard of Envy - Alzith

Age: ???

Race: Demon

Class: Perfect Mirror Warlord* Lv(100)

“…show yourself, whoever just analyzed me. Show yourself.” Alziths tone turned harsh, as if her relaxed impression moments ago had been just a facade.

Dropping my altitude, I flew down towards my father, landing lightly beside him. He looked up at me as I was landing with a shocked expression. Where to even start, the wings? Or how I had left the inn without his permission?

“…Tene, you!!?”

My father's voice had hints of…fear in it. He showed no such emotions during his entire encounter with Malgoth, or even when it looked like he had been backed into a corner moments ago.

“You can punish me later father, right now—we have trouble to deal with”

“No, You're not ready yet!! If something were to happen to you—I’d-

“FATHER!! I was watching.”

“…”

“ ok, I don’t mean to harm the little reunion going on here, but who are you—I smell the blood of the abyss tinged in your soul. I see, another successor?”

The woman grabbed her stomach and began laughing with great pleasure as if she had just received the greatest news.

“See brother, it looks like there’s enough for the BOTH of us. isn’t that wonderful news! I’ll even allow you the simple prey, surely even you can handle that much?”

“Alzith, one more wor–

“Ok! I just had a great idea! Why don't I handle mr I just handed up my primary weapon, while you can handle the daughter who just willingly came down to hand over her body.” Clapping her hands together merrily, Alzith interrupted Malgoth.

I had been watching Malgoth fight the entire time, I knew his skillset. So unless he threw something I didn't know about…

“Father, please, let's play along with their rules.”

“Smart girl!!”

“...No, you're not fighting Tene.” I understood where my father was coming from. Your untrained daughter comes out of nowhere and wants to fight a foe that has annihilated cities. The awakening ceremony was one thing, I don't think I would be able to budge his stance on this.

Sadly, I'm already here.

I know I'm being somewhat selfish. In reality, a part of me also wanted to test my newfound abilities on an opponent that looked strong. Would I have still come down to help my father if I wasn't confident of my strength?

I wasn't sure.

“Ughhh, your no fun!! Booooo!”

Would this woman shut up? I was starting to see why Malgoth disliked her so much.

Either way, my father should know–that he has no choice, I'm already here.

“That woman seems stronger. Far stronger.” I said slowly. Would he have me fight that woman over Malgoth? Her selection was to our advantage. I had to spell it out for him, he could punish me as much as he wants later.

“Father, please, trust me. I can beat him.”

Where is Urila when you need him? Did he just have a general disposition to disappoint me?

“...Tene.”

I was genuinely surprised by my father's sudden shift in attitude with just a tiny bit of persuasion.

Could it be the charisma stat?!! It had vastly been increased by my transformation. Did it start to have an effect on even my father, who was at a far higher level than me?

“Father, you can trust me.”

“Arrogant little bitch, I'll make sure to show your fath–

“Brilliant! Looks like we have that sorted out. Let's give them some space, follow me.” Interrupting Malgoth for the umpteenth time, Alzith began floating away from the mansion, signaling for my father to follow suit.

“You're doing that on purpose, aren't you Alzith.” Malgoth’s fists were crunched up,

Hesitating, my father crouched down to my level and scruffled my hair.

“Tene, I can trust in your judgment right now. Can I?”

“Of course, father.”

“I'll only be a moment. Also–Urila should be back here shortly if he isn't already here.” My father whispered into my ear.

I see, perhaps Urila had been just biding his time as well? After all, he knew my father's abilities better than myself.

Mt father gave me one last smile and firmly grasped my hand before standing up and walking away, his back turned away from me.

A chill erupted up my spine. An instinct? No, surely it must just be my imagination.

!!

Suddenly I felt a piercing cold pain in my chest.

Strange, blood? A fountain of blood erupted from my chest, staining the once pristine white snow.

“Cough, cough” Goblets of blood stained my hand as I coughed into it. Pain? No, I started to feel a rising chill, an emptiness I hadnt felt in a long time as blood began to drain from my body.

“Tene!!”

My vision began to grow hazy as I barely heard the voice of my father as he ran towards me.

A spear?

My father's spear…was sticking out of my chest, impaling me.

“HAHAHAHAHA, trusting in the words of a demon. How naive.”

I see, so she had lied. How unfortunate. I truly was too naive. The demons were currently two for two on disappointments. Three for three and I might have to re-evaluate the entire race.

A shame. Does my journey end here?

S-status.

Ugh, I could feel my vision start to dim. I couldn't even feel my father's touch as he held me, let alone the status that should have appeared before me.

Alzith. She probably had guessed that for me to come down to fight them, I must have had a plan. She was truly a step above Malgoth in every regard. She didn't take any chances.

Soon, darkness enveloped me.

[Grandfathers Clock - Activated]

…

…

“Tene–I can trust in your judgment right now. Can I?”

“Of course, father.”

Ughhhhhh. I felt a piercing headache as the last moments before my death re-entered my memory. The pain. The coldness. I felt bile almost rise up my throat as I forced it back down.

I see. Grandfather's clock, had it shown me a vision of the next twenty seconds, or had it directly jumped me back moments before my death? Could it be used multiple times for the same scenario? What were the conditions behind it–death? My brain worked in overdrive as I tried to piece the puzzle together and formulate a counterstrategy to Alziths plan.

I could just warn my father or dodge it. But where would my advantage of knowing her move lie?

No, I needed a better plan.