Going back in time a little...
After Reiko blew up the gates earlier, Abyss headed to the western side of the military base on a separate mission. Her mission was to destroy the principality's aetherial power source, located on the western side of the military base. The power source was a crucial component for the principality's advanced weaponry, such as the aether wands that the soldiers used to manipulate and control the aether, even without the gods' blessing.
As Abyss made her way through the base, she traveled leisurely through corridors, as though she was on a stroll. Just like earlier, none could perceive her, even those with the sharpest of senses. And even if they could—through some miracle perhaps—the girl could easily defeat the guards in direct combat, but she knew her mommy, Reiko, would complain if she ever snatched away her prey.
Without encountering any resistance, as it was almost impossible to detect her presence and most of the base's personnel were sent to fight in the ongoing battle, Abyss reached her destination: the aetherial power source room. Inside was a ginormous Purity Crystal that emitted a soft, ethereal glow, illuminating the room with its mystical energy.
Closing her eyes, Abyss focused her senses and used the darkness to search for any potential threats or obstacles that may be guarding the Purity crystal. 'There,' she thought, opening her eyes and turning her attention to the group of immobile full-plate armor emanating blessed energy and to another figure lurking in the shadows, their presence masked by the dark.
Being the personification of darkness herself, Abyss had no problem sensing the presence of the mysterious figure concealed in the shadows. In truth, ever since the girl neared the building where the Purity crystal was kept, Abyss had been aware of the figure's presence. The only reason she hadn't confronted them yet was because they were too weak for her to consider them a threat.
'I'll deal with them later,' Abyss thought to herself, her focus returning to the armored guardians that stood between her and the Purity crystal. With a simple snap of her fingers, the girl severed the guardians' connection to the crystal, and as a result, they fell like dolls whose strings had been cut.
Now that the other annoyances were out of the way, Abyss returned her gaze to the direction where the figure was hiding. "You can come out now, or should I drag you out?" she called out, her voice dripping with boredom and a hint of amusement. She knew that whoever was hiding would be no match for her, and even if they tried to escape, she would easily catch up to them.
'She sensed me!?' The figure thought, feeling a shiver run down their spine. When the black-haired girl looked in their direction earlier, the figure thought it was only a coincidence. As much as the figure was aware, because of the Church of Purity's influence on this continent, almost none had the ability to sense Miasma.
For one to be able to sense Miasma, one had to be a "Saint" or "Hero", individuals with exceptional talents and abilities granted by the gods themselves, or a Miasma folk or a Curse Arts practitioner like the figure itself. The former two were extremely rare and often held in high regard, while the latter two were shunned and feared by society due to the teachings of the church. And none of these four applies to the black-haired girl, who seemed to possess the unique ability to sense Miasma without any apparent explanation. Unbeknownst to the figure, the girl was the personification of darkness herself.
Furthermore. 'To be able to rupture the Aether Guardians's connection to the Purity Crystal just by snapping her fingers, this girl must possess a power that surpasses any known form of magic or divine intervention,' the figure mused, their back drenched in cold sweat as they contemplated the implications of her extraordinary ability. 'I have to escape and report this discovery to the council immediately,' he thought, unaware that this would be their last thought.
"Haha," the figure chuckled nervously, their voice trembling with a mix of excitement and fear. "You found me out. Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is—"
Snap. The figure's sentence was abruptly cut off as darkness consumed him, devouring everything dark and sinister. As the darkness of his heart was extinguished, the figure became another servant of Abyss. His body sank as the darkness acknowledged him as a servant of Abyss.
'Hm-hm, I was able to cut him off,' Abyss thought with a sense of satisfaction. 'Would mommy be proud of me?' The reason behind Abyss' delight in stopping the figure from introducing himself was because Reiko had taught her that launching a surprise attack is basically saying hi.
System Alert: Abyss’ Darkness Consumption had reached dangerous levels.
System Alert: Abyss' Dark Purification was ineffective against the consumed darkness.
However, Abyss' celebration was interrupted by a sudden surge of darkness erupting from within her. She felt no pain as a personification of darkness; however,all of the darkness she had consumed began to overwhelm her, overpowering her control. At the same time, memories she had no recollection of began flooding her mind.
A laboratory, filled with scientific equipment and mysterious experiments, appeared in her thoughts. She saw a woman? a man? She wasn't sure, but the figure was talking to her in a voice that seemed familiar and filled her with disgust and unease.
One memory stood out over the rest as they continued to flood her mind: a scene set in a laboratory in which a woman cradled her as a dark orb before handing her to a young girl with silver-colored hair. The girl was in her late teens, and she closely resembled her. No, that wasn't right. She was her, but older. And yet even that seems wrong.
"Miyabi, take care of Mizuki," the woman said, her voice filled with both urgency and tenderness. Miyabi nodded, her eyes brimming with confusion and determination. The girl held the dark orb, Mizuki, close to her chest, feeling it's dark yet comforting energy pulsating against her.
"Mm, don't worry. I'll take care of my twin sister, Librarian," Miyabi reassured the woman, her voice steady and resolute. Pushing the orb to her chest, it entered her body and merged with her. Now it was safe, and no one could harm Mizuki anymore.
System Alert: Abyss’ Memory Seal and Skill Seal had been broken. All of Abyss’ skill shall return to its original state.
Darkness Consumption ⇒ All-Consuming Darkness
Dark Purification ⇒ Purgatorial Darkness
Dark Illusion ⇒ Manifestation of Darkness
"Ah, I finally remember everything," Abyss, whose real name is Mizuki, exclaimed, her eyes widening with realization. The darkness surging out of her revealed memories long forgotten, flooding her mind with a torrent of emotions and experiences.
Mizuki, who formerly looked like a 15-year-old girl, now appears as a girl in her late teens, her features more mature, and her presence exuding darkness, sinisterness, and divinity at the same time. Her bob-cut hair had grown longer and now cascaded down her back in ebony waves, mirroring the darkness that radiated from within her.
“Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi, Miyabi," Mizuki's insane voice echoed through the empty room, each repetition growing louder and more desperate. "Where are you!? I need you, Miyabi! Come back to me!" Mizuki's eyes darted around the room, confused, searching for any sign of her.
At that moment, Mizuki’s memories of the past and present aligned. She calmed down as she remembered that Miyabi (Reiko) was just somewhere near. Excited to meet up with sister and make her remember their pasts as well, she was about to sink into her shadow but Miyabi stopped in her tracks.
“Before I forgot,” Mizuki murmured, finally calm, turning her attention to the Purity Crystal standing in the middle of the room as she remembered the reason she came to this place. “Rie had given me the mission to destroy this crystal, but I might as well absorb all of its energy.”
All-consuming Darkness. Her skill, Darkness Consumption and her other skill returned to its original forms after her memories had been unsealed. Just by standing still, Mizuki was absorbing the Purity Crystal’s blessed energy at a rapid pace. And by activating the skill, all of the aether stored inside the crystal were consumed within a millisecond. It’s soft green glow vanished, becoming a dull, lifeless stone. The room grew eerily quiet as the once vibrant energy dissipated into nothingness.
"Miyabi, I'm on my way," Mizuki whispered, her voice barely audible in the silence. With madness in her eyes, she sank into the darkness and vanished from sight.
***
"Ah, I feel great!" Reiko exclaimed, feeling the darkness emanating from her body. As she clenched her fists, a sinister smile spread across her face.
The overflowing darkness that came from her connection with Abyss (Mizuki) consumed her, changing her from within. Ever since Reiko (Goburu/Miyabi) merged with Abyss, the darkness that Abyss subconsciously absorbs has been influencing Reiko's thoughts and actions. Though, from the start, Reiko (Miyabi) was already wicked in her own right, the addition of Abyss's darkness intensified her malevolence.
'Unbelievable,' thought General Aiden, his eyes widening in shock. The lilac-haired samurai he was facing earlier only had Ki inside her body, but now an energy much more ominous and heavenly than Miasma was radiating from her.
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However, instead of fear consuming him, General Aiden felt joy and excitement. 'A human could possess such power,' he marveled, his heart racing with anticipation. As a human supremacist, he believed that this newfound power in the lilac-haired samurai could potentially tip the scales in their favor against the non-human races.
"Reiko! You've unlocked a hidden potential within you!" General Aiden exclaimed, his voice filled with admiration, not knowing how Reiko would react to his words. "Would you still not consider joining our cause? With your strength, we could finally ensure the dominance of humanity and restore order to this chaotic world," he proposed, hoping to sway Reiko to their side.
"Those demi-humans have lived long enough in this world that our God created for us! It's time for them to understand their place and bow down to the superior race. We cannot allow them to continue to live in a world that rightfully belongs to us," he declared passionately. "By joining us, you can help eradicate those vile creatures and bring about a new era of prosperity and peace for humanity. Together, we can build a society where our kind can thrive without the constant threat of demi-human interference."
BA-THUMP! Reiko's heart pounded wildly in her chest, then her head began to spin as memories, sealed for a long, long time, came rushing back to her. Memories of fabricated past lives and lives she had been forced to forget as she was required to live a new life over and over. Having been made immortal, Reiko realized she had been manipulated and controlled by her siblings.
"Miyabi, those inhumans, although they look the same as us on the outside, are nothing but a stain in this world of ours," the figure in a laboratory coat said with a venomous tone in her memories. The figure's voice filled her with disgust and anger as she remembered the countless missions she had been sent on to eliminate demi-humans.
"N-No," her past self stammered as she looked at her hands stained in the blood of demi-humans—no, humans who had been labeled as such. The dead body of the black-skinned woman lay lifeless on the ground, lying in a pool of their own blood.
"Good, Miyabi. Good job," the figure praised, a sinister smile playing on their lips. "Remember, they are nothing more than monsters. It's our duty to rid the world of their kind."
System Alert: Reiko’s Memory Seal and Skill Seal had been broken. All of Reiko’s skills shall return to their original state.
Roleplay ⇒ Amorphous Darkness
The Protagonist: Plot Armor ⇒ Everlasting Darkness
The Protagonist: Sword of Justice ⇒ Purgatorial Darkness
Action Star (Martial Artist) ⇒ Monarch of Beasts' Seal
Props ⇒ Deus Ex Machina's Seal
Script ⇒ Celestial Records Keeper's Seal
Affinity with Arentha's Energies (Goblin's Natural Affinity to Energy) ⇒ Mother Nature's Seal
Anger consumed Reiko—no, she finally remembered her real name, Miyabi, and the darkness surging out of her grew stronger as her memories flooded back. Now she understood where her hatred of human supremacists had come from. It was not a misplaced sense of justice or a result of brainwashing, but a deep-rooted personal experience.
Looking at the human supremacist, General Aiden, before her, Miyabi felt madness overwhelm her. She could no longer contain the rage that had been suppressed for so long. But before she could act on her anger, her shadow expanded, a tell-tale sign that Abyss—no, Mizuki, her twin sister—had arrived.
"Miyabi!" exclaimed Mizuki as she emerged from her twin's shadow, her voice filled with happiness and yearning. "Mou! Why aren't you returning to your original appearance? How could we look like twins if you keep masquerading as a mature woman?" Mizuki pleaded, her eyes filled with longing and desperation.
Dispelling her skill, "Role Play"—no, it was "Amorphous Darkness" that allowed her to change her appearance—her height and features shifted back to match her sister's. The only thing that remained different was her hair color. While Mizuki's hair was a deep, lustrous black that cascaded down her back, Miyabi's hair was a vibrant shade of silver that shimmered in the moonlight.
"Now we match perfectly," Miyabi said, a sweet smile playing on her lips. "Mm!" Mizuki nodded happily in agreement. While they held each other's hands close to their chests, their foreheads gently touched as they closed their eyes, a silent understanding passing between them.
Despite the beautiful scene of two twins embracing and sharing a tender moment, a human supremacist stood nearby, not knowing how to read a room or appreciate the bond between siblings. They don't even cherish moments where two beautiful ladies find solace in each other's presence.
"Now, Miyabi, or whoever you are, do you accept my invitation to join the Principality?" General Aiden asked, his voice filled with a mix of superiority and assurance that his offer was irresistible. He believed that Reiko, or whoever she really is, would be foolish to decline such a prestigious opportunity.
"Miyabi, Miyabi, why is he so insistent on recruiting you?" Mizuki whispered to Miyabi, her voice filled with curiosity and amusement. Miyabi chuckled softly, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Perhaps he thinks I'm human?"
""Then, let's show him we're not!"" Both Mizuki and Miyabi giggled simultaneously, their laughter echoing through the plaza as the darkness enveloped them and their ears grew longer and pointed. Apart from their ears, nothing about them changed physically.
"Spirit Folk!?" exclaimed General Aiden as he watched their transformation with astonishment that shifted to outrage as he realized his opponent earlier had been one of the demi-humans he had despised for so long. As a result, he did not realize the gravity of the situation, blinded by prejudice in his mind.
"Soldiers, fire your spells!" he commanded, determined to eliminate these "Spirit Folk" once and for all. And yet, nothing happened.
"My, my. Did you forget that your power source had been cut off?" Miyabi chuckled, her voice dripping with amusement. "Are you perhaps so deluded by your greed and hatred that you failed to notice your own downfall?"
"I hated, no, I loathed human supremacists like you," Miyabi continued, her eyes narrowing with contempt. "And a country like the Principality espousing human supremacy makes me sick to my stomach. I swear, I will do whatever it takes to ensure that your twisted ideology is eradicated from this world. Your reign of terror ends here and now."
"Mizuki," she said, turning to her twin. "Hai, hai! All-consuming Darkness." Mizuki muttered, using her skill. The next moment, the enemies' shadows expanded, rose, and took shape as enormous jaws of misshapen shadow hounds that swallowed the enemies whole.
Immediately after, Mizuki's Purgatorial Darkness took effect, removing everything sinister and the twisted ideology from the minds of those who were sucked into its black clutches. As the enemies were devoured, their beliefs and ideologies were obliterated, leaving behind only Mizuki's servants of darkness.
"I wonder what we should do with them?' Mizuki pondered, her eyes gleaming with a sinister delight. "Isn't it obvious, Mizuki? We'll welcome them to the sisterhood as demi-humans they hate so much," replied Miyabi, a wicked smile spreading across their faces.
"But for now, we have a human supremacist country to overthrow," Miyabi added, her voice dripping with malice. "Let's destroy them like when I destroyed that scumbag's laboratory back on Earth," she said, her voice filled with a mix of satisfaction and vengeance.
"Mm! Let's go!" Mizuki nodded eagerly, the wicked gleam in her eyes matching Miyabi's. Sadly, before they could even begin their wickedness, "Stop!" a voice familiar to both their pasts and present called out, freezing them in their tracks. It was Henrietta, or Rie-chan for short, the humanoid form of Miyabi's skill, "Personal Assistant", that she had provided a flesh and blood body.
"Mm! Let's go!" Mizuki nodded eagerly, the wicked gleam in her eyes matching Miyabi's. Sadly, before they could even begin their wickedness, "Stop!" a voice familiar to both their pasts and present called out, freezing them in their tracks. It was Henrietta, or Rie-chan for short, the humanoid form of Miyabi's skill, "Personal Assistant", that she had provided with a flesh and blood body.
"You're not Rie-chan, are you?" Miyabi asked, though she acted as if she already knew the answer. "It's been a while, Librarian. So you're the master Rie-chan has been serving all this time." The silver-haired girl smiled, her eyes filled with warmth and familiarity. "Yes, Miyabi. I'm currently borrowing Henrietta's body to interact with you directly," Librarian replied, her voice gentle and soothing.
"Are you here to stop us, Librarian?" Miyabi questioned, her tone filled with mock sadness. "You knew how I loathe human supremacists, right?"
"I knew. However, this and that are two different matters," Librarian responded, her expression serious. "My purpose here is not to stop you two from bringing down the Principality. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you succeeded in your mission. All of the living beings in this world of Arentha are my creation, you could say. I don't want any of them to die in vain."
"In short?" Mizuki asked. "In short," Librarian replied, "I am not against your cause, but doing it while darkness emanates from the two of you like a sinister cloud is concerning for reasons I couldn't tell. This is for your own good, I promise."
The twins smiled sweetly in response to Librarian's concern. But instead of feeling reassured, Librarian felt a headache coming. 'These twins... are up to no good once again.' Their smiles were too innocent, too perfect. Librarian had seen this facade before, and it always led to trouble. A sinking sensation settled into Librarian's gut, forewarning her of what would be about to take place the following moment.
""If you want us to listen, you have to defeat us first!"" The twins challenged, the mischievous and daring glint in their eyes. At the same time, the darkness emanating from the two of them grew to an ominous level, making Librarian complain. 'What a pain... I just want to go back to the library and continue reading books in peace,' she thought.
But she knew that she couldn't ignore the twins' challenge. 'Celestial Records, open,' she commanded, and a dimensional pocket opened before her. The next moment, a book flew into her outstretched hand. Its golden pages shimmered and turned until they stopped at a specific page, revealing a page with an image of a heavenly and majestic spear.
Ripping the page out of the book, she whispered, "Materialize," and the torn page transformed into a gleaming, ethereal spear. "Here I come," she murmured, gripping the spear tightly. With a mighty leap, she launched herself into the air, soaring towards the twins floating in the sky.
""Ahaha! We miss this, Librarian! Just like the old times!"" The twins laughed gleefully as they dodged her aerial attacks, their mischievous grins widening. ""Our turn!"" The twins raised their hands and thought, 'Manifestation of Darkness.' In an instant, darkness coalesced and separated into many smaller orbs and finally formed into arrows that shot towards the Librarian. As the arrows closed in, she deftly maneuvered through them, twirling and flipping in the air with grace and precision.
"Don't think I'm the only opponent you have to face," Librarian said with a confident smirk. Dimensional portals suddenly opened up around the twins, and a human-sized mechanical robot, a savage-haired woman clad in animal skins, and a woman with motherly features wearing a dress ornamented with flowers emerged from them.
"What's up, you two rascals? Haven't seen you in a while. Looks like you're up to no good again, eh?" the savage-haired woman said with a mischievous grin. She followed it up by throwing herself at the twins, her limbs turning into beast-like appendages as she pounced on them, launching a multitude of claw swipes, punches, and kicks.
"Berserker! You're still as wild as ever!" exclaimed Miyabi as the twins dodged one of Berserker's powerful kicks. The twins swiftly countered with their own agile moves, gracefully evading Berserker's onslaught.
"Oh my, don't forget about me, okay?" called out the woman in a dress, controlling vines that emerged out of nowhere that she sent towards the twins with precision. She also controlled flowers that shot seeds and leaves in a flurry of attacks. The twins, now faced with a two-front battle, skillfully weaved through the vines and seeds, their movements fluid and synchronized.
Despite Berserker's ferocity and the woman's unexpected attack, the twins remained giggling and enjoying the exhilarating battle. Their laughter echoed through the air as they effortlessly continued to dodge and counter every move thrown at them.
Rockets and explosions then filled the sky as the mechanical robot joined the fray, firing missiles and lasers at the twins. "Is Mechanic still too shy to even talk?" asked Mizuki, as she effortlessly deflected the incoming projectiles with a bullet made of darkness.
"Yeah, for us, a millennium has already passed, but Mechanic still hasn't fully come out of their shell," replied Librarian, using a nearby root to propel herself into the air with her divine spear to attack the twins with lightning-fast strikes.
As the battle raged on, Mechanic's skills continued to impress, showcasing their mastery over technology. The twins didn't even break a sweat as they swiftly dodged Librarian's lightning-fast strikes, Berserker's powerful swings, Flora's botanical assault, and Mechanic's missiles and other mechanical attacks.
And then abruptly, the twins stopped in their tracks, their faces revealing joyfulness and contentment. ""We missed you, our big sisters,"" they exclaimed in unison. "It's been, what, a century since I saw you last," Miyabi added with a nostalgic smile. However, it changed as quickly as it had come, as the twins' expressions turned twisted and obsessive.
""We won't let you leave us again,"" they said, their voices filled with a sinister tone. In the blink of an eye, as far as the eye could see, darkness engulfed everyone and everything. ""Manifestation of Darkness,"" they whispered in unison, their words dripping with malevolence.Weapons, beasts, plants, and mechanical contraptions that the others had thrown at them earlier were copied and amplified, becoming more powerful and destructive.
"Curses!" Librarian exclaimed, her voice laced with frustration. "Oi, Oi! What in the world are you doing?" Berserker bellowed, stopping Librarian in her tracks. "I'm going to stop them, obviously," Librarian replied, determination filling her voice.
"Are you—Arrgh! Fine, do what you want," Berserker grumbled, crossing her arms. "But don't come crying to me when things go south."
"I'm the big sister, you know," Librarian added with a playful smirk. "I can handle myself." With a nod of understanding, Berserker reluctantly stepped aside, allowing Librarian to stop the rampaging twins.