Location: < A pit cell within 'Uggrock's Den' > - One of many caverns found throughout the upper stratums of the netherworld.
POV.: Nameless silver-haired demon larva.
Hesitant, Amethyst accepted the core from my claws. Then, a bit too slowly for my liking, Amethyst cautiously touched the core to the scroll, just as I had instructed.
The moment the slightly glowing core made contact with the scroll in Amethyst's claws, I witnessed—with the innate aether sight I had been using since I first discovered it—a stream of energy flowing from the core into the scroll. This energy then dispersed into Amethyst's body through its claws.
From that point onward, I couldn't discern the specifics of what the energy was doing, as my innate aether sight lacked the strength to penetrate beyond things not visible by other means, such as the inside of someone's body.
Despite the evident flow of aether into it, Amethyst didn't show any reaction, remaining in the same position it had been in since first touching the core to the scroll.
As the scroll gradually ceased drawing energy from the core, I came to realize that this apparent stillness was precisely the sign of it working. Amethyst's mind was likely operating at full capacity, absorbing and storing the influx of information.
As I had anticipated, it didn't take long for Amethyst to gaze at me with surprise and a touch of wonder. Slowly parting its mouth, Amethyst inquired, "Whi- What was that?"
Pleased that it appeared to have been successful, I retrieved the now considerably dimmer core from Amethyst's claws while answering, "As I believe it conveyed to you, that was a method for becoming stronger. However, there is just one small flaw in it."
Amethyst's long, amethyst-coloured hair cascaded down her shoulders as she tilted her head in curiosity, seemingly urging me to continue.
"The symbol the scroll instructs you to channel aether through is a bit incorrect. I'll draw the correct one for you," I explained, gesturing to the still visible symbol drawn in blood on my chest. "Furthermore, having it drawn on your skin makes it more efficient."
In response, Amethyst simply nodded, accepting my words without question, treating them as fact.
For a few moments, we sat in silence before Amethyst hesitantly asked, "Should I start thi- than?"
Pleased that Amethyst demonstrated some independent thought, I nodded affirmatively in response.
As an afterthought, I instructed Amethyst, "Feel free to ask me if you have any questions, and remember to let me know when you need me to draw that symbol for you."
With a simple nod of its head and a slight wag of its tail, Amethyst commenced practicing what the scroll had imparted.
'Now that's taken care of,' I thought to myself, 'it's about time I organize my thoughts.'
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Location: < Ground floor of the 'Temple of Birth' > - One of a few such places scattered through the isolated corners of the lower heavens.
POV.: Nameless silver-haired fledgling angel.
As the minutes extended into what felt like hours, I continued to observe the ongoing battle. Slowly over the prolonged conflict, a troubling sight unfolded.
The angels were gradually succumbing to fatigue, their movements becoming increasingly sluggish. As a result, more and more of the lesser aberrations managed to slip past them toward the barrier, where they promptly detonated themselves in an explosion of holy light.
Up until now, the temporary barrier that the coven had established had shown no visible signs of damage. However, I was aware that the sustained explosions were gradually placing a growing strain on the barrier.
An uneasy feeling settled in my gut, telling me that it wouldn't be long before the barrier cracked.
In less than a minute, my premonition proved accurate as a group of more than half a dozen lesser holy aberrations charged past a melee angel, whose entire body was covered in small cuts and wounds. The melee angel, engaged in combat with one of the more powerful aberrations, couldn't spare the attention or energy to pursue the lesser aberrations that had slipped by.
And so it was that the entire group managed to detonate themselves in a particularly potent explosion that seemed to shake the air, filling it with a holy energy so pure it felt toxic.
As the residual light from the explosion gradually dissipated, a chilling sight greeted my eyes—the barrier, which had remained visually unscathed throughout the prolonged combat, now bore large spiderweb-like cracks.
Fortunately, the barrier had not yet completely fractured. However, it was only a matter of time. As the barrier lacked the necessary energy to repair itself since it hadn't been able to draw in enough aether to keep pace with the ever-growing strain.
Sensing the heightened tension in the air, my focus remained fixed on the unfolding events outside. This time, even amid the renewed cries of the baby fledgling, I refrained from turning around to glance at Lyra.
Beyond the barrier, just on the fringes of the explosion's range, the melee angel appeared to activate a skill that bestowed a sudden surge of power. While the details were indistinct from this far away, my intuition suggested that the angel's wounds were likely healing rapidly.
Yet, I surmised that the delayed use of the skill indicated that it was a temporary measure that he was merely using in an attempt to buy some time or that it came at some other cost.
Energy newly restored, the angel soared through the midst of the melee maneuvering in the air to defend the barrier with the fervour of a berserker. In doing so he bought time for one of our coven's few mages who had been defending the settlement with magic from behind the barrier to fly over.
As the angel reached the origin point of the spiderweb of cracks she slowed down to a stop. Then maintaining a steady flapping of her wings to stay airborne, she performed a gesture I couldn't quite discern. Presumably, she had touched the cracks in the barrier and was casting some form of spell.
I could discern a faint blue glow emanating from where she was, spreading out through the cracks in the barrier. As the glow gradually enveloped all the cracks, becoming visible even from my distant vantage point, she suddenly stopped flapping her two wings, and instead unfurled them.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
During the brief descent to the ground that this caused, the angel must have cast another spell, as a blue energy barrier began to materialize just outside the currently cracked one. However, this second barrier was noticeably smaller, only covering the most damaged sections of the first barrier.
Distracted by the mage's spectacle, I nearly missed it when four of the largest holy aberrations I had seen so far surged toward the newly reinforced barriers. Each of these holy aberrations was as sizable as adult angels and appeared to possess comparable strength.
One of the four broke off from the rest confronting the berserk-like melee angel, and in doing so created an opening for the other three to advance toward the barrier. As they flew forward, I noticed that they each had spear-like appendages which at some point had started emanating a holy light.
Seconds later, as they reached the barrier, I witnessed something that sent a chill down my spine. Instead of detonating like their lesser brethren, sacrificing themselves to damage the barrier, these aberrations launched a direct assault.
Upon contact with the newly formed blue barrier, their spear-like appendages penetrated right through it, shattering it in a manner similar to how they subsequently shattered the following barrier along the fault lines created by the spiderweb pattern of cracks.
Although perhaps most terrifying of all was that the only discernible strain on the aberrations was the fading of the holy glow from their spear-like appendages.
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Location: < Berenices's 'Unnamed Settlement' > - One of a few such places scattered through the isolated corners of the lower heavens.
POV.: Ara, an adult lesser angel mage.
I fell through the air with my wings unfurled to cast a shield spell over the outside of the settlement's temporary barrier, creating a second protective layer with my own magic. In those fleeting moments, I managed to steal a glance a short distance ahead of me, just beyond the barrier.
There, I witnessed Taurus engaged in his distinctive, berserk-like combat style. Despite his frustration, Taurus, as usual, did not allow it to alter his fighting technique. Which is why most wouldn't even notice his frustration unless they had known him as long as I had.
(I knew that, although it may not appear so, Taurus's berserk-like fighting style was, in fact, highly sophisticated, especially since the introduction of the System.)
Taurus must have felt frustrated that enough aberrations had slipped passed him that their explosions had resulted in the cracking of the barrier. It wasn't his fault, as his fighting style was designed for dealing with a few formidable opponents rather than hordes of weaker ones like the current situation.
As I concluded casting my spell and I started adjusting the tilt of my wings to slow my descent, I witnessed an occurrence I had been fervently hoping to avoid.
Four of the dozen or so holy aberrations that the scouts had earlier identified as being in the lower forties level-wise, made their presence known here. Based on my earlier observations in the battle, these holy aberrations were not only stronger than their lesser counterparts but also exhibited a higher level of intelligence.
My observations about their intelligence quickly became evident as one of the four engaged Taurus. It was clear that the aberration's objective wasn't to eliminate him; rather, its goal was to occupy him for the precious few seconds it would take for the other three to reach the barrier.
Despite being aware of this, Taurus had no alternative but to engage the aberration as the others slipped past him, as failure to retaliate would result in the aberration killing him.
Recognizing the urgency, I swiftly began casting a new spell. However, having depleted a significant amount of mana to create a temporary barrier and address the initial damage, I found my magical reserves dwindling.
While flapping my wings to ascend and still midway through casting the spell, the three holy aberrations reached the barriers.
This marked the onset of the worst-case scenario. Plunging spear-like limbs, cloaked in a toxically pure holy aura, into the barriers, the three aberrations effortlessly shattered them. Witnessing the breach, fear tightened its grip on my heart.
For a brief moment, time appeared to stand still. The sounds of the ongoing battle around me faded into silence. Then, from my perspective, everything accelerated as if making up for the frozen moment.
This shouldn't have been feasible. Even if it was within their ability to breach my barrier, I had invested a considerable amount of mana into repairing the damage to the initial barrier. While it was not a flawless repair, it should have provided some resistance against these aberrations.
Before I could dwell further on the seemingly impossible situation, it became evident that one of the three aberrations had targeted me.
This was not good; I was a range-type spellcaster and performed poorly in hand-to-hand or close-quarters combat. To make matters worse, these holy aberrations excelled in precisely those areas. Allowing the aberration to get close would undoubtedly lead to my death without even the slightest chance of me mounting any resistance against it.
Flapping my wings vigorously, I propelled myself backward, attempting to escape as swiftly as possible. That was when to my relief, I observed Taurus, still holding the core of the holy aberration he had just killed, rocketing through the crack in the barrier toward the trio of aberrations.
With each flap of his wings, he accelerated, seemingly increasing in speed with no signs of slowing down.
However, upon finally getting a good look at Taurus's appearance, my relief swiftly turned to dread as I witnessed the toll this prolonged battle had exacted on him. His body was covered with numerous small cuts, each bleeding profusely. Until moments ago, he must have been suppressing these wounds with his aura skills, but it now seemed evident that his aura was depleting.
Nevertheless, he continued hurtling toward the trio of holy aberrations, undoubtedly feeling the weight of responsibility since the breach had occurred in the section of the barrier he was assigned to guard.
In a matter of seconds, he closed the distance and delivered a powerful punch to the nearest of the three holy aberrations. It was as if all the momentum he had gathered while flying was suddenly concentrated in that single blow.
Upon contact with the chest of the nearest aberration, a hole the size of Taurus' fist seemed to vaporize through the aberration's chest, and bits of its core sprayed backwards into the other two. Simultaneously, Taurus' body came to an abrupt stop, as if devoid of any prior momentum.
Having exhausted the last of his aura, Taurus plummeted to the ground, while still floating above him the body of the holy aberration he had struck slowly disintegrated into sparkles of holy aether.
Seemingly indifferent to Taurus, who was likely perceived as good as dead by their limited intellects, the two remaining holy aberrations split up. One turned to pursue me, while the other soared towards the last location anyone in the coven would permit to— the Temple of Birth.
It was at that moment that the spell I had been casting for the last while was finally ready for release.
I was confident that if I used the spell on myself, I could escape to one of the other members of the coven and, with their assistance, handle the two remaining aberrations. However, doing so meant the potential death of Taurus, and more importantly, the likelihood that one of the aberrations would almost certainly reach the Temple of Birth.
That was something I couldn't permit, regardless of the circumstances. Ultimately, it wasn't much of a choice. I was certain any member of the coven would make the same decision, as we prioritize protecting our young at all costs.
Acting swiftly, the holy aberration fixated on me, closing the distance rapidly, its spear-like limb once again cloaked in its toxically pure holy aura.
Despite the awareness that this decision would cost me my life, I raised my hand and directed it toward Taurus, who was lying on the ground.
As the holy aberration closed in on me, coming within meters, I unleashed the spell. The magical energy streaked past the holy aberration, striking Taurus in the chest moments later.
Simultaneously, the holy aberration reached me, impaling me right through the heart with its spear-like appendage.
I smiled through the indescribable pain of having a spear of toxically pure holy aura impale my heart. For a brief moment, the aberration hesitated at the sight of my smile before forcefully ripping out its limb.
"I'm glad it chose the heart," I thought to myself. "At least this way, I can go out with a bang!" Shouting the trigger words, "FOR THE COVEN!" at the top of my lungs, I released the seals on my mana heart, which had been corroded by the aberration's holy aura.
The aberrations weren't the only ones who knew how to make a dramatic exit! Although, if it weren't for the fact that the aberration had chosen to kill me by impaling my heart, I probably wouldn't have been able to cast this.
The last thing I saw before the explosion of my mana heart consumed my vision was Taurus hurtling at top speed towards the final holy aberration, which had set its sights on the Temple of Birth.