“Why do you talk like that?” Fiora said with a disgusted expression.

Apikalia had a weird affectation that grated on Fiora’s nerves.

“You’ve never been in the West Deep, have you, blondie?” Apikalia smiled.

Fiora shook her head, eyeing the poisonous gas and trying to decide how to take down Apikalia.

“Well, the Great Families in the West Deep all teach their children to speak with proper diction, darling. This is what it sounds like.”

“You’re a noble?” Fiora suddenly frowned.

Apikalia’s laughter echoed through the chamber, a sound both melodious and chilling. “Oh, darling, I’m more than just a noble. I’m what the nobles fear to become.”

Fiora’s brow furrowed, her mind racing to make sense of this revelation. The poisonous gas swirled around them, a constant reminder of the danger they faced.

“You see,” Apikalia continued, her voice silky smooth, “the West Deep is a pit of vipers. Everyone smiles to your face while plotting your downfall. My family? They were content to play their petty games, never realizing the true power that lay within their grasp.”

She moved closer.

The green mist seemed to part before her as if even the poison recognized her as its master.

“But I’ve learned secrets, my dear Fiora. Secrets about the Academy, about the nobles, about the very foundation of our society’s sweet Archipelago. Secrets that would make your skin crawl.”

Fiora’s hands clenched at her sides, ready to summon her Sunwater at a moment’s notice.

“What are you talking about?”

Apikalia’s smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed just a bit too sharp.

“Oh, the things I could tell you. About the true nature of the Kraken, about the deeds performed by the nobles in the name of ‘protection.’ But why tell you when I could show you?”

She extended a hand, palm up, an invitation.

“Join us, dear. I see the talent in you, the potential. And it just happens we’re recruiting! You could be great, truly great. I can feel it!”

Fiora recoiled, disgust plain on her face.

“You’re mad if you think I’d ever join Cultists.”

“Am I?” Apikalia’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Tell me, Fiora, what do you actually know about Cultists? What has the Academy told you?”

Fiora opened her mouth to respond but found herself at a loss for words.

She realized that she knew very little.

Apikalia’s smile turned triumphant.

“Let me educate you, then. About Abyssal Magic, about the true nature of power.”

She raised her hand, and the poisonous mist coalesced into intricate patterns.

“Not all Cultists accept Abyssal Magic. It requires sacrifice - your Primary Mana Channel, to be precise. But in return? We gain the ability to absorb Raw Mana from the Deep itself while keeping our Secondary Mana Channels.”

Fiora’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t known about that.

The ability to absorb Raw Mana was a bigger deal than most would have understood, especially for casters, since it would allow them to store a lot of Mana at once.

“We can store vast amounts of Mana,” Apikalia continued, basically vocalizing Fiora’s own thoughts. “More than any normal Initiated could dream of. And we can discharge it all at once if needed, emptying our body of it. It makes us... invisible to the eyes of the Initiated.”

Fiora frowned.

If what Apikalia said was true, it explained how Cultists had managed to operate undetected for so long.

“I gave up my Primary Mana Channel,” Apikalia said, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. “It was necessary for my Poison Water to reach its full potential. Most caster Cultists prefer Abyssal Magic. It allows us to walk among Abyssal Creatures unharmed. They see us as masters unless the level gap is too great.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Fiora demanded, suspicious of the forthcoming attitude of the other girl.

Apikalia’s expression softened, almost becoming gentle.

“Because unlike the nobles and Water Riders, we don’t need to lie and cheat. We offer honesty, Fiora. It’s what drew me to the Cultists in the first place.”

She took a step closer, her eyes locked on Fiora’s.

“Do you even know what we call ourselves? Our true name?”

Fiora shook her head, unable to look away from Apikalia’s intense gaze.

“The Equilibrium Cult,” Apikalia said, her voice filled with reverence. “We seek balance in all things, including the balance between the surface world and the Deep.”

The chamber fell silent save for the soft hiss of the poisonous gas that was held at bay by the other’s magic.

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“You don’t understand, do you?” Apikalia sighed theatrically, her smile turning upside down. “No, I suppose you don’t. You can’t see it. Oh my, what a sad turn of events.”

“I won’t betray my friends,” Fiora said with gritted teeth.

“Betray? They’re about to have the same opportunity you just received.”

At that, Fiora laughed.

“Talia would never accept.”

“The Kraken Slayer’s daughter?” Apikalia smiled cattily. “Oh dear, you know nothing. All the others will have a choice, but your friend? Talia? Her choice has been made the moment she was born.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll find out,” Apikalia smiled. “But now, it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

That said, the gas that had been seemingly holding off from filling the entire room suddenly expanded.

Fiora tried shielding her face with her sleeve as the poison-filled the chamber. However, it was clear that she could not do anything to stop it.

So, she took a gamble.

She would kill Apikalia before her poison could kill her.

Fiora coughed, pained, her voice hoarse from the noxious air.

She summoned her Sunwater, feeling the familiar warmth build in her palms.

With a cry of determination, she launched a barrage of golden orbs at Apikalia.

The Cultist laughed, easily dodging the attacks that were all scattered since Fiora was still recovering from the fight with the Slashing Cruster Boss and since her senses were muddled by the poison.

“Oh, darling. Is that really the best you can do?” Her voice was mocking, infuriating Fiora even further.

Gritting her teeth, Fiora decided to up the ante.

She focused her mind, channeling her Mana into [Zenith].

She began to charge [Sunbeam Strike] with it, trying as hard as possible not to fall unconscious.

The overcharged beam of sunlight shot from above, amplified by Zenith’s power.

It was a devastating combination, one that should have been impossible for Apikalia to avoid.

But as the brilliant light filled the chamber, Fiora’s vision swam.

The poisonous gas had already sunk its claws deep into others.

The supercharged Sunbeam Strike went wide, missing Apikalia by several feet and slamming into the cavern floor with a thunderous crash.

Chunks of rock exploded forth as Fiora stumbled, her legs suddenly weak beneath her.

She blinked hard, trying to clear her blurring vision, but it was no use.

The world seemed to tilt and spin around her.

Apikalia’s laughter echoed through the chamber, sounding distant and distorted to Fiora’s addled mind.

“Oh, my dear. Did you really think you could beat me? You inhaled my poison minutes ago. It’s a miracle that you’re still standing, really. Don’t worry. You’ll soon sleep and rest in my arms.”

Fiora tried to summon another attack, but her Mana felt sluggish and unresponsive.

She could barely keep herself upright, let alone launch an effective strike.

Panic began to set in as she realized how dire her situation had become.

“I...” Fiora gasped, slurring. “Damn you…”

She took a stumbling step forward, nearly falling in the process.

“Shh, shh,” Apikalia cooed, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “Don’t fight it, darling. Just let the poison take you. It’ll all be over soon.”

As Fiora’s consciousness began to fade, her mind raced desperately for a solution.

She couldn’t let it end like this.

She couldn’t fail Talia, fail her friends, fail herself.

There had to be something, anything she could do.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced through the fog of her thoughts.

Talia’s words echoed in her mind.

“You know, it would be very cool if you could make multiple strikes rain at once at some point.”

In that moment of clarity, Fiora’s eyes widened.

The second Glyph she had received was the Fusion Glyph.

Her Skill, [Sunwater Glyph], told her it would allow her to merge multiple Skills and evolve into one, more powerful Skill.

She had done nothing with it, not sure what it would have been good for and not sure she would have the time to unlock it.

But now, it was the only thing she thought could save her.

Drawing on every ounce of willpower she possessed, she moved her Mana sluggishly through her veins.

In this dazed state, she barely knew what she was doing.

But somehow, the drunkenness of the poison made her slip into a flow-like state, maximally focused on bringing the Skills together into the Fusion Glyph.

She poured everything into it.

[Zenith] was too slow to be used on its own anyway, especially in larger fights.

The Speed Glyph was good on its own, but it would be better suited to complement [Zenith] ’s weakness.

“Oh my, what is that?” Apikalia asked curiously.

Fiora saw a triangular shape forming in front of her and knew she could merge one more Skill there.

She poured [Sunbeam Strike] into it and prayed.

At first, nothing seemed to happen.

Fiora thought she had failed.

But then, she felt it - a surge of energy, unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

It was as if the sun itself had taken residence in her chest, filling her with a comforting warmth.

The poisonous gas around her began to dissipate, pushed back by the sheer radiance emanating from Fiora’s body.

Apikalia’s smug expression faltered, replaced by one of confusion and growing concern.

“What... what are you doing?” the Cultist demanded, taking a step back.

Fiora couldn’t have answered even if she wanted to.

All the parts of her that hadn’t been overtaken by the poison were focused on completing the Fusion Glyph.

She felt it building within her, growing stronger with each passing second.

Suddenly, the ceiling of the cavern began to glow.

Brilliant points of light appeared as if stars had somehow manifested underground.

These points grew brighter and brighter until they resembled miniature suns, their light so intense it was almost painful to look at.

Apikalia’s eyes widened in fear as she realized what was happening.

“What?” she whispered, her usual composure cracking. “What is-”

[Solar Glyph Mastery has reached Level 6!]

[Solar Glyph Mastery has reached Level 7!]

[Solar Glyph Mastery has reached Level 8!]

[Solar Glyph Mastery has reached Level 9!]

[Solar Glyph Mastery has reached Level 10!]

[You learn Solar Glyph - Fusion]

[You have successfully consumed Solar Glyph - Fusion]

[You have consumed Skill - Zenith]

[You have consumed Skill - Solar Glyph - Speed]

[You have consumed Skill - Sunbeam Strike]

[You have consumed Skill - Solar Glyph - Fusion]

[You learn Skill - Sunstorm]

The cavern erupted with light.

From each glowing point in the ceiling, a beam of concentrated sunlight shot downward.

Dozens of these beams crisscrossed the area, raining down projectiles as powerful as a single [Sunbeam Strike]. They weren’t as powerful as the one she had empowered with [Zenith], but they were much faster, and there were so many of them that she didn’t need to aim.

Apikalia screamed, trying desperately to dodge the onslaught.

But there were simply too many beams.

One struck her shoulder over a shield she had tried conjuring, burning through cloth and flesh with ease.

Another caught her leg, sending her stumbling to the ground and dispelling her shield.

The poisonous gas that had filled the chamber was obliterated, burned away by the intense heat and light of the Sunstorm.

The air was superheated and distorted.

The attack seemed to last an eternity, though in reality, it was over in a matter of seconds.

As the last of the sunbeams faded away, Fiora felt her strength give out.

She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath in the now-clear air of the chamber.

For a moment, all was quiet.

Fiora blinked, trying to clear the spots from her vision, but she could see nothing.

Only a notification in her head told her what happened.

[You have slain Cultist - Poison Mage Level 19!]

More notifications sounded in her head, but her consciousness abandoned her.

However, not before she allowed herself a small chuckle.