Chapter 56: Seraphina Vance
"They are already here" Caleb Sterling whispered.
The Gravity Mage did not raise his wooden staff. He simply planted the base of it firmly against the wet concrete of the rooftop. The faint purple glow of his magic illuminated the freezing raindrops falling around him but his face was pale.
"What do you mean?" Glenn asked his hand dropping to the hilt of his massive black longsword.
"The ambient gravity on this rooftop just shifted" Caleb explained his eyes darting toward the deep shadows cast by the massive industrial ventilation units. "It is incredibly subtle. Someone is using a localized spatial distortion to mask their physical weight and their mana output. But they cannot hide the displacement of the air. We are surrounded by at least a dozen heavy signatures."
Isla Sinclair drew her runic pistols the intricate silver barrels gleaming in the dim city light. She did not point them blindly into the dark. She held them close to her chest her aristocratic posture shifting into a flawless combat stance.
"Eden operatives" Isla said her breath pluming into white mist as she began to bleed absolute zero mana into the surrounding air. "They must be using stealth artifacts to bypass the sector scanners. Do we fight or do we run Mcdonald?"
Glenn looked at the massive black pillar of energy piercing the sky in the distance and then down at the vibrating canvas bag on his chest. They had just robbed the Astra Guild. They were holding the most dangerous artifact on the planet. Running would only delay the inevitable and they did not have time for a prolonged game of cat and mouse.
"We hold our ground" Glenn replied drawing his heavy black longsword. The massive blade scraped against the scabbard a harsh metallic sound that cut through the howling wind. "We stole this Prism specifically to get their attention. Let us see what the ghosts have to say."
The shadows between the ventilation units began to ripple.
The spatial distortions collapsed revealing twelve figures standing in a perfect circle around the trio. They did not wear the heavy tactical armor of the guild mercenaries or the pristine robes of the corporate elites. They wore sleek tailored black suits made from a strange matte fabric that seemed to absorb the rain before it could even touch them. They held long slender rifles that hummed with concentrated magical energy.
From the darkest corner of the rooftop a thirteenth figure stepped forward.
He was taller than the rest moving with an eerie gliding grace that suggested he was barely touching the ground. His face was completely obscured by a smooth featureless white mask devoid of eyes a nose or a mouth.
"You are holding a piece of original sin Glenn Mcdonald" the masked man said.
His voice was artificially modulated projecting a smooth metallic resonance that echoed across the rooftop despite the torrential rain. It was a voice devoid of any human inflection.
"I am Malachi" the masked man continued stopping exactly twenty paces away. "I represent the scholars of Eden. We politely request that you hand over the Abyssal Prism before the radiation permanently corrupts your spiritual core."
"I am not handing over anything until I get some answers" Glenn said stepping forward. He channeled a fraction of his mana into his legs preparing to activate Thunder Phantom Step if the operatives made a sudden move. "Silas told us you study the outer worlds. He told us you know what the Administrators really are."
Malachi tilted his featureless white mask. The rain simply slid off the smooth porcelain surface.
"Silas is a rat who sells fragments of the truth to the highest bidder" Malachi replied his metallic voice echoing softly. "But in this specific instance the rat was correct. You look up at the sky and you see gods. You see a system designed to elevate humanity. You are blind."
"Then open my eyes" Glenn challenged gripping his sword tighter.
"The Administrators are not saviors" Malachi stated. "They are parasites. They view Earth as a quarantine zone and a breeding ground. They needed a catalyst to force human evolution. The Awakening System is not a gift. It is a slaughterhouse designed to forge a perfect weapon capable of fighting their cosmic war against The Lost."
Glenn felt the dark fragment pulse in his chest. The revelation aligned perfectly with the rotting ancient energy he had consumed in the tutorial dungeon. The entire world the guilds the Association the dungeons it was all built on a foundation of absolute cosmic cruelty. Humanity was just livestock being bred for a war they did not even understand.
"And what about The Lost?" Glenn demanded his dark eyes locking onto the white mask. He pointed his sword toward the massive black pillar in the distance. "The Wanderer is currently slaughtering one hundred elite hunters inside the Sunken Necropolis. If the Administrators are parasites what does that make the demons?"
"The Lost are the immune system of the universe" Malachi explained his tone shifting into that of a patient professor lecturing a slow student. "They are the physical manifestation of entropy. They seek to rot the parasite away and return the Aetherium to a state of chaotic nothingness. The Wanderer is feasting tonight because the guilds foolishly delivered a massive concentration of pure mana directly to his doorstep. They served themselves on a silver platter."
"Then tell us how to kill him" Glenn said his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Tell us how to use the Prism."
Malachi stopped walking. The twelve Eden operatives raised their sleek black rifles the magical energy humming louder.
"You cannot kill a noble of The Lost" Malachi said shaking his head. "You can only contain them. The Abyssal Prism is a dimensional vacuum. If you activate it near The Wanderer it will siphon his anti mana and trap his essence inside the glass. But the activation sequence requires a massive sacrifice."
Isla narrowed her green eyes her fingers tightening on the triggers of her pistols. "What kind of sacrifice?"
"It requires a human vessel to channel their entire life force into the relic to open the seal" Malachi answered bluntly. "Whoever activates the Prism will die. Their soul will be consumed to create the vacuum."
The rooftop fell dead silent. The freezing rain continued to pour but Glenn barely felt it. The weight of the revelation settled over them like a physical burden. The only weapon capable of stopping the demon required a suicide mission.
"Give us the Prism Mcdonald" Malachi ordered raising his hand. "We have volunteers ready to make the sacrifice. We will contain the entity and study its energy. You have played your part. Walk away and live."
"No" Glenn whispered. "I am going to the Red Gate. I will force the Prism open myself."
Malachi let out a slow metallic sigh. "You are brave anomaly. But you are also incredibly foolish. You think you can simply walk up to a god and activate a relic? You cannot even comprehend the scale of the power currently destroying Sector Seven. Allow me to show you."
Malachi reached into his tailored suit and pulled out a small smooth black sphere. He crushed it in his palm.
The magical energy within the sphere exploded outward forming a massive highly detailed holographic projection in the center of the rooftop. It was a live scrying feed directly from the Sunken Necropolis.
Glenn Isla and Caleb stared at the projection their breath catching in their throats.
The central courtyard of the ruined temple was a lake of blood and gray ash. The combined forces of the Astra and Valor guilds had been completely decimated. The pristine white robes and heavy crimson armor were scattered across the ground torn to shreds by an endless horde of nightmare creatures.
In the center of the slaughter Elias Vance was fighting his final battle.
The S Rank Guild Master of Valor was covered in deep jagged wounds. His heavy crimson armor was shattered. He gripped his massive battle axe Blood Drinker with both hands. The weapon was glowing with a blinding crimson light fueled by the sheer amount of pain and rage coursing through his veins. He had activated his ultimate S Rank skill Blood Rage Maximum Output. His physical strength and speed had multiplied exponentially allowing him to cleave through hundreds of monsters.
But standing thirty feet away completely untouched by the carnage was The Wanderer.
The ancient demon was smiling. His tattered gray suit was immaculate devoid of a single drop of blood. His empty silver eyes watched Elias with the amused curiosity of a child watching an insect struggle in a jar.
"Shut your mouth demon!" Elias roared his voice transmitting through the holographic feed with terrifying clarity.
Elias charged. He moved with terrifying speed the ground shattering beneath his heavy boots. He channeled every remaining drop of his S Rank mana into his battle axe preparing to deliver a strike that could level a mountain. He swung the massive weapon in a devastating horizontal arc aiming directly for The Wanderer’s neck.
The Wanderer did not dodge. He did not summon a magical shield. He simply raised his pale flawless left hand and caught the glowing crimson blade of the battle axe with two bare fingers.
A massive shockwave of displaced air exploded outward flattening the remaining monsters in the immediate vicinity. But the blade stopped dead. It did not move a single millimeter further.
"A valiant effort" The Wanderer whispered.
The demon released a pulse of pure anti mana from his fingers. The dark rotting energy washed over the massive battle axe. The indestructible S Rank metal instantly turned black rusting and crumbling into brittle gray dust. The crimson mana fueling the weapon was devoured extinguishing the light completely.
Elias stumbled forward his weapon destroyed.
The holographic projection shifted slightly showing another part of the courtyard. Viktor Rostova was on his knees in the gray ash. The Executive Director of the Astra Guild had completely snapped. He was surrounded by the corpses of his elite mages staring blankly at the demon who wore his daughter’s face. He did not even raise his hands to defend himself as a pack of corrupted Lycans closed in on him.
"They are going to die" Caleb whispered his voice trembling as he watched the projection. "The strongest hunters in the city and they cannot even scratch him."
"Watch closely" Malachi instructed his metallic voice cutting through the sounds of the battle.
Down in the courtyard The Wanderer stepped inside Elias Vance’s guard. The demon drove his pale fingers directly into Elias’s armored chest piercing the reinforced metal and flesh as easily as paper. Elias gasped his eyes going wide as The Wanderer’s fingers closed around his pulsing S Rank spiritual core.
"Your power belongs to the Abyss now" The Wanderer smiled.
Before the demon could rip the core from the Guild Master’s chest the bruised purple sky above the Sunken Necropolis burned silver.
A massive pillar of holy fire crashed through the clouds slamming directly into the courtyard between Elias and The Wanderer. The sheer heat of the flames instantly incinerated the remaining Ash Fiends turning the entire temple into a blinding inferno. The shockwave rocked the holographic projection causing the image to flicker and distort.
The Wanderer hissed stepping back and shielding his eyes from the intense light.
From the center of the silver flames a figure emerged.
She wore heavy silver armor adorned with the crest of a winged valkyrie. Her long white hair whipped wildly in the superheated wind. In her right hand she held a massive silver halberd that radiated an overwhelming suffocating aura of power. This was not just S Rank. This was something far denser. Far older.
This was an SS Rank Monarch.
Seraphina Vance the Silver Valkyrie stepped out of the fire and leveled her halberd directly at The Wanderer.
"Step away from my brother demon" Seraphina commanded her voice echoing with absolute authority.
The Wanderer looked at the holy fire burning on the blade of the halberd. He looked at the unconscious bleeding form of Elias Vance. The demon had already consumed dozens of A Rank cores today. His anti mana density was massive but fighting an SS Rank Monarch in his current state was an unnecessary risk.
"The Valkyrie descends" The Wanderer mocked offering a flawless theatrical bow. "Your timing is impeccable. But the board is already set."
Seraphina did not waste time with words. She lunged forward moving faster than the speed of sound. She swung her silver halberd leaving a trail of blinding holy fire in its wake.
The Wanderer raised his hands summoning a dense shield of pure anti mana.
The silver fire clashed with the black void. The resulting explosion was catastrophic. The entire central courtyard shattered the stone floor collapsing into a massive crater. The shockwave leveled the surrounding ruined temples sending massive blocks of stone flying through the air.
When the dust and ash cleared on the projection Seraphina was standing over her brother her silver armor glowing brightly. The Wanderer had been pushed back fifty yards his tattered gray suit smoking slightly from the holy fire.
"Fall back!" Seraphina roared her voice amplified by her massive mana pool. "All surviving personnel fall back to the gate! I will hold the line!"
A handful of surviving A Rank hunters emerged from the rubble. Two Valor berserkers grabbed the unconscious Elias Vance dragging him toward the exit. An Astra mage grabbed Viktor Rostova pulling the broken Executive Director away from the slaughter. They were a battered bleeding remnant of the proud army that had marched into the dungeon just an hour ago.
The Wanderer did not pursue them. He simply stood in the gray ash watching them retreat. He tilted his head his empty silver eyes locking onto Seraphina.
"You burn brightly Valkyrie" The Wanderer whispered. "But even stars eventually burn out. I will enjoy consuming your light when the time comes."
The demon stepped backward dissolving into a cloud of black ash that scattered into the freezing wind. The Wanderer was gone.
The silver fire slowly died down leaving the ruined courtyard in absolute silence. The massacre was over but the guilds had suffered a devastating catastrophic defeat.
Malachi waved his hand and the holographic projection vanished plunging the rooftop back into the dim rainy gloom of Sector Four.
Glenn slowly lowered his black longsword. His heart was pounding in his chest. He had just witnessed the absolute pinnacle of human power clash with a god of the Abyss. And he knew with absolute certainty that he was nowhere near strong enough to intervene. If he had jumped down there he would have been erased in a fraction of a second.
"Do you understand now?" Malachi asked stepping up beside Glenn. "Even an SS Rank Monarch cannot kill him. She can only stall him. The Wanderer is a force of nature. You cannot fight a hurricane with a sword. If you had gone to the Red Gate you would have died for nothing."
Glenn looked at the canvas bag strapped to his chest. The Abyssal Prism had stopped vibrating settling back into a cold dormant state now that the demon was gone.
"You said the Prism requires a sacrifice" Glenn said turning to face the masked scholar. "You said a human vessel cannot process anti mana without detonating."
"That is correct" Malachi nodded.
Glenn channeled a microscopic drop of mana into his fingertips. He activated the dark fragment in his core.
"Void Touch" Glenn whispered.
Dead gray energy leaked from his armored hand seeping into the freezing rain. The raindrops that touched the energy instantly rotted turning into gray dust before they hit the roof.
Malachi took a sudden step back his featureless white mask tilting in genuine shock. The twelve Eden operatives raised their rifles their magical cores humming loudly.
"You carry the void" Malachi choked the metallic modulation of his voice faltering. "How is this possible? You are an F Rank Mimic. Your core should have shattered the moment you absorbed that energy."
"I am not a normal vessel" Glenn said his voice cold and absolute. "I can process the rot. Which means I can act as the conduit for the Prism without sacrificing my soul."
The rooftop fell silent save for the howling wind. Isla and Caleb stared at Glenn their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and terror. They had known he possessed a dark skill but they had not realized the true nature of the energy he was wielding.
Malachi slowly raised his hand signaling his operatives to lower their weapons. The Eden scholar stared at Glenn’s hand watching the dead gray energy dissipate into the air.
"An anomaly" Malachi whispered his voice returning to its smooth metallic resonance. "A human vessel capable of wielding the original dark. The scholars will be fascinated by you Glenn Mcdonald."
"I am not a lab rat" Glenn growled resting his sword on his shoulder. "I want information. I want to know everything Eden knows about The Lost. I want to know how to track The Wanderer and I want to know how to use this Prism to put him in the ground."
Malachi considered the demand for a long moment. The rain battered his white mask but he remained perfectly still.
"The guilds are broken" Malachi finally said looking out over the ruined city. "Elias Vance is crippled. Viktor Rostova is shattered. The Association will scramble to cover up this disaster but the truth will leak. The Mega Sanctuary is vulnerable and The Wanderer will return to finish his meal."
Malachi turned back to Glenn offering a slight formal bow.
"Eden operates in the shadows Mcdonald" Malachi said. "We have archives of knowledge that predate the Awakening System. We know the true history of the Administrators and the origin of the Abyss. If you truly possess the ability to wield the Prism then our goals are aligned. We will offer you sanctuary. We will offer you knowledge. But in exchange you must allow our scholars to study your unique spiritual core."
Glenn looked at Isla and Caleb. They were battered exhausted and completely out of their depth. They had survived the heist and they had witnessed the apocalypse but they were still just rookies playing a game designed for gods. They needed training. They needed answers.
"We keep the Prism" Glenn stated his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "And if your scholars try to dissect me I will rot your entire organization to ash."
"A fair compromise" Malachi agreed. "Follow us. The Association police will be swarming this sector within the hour. It is time to disappear."
The spatial distortions rippled across the rooftop once more. The Eden operatives stepped backward melting into the shadows of the city.
Glenn took one last look toward Sector Seven. Seraphina Vance had saved the survivors but the war was far from over. He needed power. He needed the void.
Glenn turned his back on the skyline and stepped into the shadows following the ghosts of Eden into the dark.
