Chapter 554 Hollow Body of Ruin
What stepped through the Scorched Door of Wailing Resentments resembled nothing as much as a Fiend, but they felt… wrong, almost identical to how Adeia presently felt.
These new beings that stepped through the dark threshold were mindless and seemingly enthralled by a much stronger entity. Their sense of self had been either forcibly or willfully shredded to pieces for the sake of more power.
As they stepped through the threshold, Aerys blanched. Every one of these new — Madlings, Kieran called them — commanded power that outclassed a Master and compared to an Archmaster.
However, like Kieran initially, this only related to their bodily conditioning.
It was as if they sacrificed Mind and Spirit to further enhance the Body. Despite that ludicrous path of advancement, it didn't detract from how dangerous they felt.
The ground shook with their every footfall.
And Daedric, acting as the bulwark against incursion, shook.
"Uh, what in the hell am I supposed to do here?"
Kieran looked at the big oaf, then focused on the silver membrane protecting everything. For a time, it had succeeded, but there was no value in keeping his scope of protection so large.
Many of the Followers of War had already died, leaving the most vital members to continue the war efforts.
Eventually, it was the Natural Inheritor that spoke up.
"Condense your aegis. You no longer need to sacrifice stability for range."
Sighing a breath of relief, Daedric reined in his defensive might, the silver light growing more stable and far denser. But, the change in his coverage alerted the Madlings, putting the Colossal Inheritor on their radar.
One of the Madlings moved with abandon, traversing land so fast that their movement seemed closer to teleportation than anything else. A massive, clawed fist impacted Daedric's silver aegis, the argent film rippling like water.
Fine cracks appeared at the impact site, creating a webbed design that quickly healed. Still, it left Daedric astounded. He had poured his every ounce of Will and employed his Innate Ability as the highest output he could muster. Yet his aegis could barely endure a blow from this Madling.
And, from the looks of it, the Madling that moved was not the strongest of those summoned.
If the next blow was anything like the first, it would undoubtedly shatter Daedric's aegis ability. But, just then, a reinvigorating rush reinforced him, prompting the Colossal Inheritor to look toward the spent Natural Inheritor.
She had supplied a massive amount of worldly energy but also repurposed the sanctuary to offer a tremendous boost toward Resilience, Willpower, and Might. Others might not be privy to the meaning of such an ability, but Kieran was astounded, rendered speechless by this revelation of the Natural Inheritor's value.
Hidden Attributes couldn't be touched with UAP, yet they could be influenced by the Natural Inheritor's innate ability. That ability alone would make her invaluable to any coalition of Disciplined with several Hidden Attributes awakened.
Of course, in the Trial, whether or not your Hidden Attribute was awakened was more of a feeling than a certainty.
However, Kieran remembered the sensations he felt after acquiring each of those Hidden Attributes. So when he felt a rush of electricity coursing through his veins, filling his limbs and surging to his mind, Kieran knew this body was already influenced by them.
Empowered by the Natural Inheritor's sanctuary, Kieran groaned and saturated his Aspect with as much mental energy and Significance as he could conjure. Tendrils of blackened crimson might buffeted the air, ground, and anything in Kieran's vicinity.
No one made an attempt to grow close as that power ran amok.
The volatile power flailed against the restraints, slackening them slightly. The slight success fed Kieran's excitement. It proved he was moving on the right track, which fueled Kieran's sporadic endeavors.
The tendrils continued to spasm, but it didn't dawn upon him that consuming the lion's share of the sanctuary's energy took an immense toll on the Natural Inheritor and left Daedric with a pittance.
His aegis held up against several hammering blows, but it didn't take long for it to fall back into its feeble state, on the verge of shattering completely.
At that moment, however, Kieran was given pause, shocked by how fast Adeia moved from her spot. Deidamia streaked through the air ruthlessly, claiming the head of the Madling, who nearly succeeded in pummeling Daedric into a human paste.
Part of Kieran felt embittered and blue-balled. He would have enjoyed watching that insufferable guy be turned into a stain at the hand of an unrelenting force.
'Damn… talk about a letdown. That was very anti-climactic. Oh… what the hell?'
Kieran blinked as he watched the Madling's head roll, hate still burning in its frenzied eyes. Then, its headless body lunged toward Adeia.
'Headless chicken?!'
In the next moment, Kieran's jaw dropped, his eyes glossy with utter disbelief. He couldn't wrap his mind around what he had just witnessed.
The headless body barreled toward Adeia with the momentum of an unstoppable locomotive, but then… it ended up mincemeat — fine pieces of flesh scattering across the Ravaged Plain.
Kieran was confident in his senses as they were reasonably refined and leagues above what any Novice could accomplish. Yet, he could not sense any of Adeia's movement.
The speed of her blade transcended Kieran's perception by many degrees. He reckoned that had to be the speed of a consummate Archmaster… maybe even the stage beyond that.
'The Adeia now is no different from a bodybuilder on insane amounts of gear. She's… she's no longer the same person.'
His belief in that notion was reinforced when she turned to Daedric and launched an offense against him. However, her blade narrowly missed as Altair appeared behind the titan and hefted his back by his collar.
Daedric didn't expect to be saved, evident by the confusion in his eyes as he angled his body to stare.
"Do not thank me. I did none of that for you. I simply think we will all fail the Trial if one of us dies. And… we've come too far to fail."
Daedric grimaced with a weak nod.
"Right, of course. That's what I was thinking, too. It never crossed my mind to thank you."
Altair met that reply with an awkward silence before giving a noncommittal shrug.
"...Right."
Meanwhile, Kieran didn't grasp the meaning of this.
What had become of Adeia? What was wrong with her? She was attacking everything on the battlefield that seemed like a threat. That included her old allies, which ended with Aerys not knowing how he died as his head was lobbed off.
That's when the Flame spoke into Kieran's mind, as giddy as ever.
"You see my child. Every during your inaction… action occurs. Do you know what has been unleashed? Death? That girl is now Death itself. And you, you're to become Destruction."
A deep foreboding hit Kieran as he looked at the gateway.
'You… why did you summon these Madlings?'
"Madlings? That had a nice ring to it. But their true name is the Thralls of the Maddened — Fragments of the Broken. And now, the Broken is to be stitched back together."
Unable to do a thing, Kieran watched as every Thrall of the Maddened was destroyed by Adeia and then watched their essence flow into the corrugated gateway.
Every fiber of Kieran's being screamed of danger as the darkness itself seethed and soon after collapsed.
Then, an enormous spectral hand lacking flesh gripped the door frame, drowning the entire area in what Kieran knew as the aura of Destruction.
"The Banished has returned. The inevitable is unstoppable. Do you see, my child? This is your second lesson: you alone are meaningless, but I give you purpose. Your birthright is the Hollow Body of Ruin, the Omen of Destruction. Accept my blessing. Accept what has once been lost!"
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