Shadow of the Abyss

'Is it because of the Brand of the Incubus?' Syris began asking herself. Her pale, glossy blue eyes fixed across the man, captivating her every thought. It was as if he'd branded his mark into her very soul.

She jumped, pushing herself off a large branch with enough force that it sent her racing through the air in a parabolic arc. She landed on another branch some distance away, lost in thought.

Syris was beside herself. Unable to recognize herself or her actions as of late. She could still feel his seed inside her, warming her belly. Try as she could, Syris could not stop her loins from throbbing, sore from where he touched her, where he'd fucked her raw, until the moans she'd tried to contain carried through the forest bed.

It was maddening… his touch never seemed to fade despite the hours that had passed. He had ingrained himself into her, and Syris did not know if she could resist anymore—not that she ever attempted to. Being caught by Talia truly enlightened her of how far she'd fallen.

'In the forest of all places…'She thought, her heart throbbing out of control as she glanced at Talia.

The shadow seemed to sense her stare through the air, turned, and waved, much like a child who was over-the-top and silly.

Syris had the grace to blush when a sudden disturbance entered her perception. Unlike the others, her spatial awareness exceeded the range of her domain, stretching nearly a thousand meters. While it wasn't as detailed as the information she received from her domain, it told her of traps, formations, or any living creature before they had the awareness to sense her.

"There is someone up ahead!"

Zagreus, who had been leading the way, slowed to a standstill as the others did the same.

"How many?"

"Seven Humanoids," Syris said. "About 800m away.

From maid to bannerman to Syris herself, they all turned to Altair, their eyes awaiting his command.

Altair did not leave them to wait long. "We'll continue at our pace. Hilda and Vaiga will hide themselves. And strike when the occasion presents itself. Let's move."

Vaiga frowned, somehow made to believe she was a lowly assassin and not a warrior who'd seen decades' worth of battles. Still, she obeyed, keeping to the shadows like a ghost; she vanished alongside Hilda.

Pushing off the earth once more, the four—Altair, Zagreus, Talia, and Syris—took to the skies, leaping from branch to branch with exquisite ease. They blurred, accelerating through the forest floor, crossing the seven armed men who were noticeably not alarmed by their arrival.

The seven warriors stood tall and proud, their imposing presence commanding attention. Each of them was adorned in intricately crafted black-plated armor, with every detail carefully considered. The armor seemed to have a life of its own, glowing menacingly in the dim light.

At the center of the breastplate was the sigil of seven crescent moons, each one gleaming with a faint silver light that seemed to pulse with power.

Their heads were encased in black-winged tip helms, the edges of which curved upwards like the wings of a bird of prey. The helms were fashioned from the same black metal as the armor and seemed to blend seamlessly with it. The helms were designed to be intimidating, with no visible openings for the eyes or mouth, only a narrow slit at the front that allowed them to see.

Half-cloaks hung over their shoulders, flowing down their backs like the wings of a bat. The cloaks were half-black and half-white, with the black side facing outwards. The white side of the cloak was adorned with intricate patterns that seemed to shimmer in the light. The warriors moved with grace and ease, the cloaks swaying gently with every step they took.

Altair only frowned, sensing their Peak Sixth Circle Cultivation, shrowding Heaven and Earth like an ominous blanket.

'Why is this happening? I get that I'm a little special, but this seems odd. No, it's rather ridiculous. Why am I being targeted like this?' he wondered, signaling for Talia to hand him Endymion.

[DING]

Name: Rolar

Age: 123

Race: Half-blood [Gaints]

Mana: Seventh Circle [76%]

Str: 1072

Dex: 947

Con: 1460

Wis: 1210

Chr: 1210

Mana: 450

'And there are seven of them, all with similar stats,' Altair told himself, unsure whether to flee or not. Killing these men was of no value. Rather, it was disturbing that the Upper Moons were so blatantly abusing their power. It was as if they didn't care who saw them.

'Were they the ones who laid the trap? If so, why didn't I notice them when I first landed? Such beautiful armor would have surely captured my attention. ' Altair's eyes widened as a sudden burst of anger flared across them. He began to laugh, a laugh that bore a striking resemblance to the devils of the Nine Hells.

Zagreus looked back, startled when his eyes met with Altair.

"So this is your game, eh? Sending more people to kill me, are you?" Altair mused, looking up towards the skies. His profane eyes bleeding a scarlet hue, " I swear… whoever is the arbiter of this realm. I'm going to kill you. You, alongside everyone you ever loved. Do you really think this is fair?

Hahaha. Let's see who wins in the end."

Heart thumping in his chest, the Mana that lingered between Heaven and Earth thinned as the Prince drew on the energy flowing mindlessly.

"Arise"

At the utterance of his words, his shadow splintered off into hundreds of dark, shadowy webs, and ninety-nine Shadow-like creatures rose from the darkness as though it were a pool. Their infernal essence alarmed even the gods as Altair continued.

"Burn this entire world. Kill everything and everyone!"

Zagreus was completely taken aback by the situation that had unfolded before him. But, it was Aurora, Nia, and Jorm who were forcibly summoned that were in complete shock as if they had been struck by lightning. The intense emotion emanating from their master was palpable, and it felt as if the very essence of their seething rage was burning with the same ferocity as the depths of Hells themselves.

As if his emotions had reached into their chests, Vaiga and Hilda, who had been hidden, revealed themselves, their aura overflowing like a shroud of calamity.

"We are claiming this fucking realm. Burn it all down. ALL OF IT!!!" Altair roared, giving in to the sudden anger burning through his veins.

As the prince's fury reached its boiling point, the Seven Black Knights tensed their muscles and gripped their swords and shields, ready for whatever was to come.

But before they could even react, a blinding flash of lightning as crimson as fresh blood tore through the sky with a deafening roar, causing widespread destruction and upheaval that spanned hundreds of miles, striking both the heavens and the earth with its fury.

Veiga, in a fleeting moment, blinded by the Ninth Form echoing from Altair, swept Shadowclaw infused by Infernal Lightning across the skies with all her strength, channeling the Second Form of Grave of End.

Severing Edge severed Light and Dark, besieging space and time as utter ruin befell the realm faster than some Transcendents could blink. In a single horizontal stroke, the Seven Knights turned to vaper alongside thousands of miles faster than some could believe.

As if the very threads of the universe were being torn asunder, space ruptured with a deafening roar. A monstrous vortex, hungry and all-consuming, flared to life beneath Severing Edge before their eyes, drawing everything towards its gaping maw. The once peaceful land was now at the mercy of this cosmic force as it devoured all that stood in its way with terrifying speed.

"Keep sending them! Send your Ninth Circle! I shall slaughter them all! And raise them in my image!" Altair roared as hundreds of tattoos lit across his pale skin. The mark of Areon glowed scarlet as his system kept ringing over and over and over!

[Monster Felled. Exp Gained]

[Surplus exp detected. Exp will be delivered upon entry to Forth Circle.]

[Monster Felled. Exp Gained]

[Monster Felled. Exp Gained]

[Monster Felled. Exp Gained]

[Monster Felled. Exp Gained]

[Monster Felled. Exp Gained]

Zagreus did not even speak as he watched each Shadow Deamon point their finger, invoking Enma onto the land. Explosions flared across the first floor of Babels Tower like falling rain. By the time the spatial vortex closed, a new one had followed hundreds of miles away, imparting a level of calamity no one not even the gods, had foreseen.

Even Athena, who considered Altair, a calm man, felt she hardly knew him.

"Secure the Tower entrance!" Aurora ruthlessly shouted. "Slaughter all who may enter it! Devour the souls of all who are felled by your hand! FOR HIS MAJESTY! FOR THE VALE!!!!"

Shadow Demons roared for their king, imparting ruin upon the land. Leaving not even the smallest stone to exist beneath their fury.

It was a sight neither Zagreus nor Syris had ever seen as they stood petrified by the level of destruction. It was especially terrifying for Syris, who had not seen such levels of destruction since Yarwin. Magma was pooling from this realm's core, spewing hundreds of meters into the air like hellfire.

'He really is a fucking Snow,' Zagreus thought.

"Zagreus lead the way. I want to see when that bastard arbiter or bloody floor master descends to me. I want to look him in the eyes and tell him how he fucked with the wrong Emperor!" Altair ruthlessly declared, undisturbed by the level of destruction and his system.

[Strength has increased by 7]

[Dexterity has increased by 9]

[Constitution has increased by 10]

[Strength has increased by 7]

Powered by the Ninth Form fueled by this carnage, Altair only felt his fury escalating past levels he could never even conceive. He knew this was all a mistake. A foolish tangent that made little sense, yet he did not stop. He was going to burn everyone and everything.

Still, as he channeled his Authority echoing from the Blood of the Nephilim, his words thundered through the Mana of Heaven and Earth to the many Cambions.

"Kill! Pillage the Denizens of th Myriad Heavens. BURN IT ALL DOWN!!!!"

[DING]

[DING]

[Strength has increased by 19

[Dexterity has increased by 15]

[Constitution has increased by 20]

…

[Divine Sin, Archeon roared with laughter!]

[Divine Sin, Daddy grins proudly upon his Throne of Brimstone]

[Heavenly Tribulation will commence]

Altair turned towards the skies, sneering, communicating with all his shadow. Each one roared, slashing towards the skies, slicing through the void with Severing Edge, annihilating whatever Heavenly Tribulation the gods saw to invoke to punish him.

He grinned like a devil, the fury twisting into elation as his System raged with countless notifications. If a God hadn't known of Altair Blackwood before, they shuddered as all of Babels Tower awoke to his name.