[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Verdantis]

[Embereach]

Ingrid barely spared the creature a glance.

Her left gauntleted hand lashed outward brutally, fingers tightening around the face of a lanky Abyssal Creature just as it lunged toward her from the side. Its elongated jaw split open vertically, rows of black teeth twitching violently as it tried to tear into her shoulder.

It never reached her.

The impact of Ingrid’s strike crushed half its head inward instantly. A violent cracking sound rang out through the street as the creature’s entire body twisted unnaturally from the force before being launched sideways. It tore through the air like discarded debris and smashed through the window of a nearby store.

Glass exploded outward as the building shuddered violently. Shelves and splintered wood burst apart inside as the creature’s body crashed through multiple walls before finally disappearing beneath collapsing rubble.

Ingrid had already looked away.

Her grip adjusted slightly around the hilt of the massive blade resting in her right hand as her emerald eyes settled forward upon the street ahead.

The situation had changed.

The Abyssal Creatures still filled the district in staggering numbers, their malformed silhouettes crawling across the snow-covered roads and broken rooftops alike. Some dragged themselves forward on many limbs, and others moved like insects, their bodies jerking unnaturally as violet symbols pulsed beneath layers of pitch-black flesh.

Yet despite their numbers, they had slowed.

The creatures no longer rushed her mindlessly like before. Instead, they spread themselves apart throughout the street, circling cautiously while distorted screeches echoed between the buildings. Several lingered atop rooftops. Others crept along alley walls or shifted through broken storefronts while watching her movements carefully.

They were observing.

Ingrid’s eyes narrowed slightly.

("Reports dictated a consistent behavioral pattern.") An elongated black appendage suddenly tore through the air toward her from behind, sharp enough to split stone.

Ingrid stepped sideways calmly, the strike grazing past her armor by mere inches. Snow burst upward where the appendage slammed into the ground behind her. Before the creature could retract the limb, Ingrid’s left hand shot upward as she caught it.

The impact sounded sharply through the street. The appendage writhed violently in her grasp, muscles beneath its slick black surface twitching as the creature attempted to yank free.

Ingrid planted her heel, then twisted her hips. The enormous Abyssal Creature attached to the limb was ripped completely off balance. It emerged from the side of a building with a distorted shriek, its body finally visible as Ingrid swung it through the air with overwhelming force. The creature resembled a massive humanoid stitched together from parts, one arm swollen to absurd proportions while several smaller arms protruded from its torso and clawed desperately at the ground.

None of it helped as she released it, the creature slammed into a cluster of other Abyssal Creatures hard enough to send them all hurtling through the street.

A thunderous crash followed as bodies tore through the walls of a nearby building before the entire structure partially collapsed inward under the impact. Stone crumbled, and wooden beams snapped. A cloud of snow and dust exploded outward into the frozen air.

The surrounding Abyssal Creatures immediately recoiled from the destruction instead of charging through it.

That alone irritated Ingrid more than she cared to admit.

("They’re abnormally hesitant.") Her expression remained composed, but her thoughts sharpened further as she watched them reposition themselves throughout the district. ("I recall similar actions with Astrothians classified within A-rank threat levels. Intelligent enough to avoid reckless engagement and intelligent enough to study opposition before attacking.")

The creatures surrounding her were adapting, perhaps not individually but collectively. Another Abyssal Creature darted low across the street, attempting to exploit the brief moment her attention shifted inward.

Ingrid moved first as her blade swung once, a silver arc flashed through the snowfall. The creature split apart cleanly down the center before its attack even fully formed.

Black blood scattered across the frozen road.

Ingrid exhaled softly.

("It irks me that so many continue slipping deeper into the city.") Her gaze briefly shifted toward the southern districts beyond the surrounding rooftops.

Distant crashes still echoed through Embereach. Fiona was somewhere further within the city handling the creatures that had bypassed containment, but the sheer number flooding through the northern breach made complete interception impossible.

And Ingrid understood her own limitations clearly.

("I cannot simply unleash excessive destructive force while civilians remain nearby.") 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

That was the problem; her Artifact excelled at overwhelming devastation. Large-scale eradication. But Embereach was still occupied, even now. People remained trapped throughout the city despite evacuation efforts. Some hid inside homes too terrified to move. Others were likely injured or separated from rescue groups entirely.

One careless strike from her could kill the very people she intended to protect, so Ingrid restrained herself.

And the Abyssal Creatures seemed to realize it.

Her emerald eyes shifted slightly, then narrowed.

The Abyssal Creatures were moving closer together now, but not toward her. They were moving toward each other. Their twisted forms crept across the broken streets and snow-covered rubble before beginning to gather in unnaturally tight clusters. Some dragged themselves atop others without resistance, and others pressed together until their bodies physically touched.

Ingrid immediately recognized the irregularity.

Her grip tightened slightly around her blade.

The creatures began merging, black flesh folded inward like liquid as multiple Abyssal Creatures fused together upon contact. Limbs twisted together, with bodies collapsed into one another while sickening wet noises echoed throughout the street.

Several smaller creatures disappeared entirely into the growing mass, others partially emerged before being absorbed again.

The result became a writhing mound of black matter expanding rapidly across the frozen road, snow hissed and melted beneath it, and the thing grew larger and larger.

Until the mass towered over the surrounding buildings at nearly a dozen meters high. Nearby Abyssal Creatures scattered away from it afterward, retreating toward the edges of the district while distorted screeches filled the air. Even they seemed wary.

The massive black mound convulsed violently, shapes emerged beneath its surface. Limbs, faces, and eyes.

Then vanished again.

Ingrid remained completely still as freezing wind swept through the ruined street around her.

("Something finally out of the ordinary.") The thought crossed her mind calmly, though her body had already begun preparing itself for battle.

The writhing mass suddenly stretched upward, its surface split apart as enormous limbs slowly formed from the black substance. Long arms emerged first, grotesquely oversized and ending in clawed fingers. Then a torso forced itself outward, broad and covered in violet lines that resembled veins.

Its head formed last, which was featureless and smooth. Except for a single vertical slit glowing violet down the center. The creature straightened slowly, buildings groaned beside it from the pressure radiating off its form alone.

Ingrid finally shifted her stance properly.

The massive blade in her hand lowered slightly, around them, the remaining Abyssal Creatures retreated further into the surrounding streets as though instinctively yielding space to the newly formed entity.

The towering creature stared directly at Ingrid as the vertical slit across its face slowly widened and an enormous violet eye opened.

("Odd. Very odd.") Even while staring at the hulking creature looming in the ruined street ahead of her, Ingrid’s expression did not shift in the slightest. Snow drifted past her face in currents, but she did not flinch. ("Reports from our scouts never described anything remotely similar to this. Either the reports were faulty.. or the scouts never survived long enough to properly observe it.") Her emerald eyes narrowed ever so slightly. ("Someone will need speaking to.")

The young knight remained still, continuing to study the massive Abyssal Creature rather than rushing forward recklessly.

It still had not attacked.

("That foul energy permeates every inch of its being.") Ingrid’s thoughts continued calmly. ("It is far more powerful than any ordinary Abyssal Creature. Killing it immediately should take priority.")

Her gaze shifted slightly.

Most of the surrounding Abyssal Creatures had stopped advancing entirely.

The smaller ones no longer hurled themselves mindlessly toward her. They lingered at the edges of the ruined street instead, twitching, circling and dragging malformed limbs across snow-covered stone. Even newer Abyssal Creatures were no longer pouring through the breach in the wall with the same reckless abandon as before.

They were waiting and watching.

("Interesting...")

The massive creature slowly straightened further, its enormous frame rising high enough to cast a shadow across the street. Thick strands of dark fluid dripped from its body and hissed on the snow. The pressure radiating from it was noticeably different from the lesser creatures.

And the others reacted to it.

("It is as though they are intimidated by it.") Ingrid observed. ("Though intimidation may not be the correct term. These creatures barely possess individuality to begin with.") She watched one smaller Abyssal Creature instinctively recoil the moment it drifted too close to the larger being. ("More likely some collective instinct or a directive. An understanding not to interfere.")

The young knight exhaled softly through her nose.

For the first time since the breach occurred, the battle had become organized. That alone made the creature somewhat dangerous.

Snow crunched beneath Ingrid’s sabatons as she shifted her stance slightly. Her large silver blade rested comfortably within her grasp, though she no longer held it tightly. Instead, her attention remained entirely fixed on the towering creature ahead.

("Now is not the time to be hunting for sport...") Her gaze lingered on the massive being. ("...but it keeps the other Abyssal Creatures docile.")

A small pause followed.

The corners of her lips almost threatened to move upward before flattening once more.

("So perhaps I may indulge a little.")

Ingrid twirled the large silver blade once effortlessly, the weapon spinning through her fingers before she drove it directly into the ground beside her. The impact cracked the frozen stone beneath her feet with a sharp sound, the blade standing upright amidst the falling snow.

"And this will be a learning experience," Ingrid murmured aloud, her voice calm enough to sound almost detached from the situation entirely. "Yes... that is the reason."

For a moment, the only response was the, wet rumbling coming from the massive Abyssal Creature.