Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 692: A Nation’s Power

After shattering the enemy's defence and wiping out what's left of those retreating, Suyin held her forces back from advancing any further for now. They needed time to breath, time to recuperate.

Rushing forward right now would only lead to more issues that'll cause the collapse of their army.

Setting up a temporary camp beneath her giant serpentine construct, medics darted between clusters of injured soldiers, administering what little aid they could give.

Soldiers that were tainted with Eldritch Energy were given to Alice and Isolde to deal with.

Surprisingly to Alice, Isolde actually agreed to help extract what little Eldritch Energy she could from their bodies.

Even with her contract, it was still considered a poison to her systems.

When questioned on why she was willing to do this, Isolde only had one answer.

"The little ones in the city would cry if soldiers didn't come home. Some brothers, some fathers."

That was the only answer she gave and she didn't elaborate further.

Simple, yet it was a window for Alice to somewhat understand Isolde as a person. Her priorities are. . . simple in a way. She wanted to maintain the smile on children's faces. That was her goal.

As for the method of extracting Eldritch Energy, their methods were completely incompatible.

Isolde accomplished this via Zal-Ka'Rith, allowing him to consume the energy. It was a little rough on the patient's body but achieved the proper result.

On the other hand, Alice's method was similar to what she did back in the North with side effects. Delicate, making sure that the patient was comfortable and reducing the impact on their body.

Using herself as a vessel, she had Alyss 'assimilate' the Eldritch Energy within their body, wrapping it and extracting the corruptive power.

It was at this point did Alice fully understand why this energy was considered a poison to their realm.

She was acting as a temporary vessel for now but 'erasing' this energy was impossible without major costs. If she dies, this energy will explode into her surroundings, corrupting it. If she keeps it contained within herself, it'll eat away at her from the inside, inhibiting certain functions until she dies.

Thus far, the only method where she seen proper erasure was Feris' method. Containing it in a space within the Void then deleting that space.

But she doubted Feris would be happy with that kind of solution. It was her home after all.

As night fell, Alice wiped away the sweat that had accumulated due to treating patients infected with Eldritch Energy. The last of the afflicted soldiers had been stabilized for the time being.

Looking at her arm, she could see black veins flowing with this poison threading through her flesh. Though they faded after a few seconds, Alice knew that they were still there, simmering within her body. Waiting.

Letting out a fatigued sigh, Alice made her way out, looking to get some food for the night. As she grabbed her rations, she noticed Suyin gesturing at her from the top of the serpent construct.

Raising an eyebrow, Alice flicked her finger and made a portal to the top.

"How handy." Suyin chuckled seeing Alice emerge from the portal.

"You're not wrong." Alice replied, unwrapping the ration bar as she took a seat beside Suyin.

Taking a bite, her face soured in displeasure from the taste. Dry, tasteless, tough to chew.

"You do realize that I couldn't missed your little wave right? And you'll just be sitting up here waving at nothing." Alice shifted her attention.

"I just figured I'd try my luck. Who knew you'd actually notice me." Suyin shrugged, offering a carton of milk to go with the ration but Alice declined.

Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out some mead.

". . .Do you carry alcohol with you everywhere?" Suyin blinked her eyes. Most people would keep Abyss blood, tools, emergency supplies and clothing in their bags.

But Alice? She has alcohol.

"Want some?" Alice offered as though carrying alcohol was the norm.

It wasn't Ayrian mead. It was too precious to be used here.

Shrugging her shoulders, Suyin nodded her head and accepted a cup.

Drinking the mead, Suyin leaned back and glanced up at the sky. The stars that stretched across the midnight canvas.

"Why do you have the power of a Lord." Suyin was direct. No half joking tone. Her voice was low, serious, wanting to know answers.

Part of it due to her nature as a researcher and inventor, she wanted to know why that was the case. Why Alice suddenly got the boost she did. And the other part was because she was someone scorned by the Abyss.

Someone who can't even get a single bounty for one Sigil.

If she was the one scorned by the Abyss then to her, Alice seemed like someone loved by the Abyss.

Alice froze. She didn't answer immediately.

"We both know that kind of power isn't something you can produce out of nowhere You've seen the numbers of your tests. Even now, you lack the power surging through your veins like you did during that battle." Suyin leaned towards Alice.

"So I ask again, how do you have the power of a Lord? The power of a weapon prized by nations." She asked once more as Alice scratched her chin.

She stared out into the dark. The mead in her cup barely shifted as the howling of the wind filled the silence.

After a moment, she opened her mouth.

"Are you familiar with Extalian storybooks for children?" Alice asked, causing Suyin to frown slightly.

"No, no I'm not. If you changed Extalian to Sikhan then maybe."

"There's a little story about a fairy who had too many questions. Every answer she found gave birth to more questions and she couldn't stop herself. Had to know more, always more.

"A life spent chasing answers, never quite satisfied. Then she got a little too curious. Finding answers to questions she didn't want to ask. In the end, she was found torn apart, wings pinned up on a display. Her pursuit became her death." Alice chuckled, recalling the story she read before everything went south.

"Well isn't that f*cking grim. And you tell that story to children???" Suyin was in disbelief.

"Yep. It's a story that's meant to teach children about not being too curious at times. Some truths aren't worth knowing.

"The same applies here. Learning about certain things means going down a bottomless hole of pursuit. And I'm still falling." Alice smiled, taking a sip of her mead.

Hearing this, Suyin exhaled through her nose and scratched her hair in frustration. She wanted answer. Needed them even. But Alice wasn't wrong.

If Alice told her how she achieved this level of power, she'd want to learn more, to understand the inner workings and how it functions. To perhaps repurpose it for the good of the people.

But putting this kind of power into the hands of the people. . .

It sent a shiver down Suyin's spine, realising what could happen. To put bluntly, doomsday.

The power of a Lord wielded by a fragile ego and weak mentality was a frightening possibility. The kind where they'll make sure to take as many with them if they can't get what they want. Bystanders be damned.

Then again, the Abyss is already like that. A hostile environment where everyone has to be careful of who they're near. Only this time, pissing off a random person could result in an entire city being erased and more rather than just a scuffle between two people.

Letting out a sigh, Suyin relented. She'll simply chalk it up as an anomaly similar to how Alice could withstand having so many conflicting sources of energy in her body.

"I have my own question for you though."

"Are you for real?" Suyin's smile twitched.

First Alice denies Suyin of the answers that she wants and now she's asking her own questions.

"Haha, sorry sorry." Alice apologized with a chuckle.

"Tsk, fine, ask away. I'll see if it's something I can answer." Suyin rolled her eyes.

"Why aren't the Lords of Sikha helping in this battle? If even one showed up, that last battle could've gone far smoother with less casualties as well."

"The age old question huh?" Suyin was a little surprised.

Considering the power that Alice held, she thought the girl would be informed about this kind of thing. But clearly that wasn't the case.

"Let me change the perspective of it quickly. What happens when two Lords fight? Destruction right? They are beings with a level of power that far surpass even the most experienced Hunters. Chosen of the Abyss granted titles yes?" Suyin asked as Alice nodded her head.

"And the number of Lords ties to a Nation's power yes? Religions included."

Once more, Alice nodded her head.

"Now imagine what happens when a Lord enters a battlefield. It's no longer a skirmish, a battle. It's an escalation to full on destruction." Suyin narrowed her gaze. "The kind that invites an equal response from the opposition. Turning what would be a war to a calamity."

"Now, with you showcasing that level of power to the enemy, don't you think the enemy might consider you to be a Lord?" She turned to Alice.

This was another reason why she didn't want to push forward without a plan. She had already sent a request for reinforcement. With Alice performing a Lord level feat of power, the enemy will respond in kind.

They needed their own Lord to prevent that.

Either that or they needed more Lords than the opposition.

"When Lords fight, both sides suffer without exception. The only ones to benefit are Lords themselves." Suyin sighed.

There's no doubt that the next few battles will be more bloody than the last.

Meanwhile, Alice had a different realisation.

If Lords were being held at bay by other Lords. . .

Then what about Apostles? What if an Apostle was to disappear completely? Killed?

Then Alice realised.

Killing Kazira meant that there was a chance for the Sun and Moon to fight against the Eclipse, seeking to wipe them out and take the territory for themselves.

A tip of the scales, a fissure in the delicate balance kept between the three.