Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 965: Airia

The fog curtains of the boss arena peeled open.

The arena this time was not a battlefield ruin. Not a corrupted territory.

But strangely...

A stage?

The group frowned simultaneously.

This location hadn’t looked like a stage when they were outside. It had been a simple ruined courtyard with a lone woman standing in the middle.

But the moment they stepped in...

...it was as if reality had been replaced.

A circular stage stretched beneath their feet, polished obsidian reflecting pale light from nowhere. Rows upon rows of empty seats rose into darkness, an all-encompassing amphitheatre that disappeared beyond the fog.

No audience, no performers.

Yet...

*clap clap clap

An applause echoed through the empty space.

No hands moved, no source for this sound.

But it continued.

And at the centre of the stage, a single figure stood.

She waited beneath a soft spotlight that shone down from above.

A smile hung on her face, welcoming.

Like a host greeting honoured guests. Long black hair flowed behind her like ink drifting in water, threads slowly transitioning to a deep crimson around the tips.

Stiches traced across her pale skin. Some scars, some were deliberate, holding the pieces of her body together.

Roses bloomed across her body. One at her throat, another at her finger.

One faintly visible beneath the translucent lace of her sleeve.

Nestled in the centre of these roses... was a single eyeball that stared at the group.

Alice immediately frowned.

She felt as though this entire space was now out of her control. Invisible hands that orchestrated every movement within this stage.

The source of this feeling was naturally the woman standing in the middle.

"Well well..." She hummed softly, her voice carried perfectly through this vast arena.

Gentle yet clear, powerful yet soft. A voice that made sure it could reach to every audience member, no matter how far they sat.

"It seems like you are late for the main performance. The fans have already left." Her gaze drifted across them one by one.

Reviewing their worthiness to witness her act.

Miki stepped forward as the vanguard.

Her spear rested loosely in her grip, point angled toward the floor. Her posture relaxed, her breathing steady.

Gaze focused.

There was recognition in her eyes, of the danger in front of them.

"Airia?" Miki asked lightly while the others got into position.

Alice in the back, caster in the middle and another frontliner with Miki in the front.

The woman blinked her eyes in momentary surprise before her smile deepened.

Clearly pleased.

"Ah... Someone remembers me." She tilted her head, hiding her mouth while laughing gently.

"How rare. How many years have passed? How long has it been since my death? I had always believed I would die a nameless person. Fame forgotten through the sands of time and yet...

"A girl who remembers my name now stands before me."

Alice had her finger on the bowstring, ready to fight when Miki makes the call.

"Your name is one that is taught through books. A demonstration of what not to do." Miki took a deep breath.

"I figured as much. My end was not one radiant with glory nor was it one of a great evil. It’s simply a pitiful end of someone who failed to accomplish anything despite trying everything." Airia nodded in understanding.

"Now then, children of the future. I stand before you as a phantom of the past. I shall do as I have done in life." Airia smiled, flexing her fingers as puppet strings burst out from the stage.

"And turn everything into the greatest performance I can muster."

Threads immediately shot towards the group as the caster was already prepared. With a wave of his staff, a wall of flames circled them, cutting off a path for the string.

The few that managed to slip through the gaps were shot down by Alice while Miki and the other front liner lunged forward.

Roses started to fall from the sky.

"Alice!" Miki shouted.

"Roger roger." Pulling her arm back, Alice nocked four arrows and fired at the same time.

*BANG!!!

The roses that would’ve landed around Miki and the other frontliner blew up in the air as Alice pierced their core.

Miki didn’t slow down. She stepped through the minefield of roses with full faith that Alice will take care of whatever would be in their path.

And as expected, Alice achieved just that.

"Don’t let the threads touch out body." She ordered.

That was the only order she needed to give to Alice.

Twisting her body, Miki threw her spear.

"Tsk."

Before it could even reach Airia, it was stopped in mid air by puppet strings pulling against the spear shaft.

Miki’s eyes darted.

Twisting her body, she avoided two slashes while the other frontliner blocked it with his shield.

Airia, a prominent figure in Grand Cathia’s past.

Someone who abandoned this city, its people, her fans, everything.

Miki jumped, using her initial spear as a platform while bringing out a second weapon.

With a tug of the strings, Airia grinned, manifesting a puppet to block the attack for her.

"Since you know who I am, are you not afraid of what I’ll do to your allies?" Airia asked with a chuckle, brandishing her own rapier.

"No I’m not. Because I have Alice covering for everyone and overlooking this battle." Miki replied without hesitation.

Threads that tried to stab into the back of her neck was instantly warded off as an arrow came in front afar, cutting them off.

Miki continued her onslaught while Airia began to frown.

Whenever she tried to counter, an arrow would fly over.

And if she was to continue her motion, she’ll be hit directly, forcing her to back off.

On the other hand, even though she was trying to target the overs, Alice was still keeping them safe.

Airia had an ability that allowed her to ’convert’ attackers into her allies as long as she plants threads into their body.

But these threads were unique in their construction, making it harder to land. But by mixing them with false threads, it should’ve been easy.

At least, in theory.

It didn’t matter how many false threads she used, Alice was able to pinpoint the exact thread that would take over the fighters.

Raising her hand, Airia unleashed a storm of rose petals as Miki jumped back.

The caster slammed his staff into the ground as flaming whips lashed against Airia’s ability, keeping the group safe.

Threads burst out from below but he simply smiled, snapping his finger as a pulse of ice detonated, freezing the threads around them.

With a twirl of her staff, Miki destroyed the threads with ease before going on the offensive once more.

Alice had to admit, this fight felt rather easy. Especially when everyone knew what they were doing.

She was controlling the battlefield by countering the dangerous threads and long ranged attacks.

The caster cleared out large scale spells so the melee fighters can focus on fighting one on one.

Every time Miki showed a gap in her defence due to her movements, a shield would cover for her.

And whenever Airia focused on the shield, Miki was come in with a dangerous flurry of strikes.

"Ah... how sad. This sadness that fills my chest." Airia detonated a rose field around her, pushing back Miki and the other frontliner.

They wanted to move but their body refused to listen.

"Phase 2. In life, Airia was extremely dangerous on the battlefield. She excels in one vs many kind of fights. Keep shutting down her skills, I’ll keep her occupied up close. Alice, when crits reveal themselves, take the shot. You are also responsible for a portion of the damage." Miki ordered calmly.

Even though this was the first time they’re fighting the boss, Miki knew partially what to expect. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Guesses formed after extensively studying the history of Grand Cathia. The notable figures, their habits.

Their skills and fighting styles.

This maze was a reconstruction of Grand Cathia after all. A nightmare belonging to the city.

The moment they could move their body again, Alice drew her bow.

Her skills activated in tandem and six targets appeared around the boss.

With a grin, she fired her arrows, shattering the targets in one go while her spells detonated inside the body.

Heavy damage was inflicted straight away, staggering the boss momentarily while Miki lunged in. This time, she wasn’t going to deal damage. Instead, since Alice managed to stagger, it was the perfect time for the caster to shine.

Stabbing her spear beneath the boss, Miki gritted her teeth, throwing Airia into the air.

As though predicting this outcome, several single target spells was firing from a distance. All precast with the notion that Miki will no doubt see the opportunity, trust formed through countless battles with one another.

Just as the boss was about to fall, the other frontliner slammed his shield into her back, lifting her once more.

Arrows and spells shot over without the boss being able to retaliate. Instead, all they could do was hurl curses over and over.

As the barrage ended, Miki tightened her grip on the spear.

An opportunity!

Adjusting her stance, she stabbed the boss in the back right before they could hit the ground. Her spear pierced through the stomach as Miki slammed her into the ground before digging her heel into the boss’s body, kicking them away.

*BANG!!!

Airia crashed into the wall of the stage as dust and rubble hid her body.

Phase two was ended before Airia could land a single strike. And within that dust, her body began to twist and mutate...