Alice shot forward like a living shadow, her form dissolving into the darkness before reforming directly in front of the Void Manifest. Her claws, wreathed in dark violet void energy, raked across the creature’s chest in a blur of motion.

"[Shadow’s Caress]!"

The strikes carved deep furrows through the Void Manifest’s form, the void energy in her claws bypassing its defenses and leaving trails of flickering darkness. The creature recoiled, its twin stars flickering.

Alice landed in a crouch, her cat ears twitching, a sharp grin on her face.

"Not so tough now, are you? All that talk about using me as a sacrifice, and you can’t even take a few scratches."

The Void Manifest straightened, the wounds on its chest already beginning to seal. Its layered voice echoed, cold and unamused.

"Insolent spawn. Your newfound power is meaningless before the Abyss."

It raised its hand, and a wave of condensed void energy erupted from its palm, aimed directly at Alice. But Alice didn’t dodge. She stepped into the attack.

"[Voidwalk]."

Her body became intangible, the wave passing through her harmlessly as she dissolved into shadow. She reformed behind the Void Manifest, her claws already extended.

"You’ll have to do better than that!"

She slashed across its back, dark violet energy flaring as the strike bit deep. The Void Manifest roared, its form convulsing as it spun to face her. Its hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

"Annoying insect."

Alice’s eyes blazed. She didn’t struggle. Instead, she smiled—sharp and defiant.

"[Nightbloom’s Embrace]!"

A wave of void energy erupted from her body, washing over the Void Manifest. The creature’s grip loosened as the binding took hold, its form flickering as it struggled against the mental and physical restraint.

Alice dropped to the ground, gasping, but she didn’t stop. She lunged forward, her claws blazing.

"[Shadow’s Caress]!"

She drove her claws deep into the Void Manifest’s core, the crimson light in its forehead flickering violently. The creature convulsed, its form flickering as it tore itself free from the binding.

It stumbled back, its hollow eyes fixed on Alice with cold fury.

"You are... a nuisance."

Alice’s chest heaved, her breath coming in short gasps. Her body ached from the effort, her new abilities taking a toll on her stamina. But she forced herself to stand, her tail lashing defiantly.

"That’s the best you’ve got? I thought you were the Abyss itself. I’ve fought scarier things in the dungeon."

The Void Manifest’s form swelled, the constellations across its surface writhing as it gathered its power. Its voice echoed, layered with ancient fury.

"You will learn your place."

A wave of pure void energy erupted from its palm, denser and more concentrated than before. Alice’s eyes widened. She threw herself sideways, but the wave caught her shoulder, sending her tumbling across the void.

She skidded to a halt, gasping, blood trickling from a fresh wound on her arm. Her regeneration was already working, but the void energy in the wound was stubborn, resisting her healing.

She pushed herself up, her eyes blazing.

"Tch... that actually hurt."

The Void Manifest advanced, its hollow eyes fixed on her. It raised its hand for another attack.

Alice let out a slow, controlled breath. She could feel it—the power difference. The Void Manifest was stronger, more experienced. Her new abilities gave her an edge, but the creature had been fighting for millennia.

’If I keep fighting head-on, I’ll lose. I need to use my new skills to outmaneuver it.’

She lunged forward again, her form dissolving into shadow as she weaved through the Void Manifest’s attacks. She struck from one side, then the other, then above, each hit landing before the creature could fully react.

The Void Manifest roared, its form flickering as it tried to track her movements. But Alice was too fast, too unpredictable.

"Stay still!"

Alice’s laugh echoed through the void, sharp and defiant.

"Make me!"

She appeared directly in front of the Void Manifest, her claws already swinging. The creature raised its hand to block, but Alice was already gone, reforming behind it and driving her claws deep into its back.

The Void Manifest convulsed, and for a moment, it stumbled.

But then it recovered. Its hand shot back, grabbing Alice by the arm and hurling her across the chamber. She crashed into a jagged rock formation, the impact cracking the stone.

She pushed herself up, gasping, her body trembling.

"Tch... I can’t keep this up forever."

Her regeneration was working, but slowly. The void energy in her wounds was stubborn, and her stamina was running low.

The Void Manifest advanced, its hollow eyes fixed on her with cold certainty.

"Your resistance is futile. You cannot defeat me. You are merely a spawn of the void. I am the void itself."

Alice’s eyes blazed. She pushed herself up, her body screaming in protest.

"Then I’ll just have to prove you wrong."Adam’s voice cut through the void, strained but steady. "Alice. You’re holding back."

Alice’s head snapped toward him, her eyes widening. "Holding back? I’m literally bleeding right now!"

Adam’s lips curved into a faint, tired smile. "I know. But you’re not using your full power. You’re still fighting like you’re in the dungeon. Like you’re still the same Alice who had to be careful not to overextend."

He pushed himself up, his body trembling, but his eyes blazing.

"You’re a Nightbloom Sovereign now. You’re not just a voidspawn anymore. You’re something new. Something that’s never existed before."

Alice’s breath caught. She looked at her hands, at the dark violet energy still dancing around her claws.

"...Something new."

The Void Manifest’s twin stars blazed brighter as it gathered its power. Its layered voice echoed through the void, cold and absolute.

"You speak of being new. But newness is fragile. It cracks. It breaks. It fades."

It thrust both hands forward, and a massive wave of condensed void energy erupted from its palms—dense, writhing with veins of corrupted starlight, large enough to swallow Alice whole. The wave tore through the void like a collapsing star, its hunger palpable, its intent absolute annihilation.

Alice’s eyes widened. She could feel it—the sheer weight of the attack pressing against her senses, the cold certainty of death carried within its core. ’That’s... far stronger than before.’

But she didn’t retreat.

She planted her feet, her tail lashing, her cat ears flat against her skull. Dark violet energy surged around her body, and she raised both hands, her voice ringing out sharp and commanding.

"[Abyssal Mandate]!"

The shadows around her didn’t just rise, they exploded outward. From every direction, from the void itself, darkness answered her call. They didn’t form simple weapons this time. They twisted, coalesced, and solidified into a massive, layered barrier of shadow and void energy, a wall of absolute darkness, pulsing with her will.

The barrier materialized just as the Void Manifest’s wave struck.

The impact was cataclysmic. The wave slammed into Alice’s barrier with the force of a dying star, sending shockwaves rippling through the void. Cracks spider-webbed across the barrier’s surface, and Alice’s feet slid back, her heels carving trenches into the invisible ground.

"Ghh—!"

Her teeth clenched. Her arms trembled. The sheer pressure was immense, pressing against her like the weight of a collapsing world. But she didn’t let go.

"Like I’m going to let you break me that easily!"

She pushed back.

The barrier flared—dark violet energy surging along its surface, reinforcing the cracks, thickening the shadow. The wave splintered, then shattered, scattering into fragments of void energy that dissipated into the darkness.

Alice stood in the center of the dissipating energy, her chest heaving, her body trembling but unbroken. Her barrier dissolved into wisps of shadow, and she lowered her hands, her dark violet eyes fixed on the Void Manifest with cold, unwavering resolve.

The Void Manifest’s twin stars flickered. Its form shifted, constellations writhing across its surface.

"...Impressive."

Alice’s lips curled into a sharp, defiant smile.

"Yeah. I am."