Volume 7, Chapter 34 – The True Abyss

After reuniting Anastasia with Claire, Liti, and Milu, Fia went alone to the so-called “Second Abyss.”

Although Anastasia had looked like she wanted to say something along the way, she had ultimately remained silent. Fia hadn’t pressed her; girls had their own thoughts, not to mention that Fia had said such heart-racing things to her. It was only natural for Anastasia to be preoccupied.

The place was as deathly silent as ever, filling one with a sense of revulsion.

Hovering directly above the abyss, Fia curled her lip. If it weren’t for the emerald barrier down below that might hinder Claire, she would never have come here alone. She could never bring herself to like this desolate breeze that gave her goosebumps, nor the stench of decay floating in the air.

Strictly speaking, however, she wasn’t actually alone.

Accompanying her was a doll—or more accurately, a living doll.

“Tch. If you want to seek death, don’t drag me along.”

Helian, her deep purple hair tied back and wearing a maid’s miniskirt with white ruffles, clicked her tongue in resentment. She had seen abysses before and had even peered down from their edges several times, but being held by someone and positioned directly over one was a first. This feeling of having her life controlled by another filled her with fear and an intense sense of humiliation.

Fia blinked her magnificent red eyes in surprise.

“Aren’t you a doll? You’re actually afraid of death?”

“Ugh.”

Dolls could be afraid of death too.

Helian really wanted to answer her like that—especially since the realistic sensation of free-falling from a great height was enough to make her wake up in a cold sweat. Granted, she could cut the connection with the doll to avoid feeling the fall, but The Sovereign had ordered her to maintain contact as much as possible to observe the Eldest Princess’s strength, so she didn’t dare cut the link recklessly.

“The time it takes to craft a single doll would cost most of you elves half a lifetime. Do you understand now?”

“Then didn’t you lose out big time by giving me two for free earlier?”

“You!”

Fia’s teasing caused Helian to glare at her fiercely. If she weren’t outmatched, she would have used tortures that made Fia wish for death just to teach her to hold her tongue.

However, a wise person knows when to submit. Helian decided not to stoop to Fia’s level; she suppressed her anger and stubbornly looked away.

“A mere two dolls—if they’re lost, they’re lost. Don’t think you can keep acting so willfully. Trying to oppose Lord Sovereign on your own is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a carriage.”

“And yet, you lot turn tail and run the moment you see me?”

“The Sovereign has his own reasons.”

“Your body is so soft, yet your mouth is so hard. How strange.”

Rеaⅾ оո ΚαtRеаԁiոɡСafе

As if her weak spot had been poked, Helian snapped her head back to glare at Fia.

“What did you do to me?!”

“I just gave your body a check-up after draining your mana, just in case you were hiding anything unsanitary. I didn’t expect you’d design such functions for a doll. Are the shape and texture 1:1 replicas of your original body? Even the fine hairs were perfectly recreated. It’s unexpectedly exquisite.”

Seeing Helian’s face turn red with rage, Fia added fuel to the fire with a flirtatious tone.

“Speaking of which, leaving such a weak and exquisite doll on a bed… Do you have some special fetish? Do you enjoy the feeling of being toyed with by an enemy? Ah, don’t misunderstand—it wasn’t me who checked your body, but the maids of the Twilight Palace. I have no interest in old women.”

“You bastard!”

Seeing Helian gnashing her teeth in a fit of rage, Fia felt a sense of pleasure even stronger than vaporizing monsters with an orbital bombardment. It was as if a strange switch had been flipped in her body. If she hadn’t already entered an engagement with her beloved, she might have actually toyed with the doll before her just to show her who she shouldn’t mess with.

But the joking had to end; it was time for business.

Fia stopped teasing Helian and adopted a serious expression.

“It’s about time you shut up. I told you about Anastasia; how much did you understand?”

“None of your business.”

Was this woman really a Tier 9 great demon? Why was she acting like a petty girl?

Not magnanimous at all.

“I have to say this first: Anastasia is someone from another world. If it weren’t for me, you lot would have already caused a great disaster. I have no goodwill toward you. So, if The Sovereign left you here to deliver a message because he wants to cooperate, you’ll have to show me some convincing sincerity. Until then, you are all my enemies.”

“Caused a great disaster? You’re the ones who caused a great disaster! If it weren’t for you, Chaos would have arrived decades later!”

“And if you were given those decades, could you have fought Chaos? Once Chaos invades the continent, not only would you not fight it, you’d even join its ranks.”

Fia paused. Helian’s stubborn look made her lose interest in further conversation. An enemy was an enemy after all. Her tone turned ice-cold.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t believe I’d been down there? You even said I’d never return once I crossed the barrier set by the gods. Now, I’ll take you to see that ‘impossible’ of yours.”

Fia wasn’t sure if the puppet could maintain consciousness in a mana-void area, so she had already prepared. If Helian’s mana for maintaining consciousness ran out, she would shove magic potions into her mouth to ensure she stayed awake to see the Sea of Chaos. The only concern was whether the puppet could maintain its link to the main body after passing through the emerald barrier.

But even if the link was lost, it was no big deal. Whether it was the Eldest Princess’s past actions or the information provided by Anastasia, everything pointed to The Sovereign being an enemy. There was no need to show mercy to an enemy; if she died, it was just her bad luck. At least for now, they showed no sincerity for cooperation.

Without another word to Helian, Fia dove straight down into the abyss. The repetitive cliff walls and the pitch-black void surrounding her vision quickly caused one to lose their sense of direction.

Helian’s face turned pale at an incredible speed. She tried to struggle, but the puppet only had the strength of the second tier and couldn’t contend with the power of the [Spatial Hand].

Rеaⅾ οո ΚatRеαԁіnɡСаfе

“Do you want to die?! Being swallowed by Chaos will only increase its power, especially with someone of your strength!”

“…”

Fia remained silent. Soon, they descended to a depth of five kilometers below the surface of the World Tree Continent. An intense sense of suffocation and the stench of decay filled their lungs. Fia could see the pain on Helian’s face within the [Spatial Hand]. Based on her experience at Blossom, they should have encountered flying gargoyles at this depth, but there was nothing here. Only the howling of the desolate cold wind remained in the empty canyon; the gloom and deathly silence made one feel utterly uncomfortable.

Helian no longer had the luxury of speaking. If Fia hadn’t surrounded her with magic-restoring potions, and if the puppet weren’t less dependent on breathing, she would have already lost consciousness.

Dying before reaching the Sea of Chaos would serve no purpose in intimidating her. It was better to use the [Bee Shield Forcefield] combined with the [Aegis of the Firmament] to create an environment for Helian with less pressure.

Fia slowed her descent, drifting gradually toward the bottom of the World Tree Continent.

As her mana consumption grew more intense, a sense of confusion surfaced in Fia’s heart. Based on their current depth, they should have already seen or even passed the emerald barrier, yet she had seen nothing along the way. Within the kilometer-wide giant rift, not even thick clouds existed. Even looking down, there was only a pitch-black void, terrifyingly empty. It seemed the abyss here was deeper than the one at Blossom.

Did this place lead directly into the depths of the earth without connecting to the edge of the World Tree Continent?

Fia looked toward Helian on the other side. Because she was insulated from the environment by the [Aegis of the Firmament] and the [Bee Shield Forcefield], Helian’s expression was no longer pained. Her face was tense, her pallor like an enemy about to be led to the execution ground.

With a thought, Fia included herself within the magic shield’s protection and then asked.

“Have you never been to the abyss?”

“Only a lunatic like you would come to a place with no return! While we haven’t crossed the World Tree’s barrier yet, there’s still time to turn back. The Sovereign ordered me to warn you: do not engage in pointless exploration.”

“The World Tree’s barrier is that emerald barrier, right? Why isn’t it here? If this were Blossom, we should have seen it long ago.”

“I don’t know!” Helian snapped, answering impatiently. But after just a second, her expression shifted, and she explained with a stiff face, “The World Tree’s barrier can only cover abysses that already existed. This abyss appeared recently, so it’s only natural the barrier isn’t visible. This is a message from Lord Sovereign.”

“Hoh.”

Fia let out a playful “oh.”

“While your words are unpleasant, you’re commendable for how well you obey your master’s orders. Since The Sovereign is behind you, why not answer some of my questions? Since you’ve been lying in wait around the Eldest Princess all this time, why didn’t you find a chance to kill her? Didn’t you say her existence would accelerate the arrival of Chaos?”

“Hmph. If I could have killed you, I never would have let you go. It was only because Yelido was always protecting you that you managed to keep your life.”

It was likely that the Helian of that time wasn’t as powerful as she was now. After all, when she first met Helian, she was only at the eighth tier. Perhaps there was a logic where they grew stronger as The Sovereign’s resurrection progressed.

“Then did you kill General Greyan?”

“Yes, what of it? I don’t mind causing you a little trouble.”

Rеaԁ οn ΚаtReαԁiոɡСαfе

Slap.

A sharp, stinging sound.

The moment Helian finished her sentence, Fia gave her a heavy slap across the face. Of course, this slap was simply because she found Helian annoying. Once she caught Helian’s main body, she would make her pay with her life.

Instead of getting angry, Helian laughed. She clutched her burning cheek, her words filled with mockery.

“So you have moments where you can’t control your emotions too.”

“Of course. I’m not a machine. Once I catch your main body, I have plenty of ways to make you regret it. Besides, I’ve kept you until now only because I want to show The Sovereign my strength through your eyes. It’s about time.”

About time?

Did she mean killing her? But what kind of strength was there in killing a second-tier puppet?

Helian frowned. Although she was only remotely controlling the puppet with her consciousness, the pressure Fia exerted on her still made it hard to breathe. Mocking Fia with words didn’t mean she underestimated Fia’s power.

Soon, Helian understood what Fia’s “about time” meant.

It was a sense of incongruity that even she, at only the second tier, could feel.

The sound of liquid flowing echoed in the silent canyon, along with the rustling of something cutting through the air. It was as if thousands of ants were crawling in an unseen place. Helian instinctively looked down, but it was still pitch black. The sound echoing in the canyon only grew louder.

“What is that sound?”

“Do you know how deep we’ve descended?”

“How could I possibly know?”

“Nearly ten kilometers,” Fia answered coldly. She raised her right hand but didn’t release a spell for a while. “Just because it’s pitch black doesn’t mean we’re still in the canyon. It’s just that the outside is so black it looks the same. It’s incomprehensible to someone like you who has never been down into the abyss. To put it more directly: we have already arrived at the Primordial Continent. The sound you hear is the tide of Chaos pushing against itself. They’ve already caught our scent and are coming for us.”

“Chaos? The Primordial Continent?”

The words were so shocking they caused Helian to knit her brows. In her understanding, as long as the World Tree’s barrier didn’t vanish, she would never see Chaos in her entire life.

Fia gave her the answer through action.

As the radiance of [Illumination] lit up the night like a sun, a completely black land was revealed before Helian’s eyes. From a height of a thousand meters above the surface, she could already see the curve of the planet in the distance. Yet, everywhere she looked was pitch-black Chaos. The world was excessively round, as if this weren’t formed by Chaos but was a pool of stagnant water with no visible boundaries. Even if a gale blew, it couldn’t create a ripple—no, it was impossible for wind to exist in such a deathly silent world.

The scene before her was so shocking that Helian felt a wave of intense suffocation. Her throat was incredibly dry, making it difficult to even utter a sound. She had seen Chaos before, but such a vast amount—enough to make one lose the will to fight—she hadn’t even seen in her dreams. Just how much Chaos was there on the Primordial Continent? Did it add up to several times the size of the World Tree Continent?

The pitch-black Chaos reflected the blinding light. Helian swallowed hard with difficulty. She looked toward Fia, only to see the coldness on Fia’s face. Fia had not lost her composure because of this terrifying quantity.

Read on KаtRеаԁіոɡСafе

It was as if she had seen it countless times.

In an instant, Helian understood: this elf had not lied to her. She had been to the abyss, and more than once.

“You knew there was this much Chaos all along?”

“What you see is only a small part. What’s the matter? Weren’t you planning to fight Chaos and even brought a [Seed of the Chaos ] to Silvar? Why do you look like you’ve never seen it before?”

Her indifferent words were full of mockery, but Helian had no mind left to argue with Fia. She had watched Fia jump into the abyss with her own eyes and even experienced the sensation of falling. Now that she could go directly from the World Tree Continent to the Primordial Continent, it meant Chaos could just as easily use this abyss in reverse to reach the supposedly safe World Tree Continent.

Right now, no one was prepared to deal with Chaos. If Chaos were to surge onto the land like this, they would lose their final home. This was not a quantity that could be solved by one or two Forbidden Spells.

Cold sweat poured down Helian’s face. Her own death didn’t matter; what she feared was that her master would also be swallowed. She urgently grabbed Fia’s sleeve.

“How can you remain so indifferent?! Take me up quickly! No, quickly organize the forces on the World Tree Continent! We must work together to hold this place!”

Her behavior didn’t look like a Tier 9 dragon-type great demon at all.

It was likely due to the extreme sense of powerlessness the Sea of Chaos had brought her.

Helian was now feeling the height of the ninth tier from the perspective of an ordinary person, but the one being looked up to was Chaos. Even if there were ten more of her, Helian didn’t have even a ten percent chance of clearing the Chaos in her sight—no one knew how deep the Sea of Chaos actually was, but it was certain that even the gods and the Darkborn combined were no match for it. She certainly wouldn’t be either.

Almost at the same time, Helian began to admire her master’s plan—The Sovereign’s choice to let all living beings coexist with Chaos rather than fight it. How wise that was, a foresight that made one bow in admiration. Compared to the Sea of Chaos before them, the people of the World Tree Continent were like a small boat in a raging sea, completely unable to contend with the power of nature.

However, before the technology for merging with Chaos was perfected, they had to delay its progress. She no longer cared about her dignity or past grudges, and continued to stare at Fia with an intense gaze.

“When are we going up?!”

Fia unhurriedly pulled a bag of stones from her pocket. Helian recognized what was inside. Back when she was still “Herian,” those were the amulets she had given to Prince Schain to support his coup—[Domination Amulets] capable of creating an area with elements and mana for a short time, allowing one to use magic in a mana-void environment.

But what amount of damage could something of this level really deal to Chaos?

With a snap, Fia crushed one of the amulets and then raised a recording crystal with [Telekinesis]. At the same time, the Chaos below began to coil and roll against itself like a venomous snake catching the scent of prey.

Countless black tentacles and needle-like objects rose toward Fia and Helian in a spiral.

Witnessed by the recording crystal, the battle officially began.