Using her energy, Alice managed to trace the outline of their target. From the depths of the Abyssal Waters, countless tendrils curled around something large. Each tendril thicker than even the biggest towers, some were smaller than carriages. But they were numerous in number. They swayed with the waves, concealing the beast beneath the writhing mass. Peering through the gaps, Alice saw the main body. A beast that’s part leviathan part abyssal terror. A giant head that dwarfed the size of cities, a jagged maw that could swallow an island whole. Iridescent eyes that glowed in the dark dotted its head while a layer of pulsing lights rippled across its skin. These lights weren’t there for fashion though, they camouflaged the beast from detection, allowing it to blend in with the waves. [Oh sh*t he’s still alive…] Cayla muttered in disbelief upon seeing the beast. ‘You know who he is?’ [Erm… yeah. He’s… Hmm] Cayla scratched her hair. [He’s old enough to be a sealed Lord I suppose. He managed to ascend to Lordship right after the Lords were sealed, so he avoided the fate of being sealed. [Nehzura – Abyss Lord of the Forgotten World. If there is a manifestation for gluttony, aside from your mead drinking habits, he would be the picture perfect definition. Anything he eats, he transports into the ‘forgotten world’ inside his stomach. I thought he would’ve died long ago but he’s still alive and kicking.] Cayla frowned. Nehzura wasn’t a particularly aggressive Lord though a dangerous one regardless. So long as he’s satiated, he is well behaved. The issue arises once he gets hungry… There had been several islands in the past that were erased thanks to Nehzura’s hunger. Funnily enough, Kaden had actually come across an Artifact that was retrieved from Nehzura. A staff that could absorb energy and enhance the user. Though… it was more so a cursed equipment than anything. Despite the power it gave the user, a feeling of hunger would always gnaw at the edges of their mind. At first, it can be satiated with normal food. But the more they use the spear, the hungrier they got. They would find themselves consuming more and more food until hunger drove them mad. They would stop caring about what they would eat so long as the hunger disappears. Human flesh included. Throwing the weapon away didn’t stop the curse either, it only made it stronger. As for the fate of those that wielded the spear made from one of Nehzura’s spikes… it would be death in battle. The consumption of their own body by the spear. Once they were ‘consumed’, a second spear would stand in their place. This was the cursed equipment known as Nehzura’s Desire. A powerful weapon with a powerful curse that far outweighs the benefits. [When Kaden found the spear, he used his grimoire to track down the rest. Can you guess how many of them were spread throughout the realms?] Cayla asked as Alice folded her arms. Surely it couldn’t be THAT many right? ‘Maybe three hundred?’ [Twelve thousand two hundred and eighty eight. That’s how many spears Kaden sensed spread through the Surface, Abyss and Void. If he had waited longer, the number would only keep growing exponentially so he dealt with them all within two months.] Cayla sighed. ‘I’m guessing it’s not a beast we should keep around then?’ Alice narrowed her eyes. [Nope. It’s practically a walking calamity after all. But there is one thing that’s confusing me.] [With how long it’s survived for, I’m sure Nehzura understands the dangers of coming this close to human society. Make too much of a commotion and Lords will come to deal with him. Yet he’s decided to rest in the depths. Camouflage or not, this is too strange.] ‘Then do you think perhaps he ran over here?’ Alice suggested. If a long living Lord like Nehzura found his way next to a human settlement then perhaps it’s because danger was chasing after him. [It’s not impossible.] ‘Hmm… well thinking about it won’t solve anything for now.’ Alice shook her head. Theron stared at the girl in front of him. The myriad of expressions flashing across her face. Surprise, concern, interest, back to surprise again. Not only that, there’s also the case of her dunking her arm into the water and remaining unphased. “Well I found the beast.” Alice smiled, removing her arm from the water and shaking off the excess. “But… It might be a little troublesome.” She sighed. “Size and type of beast. I’m not sure if you know who it is, but the beast resting below is Nehzura, the Abyss Lord of the Forgotten World.” Alice explained but Theron seemed confused. In the end, Alice decided it was better for him to ‘see’ the danger than to hear it. “Give me your hand.” Alice gestured. Placing his hand on top of her hand, he watched as crimson threads wrapped around his fingers while she sent the other side down into the depths. Before he could even say anything, the image of the beast appeared in his mind. She was synchronizing her senses with his! Transferring the image directly into his consciousness. With this, he saw the full scale of the beast and how large it is. It’s as she said. Fighting it here, a beast of that size, was troublesome. Any movement it made could potentially cause a tsunami. If they wanted to fight, it’ll have to be far out into the sea. But how would they even transport the beast? “You’re still intent on killing it after seeing the size?” Alice raised an eyebrow. “Leaving it be is not an option. I’m trying to think if there’s someone who can transport the beast. So long as we lead it away from here or forcefully move it elsewhere, I can kill it without an issue.” Theron scratched his hair. Seeing this, Alice couldn’t help but chuckle. Indeed, he was a little different from the usual Lords. Others would’ve just opted to fight the beast and care about things later. But him? He was thinking about the impact of his fights. “Just a little further from here right? I can bring the beast to the surface if you wish. But I’m not sure whether or not you can handle it…” Alice smiled. “I can kill the beast without issue. That I’m confident about.” “No no, I don’t mean that. I mean the ‘price’. If you don’t mind, may I have a vial of your blood?” Alice pulled out a small vial. She felt a little guilty using this chance to sample his blood and take his power. But giving up the abilities of a Lord, a reasonable one at that was a huge waste. If anything, this was simply a transaction. [Poor guy being scammed by Alice. All his hard work condensed into a bottle.] Cayla shook her head. ‘Shuddap. I would hit myself if I didn’t take this chance to drink a bit.’ Alice grumbled. “You need my… blood?” Theron raised an eyebrow. Even if he is a Lord, he wasn’t a Abyss Beast. Drinking his blood shouldn’t do much. Especially since he didn’t drink a lot of Abyss Blood when he was younger. But she seemed serious and fully intent on this ‘price’. “What are you going to do with it?” He asked, clearly on guard. “I’m going to drink it. It’ll help me with transporting the beast.” Alice smiled. While it wasn’t the full truth, it was still the truth. Drinking his blood would allow her to add some additional Sigils and swap them out for Tiamat’s power. That way, she could gather the energy needed for a portal large enough to throw the beast out from the depths. Furrowing his brows, Theron eventually nodded his head. He rolled up his sleeve before making a small cut. Draining his blood into the vial, he handed it over to her before tensing his arm and stopping the bleeding. After a split second, the wound was already healed. “Damn…” Alice muttered before turning around and drinking the blood. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩 She could feel the influx of power surging through her body as she was forcefully boosted up to nine Sigils. Giving her body a light stretch, Alice smiled. “I’ll pull the beast up and teleport us over. Try to make the fight quick. If it thrashes around too much, it’ll still affect the surrounding ports.” Receiving confirmation from the man, Alice snapped her finger and created a platform of threads upon the water surface. Taking a deep breath, she activated Tiamat’s Sigil! A storm of energy immediately burst out around Alice as draconic wings unfurled. Theron widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting such energy to explode from Alice’s body. Clasping her hands together, void energy began to gather as the seas began to tremble. Nehzura sensed Tiamat’s power! ‘Don’t get too excited now. I can’t have you going on a rampage here.’ Alice narrowed her eyes. Tethers shot out from the wings, attaching themselves to the realm as the world started to lose its colour. In this monochrome world, Alice slammed her hand down! Rippling across the depths as the beast began to uncoil its tendrils. But with its location already marked, it couldn’t escape. Pulling her arms apart, Alice forcefully ripped open a portal as the beast began to ‘sink’! In the centre of the ocean, storm clouds spiralled as a singularity formed above the sea. Bursting apart, Nehzura was dragged from the depths and spat out to the surface! Not far away, another set of portals opened and Theron stepped through with Alice. There were hundreds of questions flying through his mind but dealing with Nehzura was more important. Since Alice had shown her power, Theron couldn’t be stingy. He’ll fell this beast and demonstrate the power of the Slayer!