Mavuika watched helplessly as the barrier of light dissolved under the combined assault. She struggled to her feet, a trickle of blood still flowing from the corner of her mouth.
"The Tsaritsa... and Fontaine's Chief Justice..."
The Captain bowed slightly toward the Tsaritsa, placing his right hand over his chest.
Neuvillette landed gracefully on the ground. "How are your injuries?"
Mavuika: "Nothing serious."
The Tsaritsa nodded to Mavuika, then turned to the spot where the Pillar of Light had stood.
"Thank you both for your assistance. Natlan will remember this."
Neuvillette: "There's no need for thanks. This isn't just Natlan's responsibility."
With the Pillar of Light gone and the barrier removed, the group easily advanced. They discovered that the area where the pillar had stood had been completely transformed into a purplish-black swamp, still faintly reeking of the Abyss.
Mavuika wiped the blood from her lips, her crimson eyes fixed grimly on the churning swamp.
"The Abyss's corruption has penetrated deep into the Ley Lines. Destroying the portal is merely treating the symptom, not the cause. This swamp itself is the festering wound that must be purged."
Neuvillette's gaze swept across the corruption. "The residual will within this filth hasn't completely dissipated. It's attempting to reconstitute itself. This is a fundamental erosion that requires thorough purification by the corresponding Laws, not brute-force destruction."
The Tsaritsa's expression turned glacial, her frigid aura causing the swamp's edge to freeze. "Though the portal has been severed, its connected 'coordinates' have been exposed. This location has become a weak point. Unless we completely seal it off, the otherworldly corruption will continue to find its way here."
The Captain's voice, deep and muffled behind his mask, resonated through the air. "Our immediate priority is to establish a barrier to contain its spread. Any living creature that approaches could be devoured and assimilated."
As the four attempted to establish the barrier, footsteps echoed from the distance.
The footsteps were faint, but none of the four present were ordinary individuals. They clearly discerned the subtle sound.
The footsteps originated from a nearby location, indicating that their owner had been present for some time before the sound became audible—yet they hadn't noticed?
Following the direction of the footsteps, they saw a figure draped in a voluminous black robe. Within the shadows of the robe, a pair of crimson mechanical eyes glowed starkly.
The Umbral Scion slowly raised her head, the violet-black flames emanating from her black robes consuming them entirely.
Her full form was finally revealed: a thick, pitch-black layer of scales, as if salvaged from the deepest abyss, covered her body.
Her head was indeed a completely mechanical construct, strikingly asymmetrical!
Ominous black miasma seeped from the gaps between her scales, her aura surging relentlessly.
This Abyss-aligned energy sent a chill down Neuvillette and his companions' spines. In an instant, they recognized her as an enemy, not an ally!
The Captain charged forward, unleashing a powerful sword strike.
The Umbral Scion casually raised a pitch-black claw, two fingers clamping down on The Captain's blade before yanking it forcefully.
Overwhelmed by an irresistible force, The Captain tightened his left fist and slammed it toward the Umbral Scion's face.
The Umbral Scion neither dodged nor blocked. Yet, when The Captain's fist came within a palm's length of her face, it was halted by a violet-black ripple, unable to advance further.
The Captain's eyes widened in shock, completely unprepared for the Umbral Scion's overwhelming power.
Suddenly, the Umbral Scion unleashed her aura with explosive force, sending the Captain flying backward and plowing a deep furrow into the ground.
This single move left everyone present stunned, especially the Tsaritsa and Mavuika, who were intimately familiar with the Captain's formidable strength.
"Are you alright?" Mavuika rushed to help the Captain to his feet. Knowing she was the weakest of the four, she quickly retreated from the battlefield.
The Captain struggled to stand, leaning heavily on his sword, his gaze locked intently on the Umbral Scion.
The Tsaritsa and Neuvillette stepped forward, positioning themselves before the Scion, their expressions grim as they secretly gathered their strength.
Where did this creature come from?
Its power is immense. While its aura resembles the Abyss, there are distinct differences. Why haven't we heard of it before?
Suddenly, the Tsaritsa noticed the Doctor's unique mark on the Umbral Scion's head. She recognized it—the Doctor always branded his most triumphant creations with this symbol...
Moreover, that mechanical head bore a striking resemblance to Dottore's style...
"Dottore..."
The Tsaritsa had a chilling realization, one that drained all color from her face.
The crimson glare in the creature's eyes left no doubt: she had completely lost control.
Whoosh—
Umbral Scion unsheathed her pitch-black claws, their tips gleaming with a razor-sharp, chilling light. No one could question their lethal sharpness.
Her form blurred into a streak of darkness as she lunged, her claws—glinting with malevolent frost—aimed straight for The Tsaritsa's face. The air itself seemed to freeze under her icy killing intent.
The Tsaritsa's eyes sharpened, divine power erupting from her body as she attempted to freeze the surrounding space, including Umbral Scion, solid.
Yet this Absolute Domain—powerful enough to solidify even a God's blood—dissipated like snow against Umbral Scion's dark purple aura, unable to impede her advance even slightly.
"What?!"
The Tsaritsa's heart jolted violently. She instantly conjured a Glacial Shield, a diamond-hard barrier of pure ice, to block the attack.
Clang—!
An ear-splitting tearing sound rang out.
The Glacial Shield, imbued with the Cryo Archon's Authority, shattered like paper beneath the Umbral Scion's razor-sharp claws. The force of the strike swept past, slashing violently toward The Tsaritsa.
The Tsaritsa retreated swiftly, but her opulent robes still bore a gash across the chest. A faint icy-blue aura leaked from the tear, a clear sign of the minor injury she had sustained. A layer of frost now coated her exquisite face.
Just as the Umbral Scion moved to press her advantage, Neuvillette's counterattack struck.
Wielding his staff, he invoked the Hydro Authority, summoning countless chains of water shimmering with Law runes. These chains coiled around the Umbral Scion's limbs and torso from all directions, attempting to bind her.
Simultaneously, a crushing "Trial" pressure descended like an invisible mountain, attempting to suppress her movements at the level of Order itself.
For a fleeting moment, the Umbral Scion's movements faltered.
Neuvillette's mastery over the fundamental nature of power was exquisite. The purifying and Trial energies woven into the water chains caused the black-purple ripples on her skin to surge violently.
But this hesitation lasted only an instant.
With a violent surge of her arms, the Umbral Scion shattered the water chains—chains capable of restraining even Gods—as if they were brittle threads!
She lashed out with a backhanded claw strike, intercepting the Hydro Dragon's whirlpool attack that had been closing in from her flank. The claw struck true, shattering the whirlpool into a cloud of spray.
Neuvillette groaned softly, his body swaying slightly as the azure light surrounding him dimmed noticeably, clearly shaken by the backlash from the Laws' power.
Despite the lightning-fast exchanges, the disparity in power was immediately clear.
Even combined, the power of two Mortal Archons was still being suppressed!
The Tsaritsa steadied herself, her ice-blue eyes locked on the glaring mark on the Umbral Scion's forehead, fury and cold killing intent intertwining in her gaze.
Abandoning further attempts at a frontal assault, she swiftly retreated, barking an order at the Captain, who stood poised for battle behind her:
"Capitano! Bring Dottore here immediately!"
Without hesitation, the Captain suppressed his own injuries, planted his longsword in the ground, and shot off like an arrow from a bowstring, executing the Tsaritsa's command.