Shadow of the Abyss

Altair shuddered as the upcoming force of mana swept through his eyes. He had counted a team of seventeen armed with various guns, shield belts, and armor. Each of them held at least a single circle and were all skilled. Nevertheless, the moment Altair and Riena saw the magical Circle appear above the head of the goat, their legs kicked off the surface of the ground.

As if guided by natural instincts and nothing else, the duo leaped as high into the air as hundreds of shards of ice began to tear through the earth-like pillars towering over heaven and earth within a range of two miles.

A howl of a mad beast bellowed over the heavens, deafening the forest devoid of life.

"SHIT!!!!!!" Reina squealed, clinging to a shard of ice piercing up from the earth with her greatsword over thirty meters in the air. Fear roiled through her heart as she cursed yet again. Beside her, Altair lay, laughing, his sword also piercing into the shard of ice. That's not funny! We almost died!'

The Prince fearlessly grinned. "It's a little funny. What a rush."

Reina glared. " Your sick, you know that! If we didn't jump in time, we—" She stopped trembling as she glanced at the scene of icy beauty stretching out for miles. Cracks suddenly began to fester through the pillar of ice, and in a blink of an eye. It shattered, twistin' into fragments that glistered through the skies.

"AAAAAAhhhh~" Falling towards the ground, Reina squealed, twisting her small body; she rolled just as her feat graced the ground, tumbling into a pile of snow while Altair followed in suit.

"That was fun." He said, peeping his head up.

"No… It really wasn't." She protested, staggering up, patting the snow off her trousers. Reina gave a twirl, checking for injuries and then to the devastation around them. Frigid had only been a tier two spell, yet the level of destruction it brought could destroy a village or small town in the blink of an eye.

Trees that stood for hundreds of years seemed no more than shredded twigs that gathered in large clusters.

Altair shook his head, admiring the Chimera's work briefly before deciding to return to the battlefield. He could hear the sounds of gunfire crackling over the roars of men and beasts. His eyes swelled with impatience as he kicked off. In a matter of minutes, the Prince's lips curled upward at the five men, and the woman remained the only one standing. Their bodies were battered and beaten.

Wet with the blood of one another. Around their bodies, the shield belt flickered bearly, unable to remain stable.

"What's that?" Reina was the first to ask, pointing at the bubble around Tania and her men.

"It's called a shield belt. It's usually used to eliminate electrical beams and mana fields." He explained. "But it can also somewhat block swords and spears.

"Like Shadow Cage."

Altair glanced at her, finding a smile. " Yes. Some call it the bane of spellcasters. Although, if you cast a strong enough spell like the Chimera's, you can destroy the shield, as you see now. Their shield belt is running low on energy." he slid his eyes to the roaring beast, cleaving his palm down towards Dillian, who bore the brunt of the attack with his glaive.

Webs of cracks splintered the ground as the ooze from the Chimera's blood shrieked over his face. The Prince grinned evilly.

"Two down…"

Reina glanced at him. "I didn't know you were so cruel."

"Cruel, you say?" He glanced at her, resisting the urge to scuff, much less reveal his disdain. "You didn't see what I saw in the factory. You didn't see that utter madness." His gaze returned to the battle as he took a seat, getting comfortable amidst the destruction.

Blow after blow shook the earth, splinting the air as the artillery of the Black Schurge carried hammered against the Chimera, shattering its scales. While Tania and Dillian, wielding their cold weapons, confronted the beast head-on. Covering themselves in the black ooze in a sea of desperation.

They battled with all they had, struggling to break through the tough flesh of the monstrosity to no avail.

Drillian roared, covering his Glaive in Phoenix Flames, and drilled his Glaive towards the beast's eye. Hope flashed through his heart, but with a bellowous cry, a shockwave propelled the young lion off his feet, sending him tumbling through the snow. By the time he stood up, his mind was dazed from the blow and coughing up blood.

When suddenly, the beast ignored Tania and lunged at him, noting the sublime opportunity.

Tearing through the flesh on his chest with a swipe of the claws, Drillion roared in pain. Blood gushed from out of his eyes and mouth as his body skidded over the ground. The Chimera lion's eyes glowed as flames gathered in its mouth once more.

Tania screamed. " USE A DIVINE SCROLL!!!!" Hopeful her cry would meet the members of the Black Scourge. Her heart was relieved when Vada leaped towards Dillian, gripping a scroll of divine protection. A cone-shaped blast bellowed through the wreckage of the forest, melting the snow into a domain of magma and flames.

As the flames dimmed, Tania's expression paled as she lamented the sight of a corpse dissipating to ash before her eyes. She screamed, racing towards the hell pit. "Dillian!!!! DILLIAN!!!"

"Ma'am," One of the four remaining members of the Black Scrouge urged, racing to her side as the remaining member drew fire. "We must retreat. We—"

"AAAAAAAAAAAH~"

Hearing the cries of his brothers as their arms and legs were torn from their bodies, he continued. "We must retreat. Now!"

"Fuck that!" Dillian barked, staggering to his feet with over half his face black as charcoal, bearly surviving due to Vada's, who managed to activate the scroll in time. Rage filled his eyes as the mana in his circle torched his entire body, placing a great strain away at his Mana Roots.

Phoenix Flames blazed like a storm from his flesh as Dillian leaped off the ground. His lion-like features shrieked over the battlefield, wielding his glaive as he crash-landed in the preoccupied Chimera.

[Phoenix Form I]

Description: Amplify stats by 1.5x

The Monstrosity roared in pain, pushed back dozens of meters as it turned to its foe. Its bloodshot eyes glistered a madness. The Chimera bore its black-stained fangs to Drillian.

From a distance, Altair stood up and glanced at Tania. " She seems to be the leader… but she hesitates." and his gaze swayed to Dillian. " And he is going to die because of it."

The Prince's left eye slowly glowed with power.

[Ding]

Name: Tania Aros [Poisoned]

Class: Knight Lv 13, [???]

Bloodline: Phoenix

Str: 14

Dex: 10

Con: 14

Wis: 1

Cha: 1

Mana: 5

Skills: [Swordsmanship (F)], [Phoenix Flame (F)], [Engineering (F)], [Archery (F)], [Infernal Lightning (D)], [Shield(F)], [Phoenix Form I (F)]

'With my current strength, I'll be unable to easily cut through her skin.' The Prince thought, glancing down at his sword; he pursed his lips. "But what's disturbing is that… Infernal Lightning. How's it at D-Tier?'

"What are you waiting for!" Drillian howled, clashing his Glaive against the Chimera fangs. Ember sprang over his charred flesh as his body began to noticeably fail him. He was losing strength and mana fast. "Attack!!!!"

Gritting her teeth till coppery sweetness slipped from her gums, Tania lifted two fingers towards the chimera; she whispered: " Infernal Lightning."