Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 449 A Devils Soul Ability

It was not a surprise that one of the Knights of Genesis held a Godly Armement. It stood to reason all children of above-average origins held at least one. Palatines like Sven held countless. The one protecting him had the appearance of a necklace with an idol of a stone-faced man at its center.

Even from a distance, Altair could feel its weight as Vale Qi suffused his being to the point that he was breathing and exhaling Vale Qi. Strangely enough, he found there was no sort of pain or opposition he received beforehand when absorbing foreign energy to empower himself. He felt as calm as if he had walked the First Form, Serian. No, it was better than that. Altair was sure that he had full autonomy over this energy, even if it surpassed his saturation limit. If anything, it was pushing him, aiding him to reach new heights.

"Stop this now!" a sharp voice rang with seven Transcendent Spearman flashing in between him and Sven. The one speaking appeared to be in his later years, despite Transcendent losing the ability to age physically, appearing ageless even in death.

Before Altair could speak, a pair of rough, gnarled hands pulled him back despite how much he tried to wrestle his way out. When he glared at the presumptuous man, he frowned at the Old Duke.

"Do not speak," the old duke said, tossing him back to Raven before soaring towards the Seven Transcendent.

Altair tsked, throwing an eye at Sven, slowly being surrounded by his Transcendent Guards. They were glaring back, thirteen black and gray eyes, poised on his position as if they were counting the necessary steps needed to kill him. No, they probably already knew. If anything, they were contemplating how to escape Vastroph after slaying him.

"Let it go, my Lord," Raven whispered. "You've done enough. If you attack, then—"

"You think I'm afraid!" He snapped more sharply than intended.

Raven's expression was stone. "The only thing you're proving right now is your ego is too large to initiate a retreat. You've lost this round, my Lord." Altair clenched his fist. "You fucked up, and this is the price. If you attack now, you will lose all credibility." She said that last bit in a Soul Whisper. "You are, after all, not Nox De Nier but Altair Blackwood. You need to keep up that mask less all of Vastroph turn on you."

Bars of white-hot rage overwhelmed that tainted sweetness of the flickers of Sin pulsing through his body, forcing him to release that torrent of power and breathe. The rage still lingered, throbbing like an irritable scratch he could not reach.

"Is Tasha alive?"

"Try calming down first and checking yourself. You two are connected, remember?"

Altair tried to push down his rage but found no matter how much he tried, that black bile of hate only seemed to grow, empowering his physical prowess. He had to leave less than everything he built to be destroyed.

The Old Duke looked back, "Nox, can you explain all that occurred?"

"What does it look like?" Edgar's expression soured, and the Seven Transcendent men all turned to stare with unamused expressions. "I was bloody attacked with the Dao of Destruction. You can still see the bloody pillar of light. Or do you all foolishly think it's possible I was able to accomplish such destructive might? " He scuffed, not bothering to care what bridge he burnt. He would have them all in the palm of his hands one day. "If I had that type of artillery, then we wouldn't be having such a conversation now."

"Yup."

"You just got nuked, and it takes a month to recover. Didn't you sustain soul damage?"

"Two months to recover from that..."

"Your entire species is bullshit."

"Hehe, Master is being all jelly."

"I'm what?"

"Jealous," Ashara giggled, cupping her face. She looked far different than she did before, plain-faced without much distinction, aside from the fact that she was a woman. "This body is a little weak, but surprisingly still a virgin. So I guess you'll be able to take it twice."

"I swear to god, you're bloody insane," Altair expressed, releasing a sigh of relief he never knew he had. He hoped Ashara wouldn't be able to tell. There was no reason to have such concern for a pet after all. "Let's head back... I..." Turning back to the charred remains of Ashara's old body, Altair frowned.

"Are the bones still good?"

"Afraid not. The body was damaged on a molecular level. In a few more hours, this husk will simply turn to dust." Ashara said, giving it a light kick. Cracks raced across the husk as several parts began to break off, turning to dust. "See? What a useless bitch."

"... Isn't that... oh, never mind. Let's go." Placing a palm over her shoulder, Altair Valemorphed their bodies into light, cutting across Vastroph into his office faster than one could blink.

Raven welcomed him back with a smile. "I see she survived."

"When did you become so cold-hearted!" Ashara exclaimed, throwing her arms around Raven's shoulder. "The old Raven would have hugged me and welcomed me back with kisses. I'm offended."

"Then be offended," Raven said with her usual smile, then glanced at Altair. "Master, I thought we talked about this. You can't just vanish. Was nearly dying not evident enough that you need protection?"

"A better question is, who is going to warm his bed now?" Ashara mouthed off. "I can't do it... yet. What about you, Raven? Are you ready to fall on that spear? It is quite the treat, you know."