Shadow of the Abyss

Altair turned to look over his shoulder at Julia, who was pointing her finger at him, her other hand clutching her black and purple jaw. She was shaking, but there was fiery rage in her eyes. Beside her stood a young man. An unusually tall man with copper skin and yellow-green eyes that shone brightly like the moon.

"Elder Grim?" Raven mused, her eyes flickering with curiosity as she glanced at her master. Altair, not in the mood for a discussion, simply shrugged. He chose to ignore the duo, his focus solely on pushing forward into the portal, with the others following suit.

'Wait!" Julia barked, but by then, it was too late.

They emerged from the portal gate as sounds of loud shouts emerged across the large courtyard, so high above the clouds that Altair thought he could touch the moon. Moonlight dripped onto the yard as his eyes were drawn to the lone figure atop the scaffold ten feet above the awakeners.

Lu Chen's pupils shrank to a ballpoint pen as recognition flickered across his mind. He grimaced, cursing, 'Fucking Blackwood' before vanishing, materializing before the Emperor and his party.

"You know me," Altair said, smiling. He recognized the look. Almost everyone on the first floor had it when he returned.

"How could I not? Your infamous."

"Not Famous?"

"They call you the demon that clawed his way out of hell to wipe out humanity," Lu Chen said with a level of seriousness that reflected only truth.

Altair might have laughed wryly if not for Tasha's sing-song voice, echoing, "Marvelous! All that's left is for them to recognize you as a Prince of Hell."

Again, Lu Chen's pupils shrank. "You're not already one?" he asked, recalling a few rumors that suggested otherwise. Across the Myriad Heavens, many had assumed Altair was indeed royalty amongst some infernal house of the Nine Hells. After all, he had a Royal Devil as a maid—a Lilim at that. All the old families knew what that meant.

Before Altair could reply, the portal rumbled with activity as Julia and her companion stepped out. Their eyes flared mad.

"YOU—"

"Enough," Lu Chen interrupted, a cruel authority weighing on his voice. "There shall be no violence on my floor," he ordered.

Julia went silent with the gesture of the stranger's hand.

Altair smiled, looking over the man, wondering if he had the bloodline of a giant.

Name: Varis

Age: 26

Race: Giant [30% Awakened]

Mana Circle: [Sixth Circle - Complete], [Seventh Circle 80%]

Class: [Godkiller VI - Lv 150]

Str: 4,000

Dex: 1022

Con: 4,000

Wis: 1710

Chr: 1710

Mana: 300

Skills: [God Sunderer (S)], [Mana Manipulation (D], [Godslayer Tactics (D)], [Black Flash(D)],[Origin Step (E)], [Focus (E)], [Giant Instincts (C)],[Gaint Constitution (C)], [Giant Pressure (C)], [World Shattering Roar (D)], [Polymorph]

'That's ridiculous,' Altair nearly gaped, blown away by the level of strength and Constitution the giant held. He'd seen monsters, but this one surpassed almost everyone he knew but Tasha, whose stats seemed to transcend mortal limitations by multiple miles.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Varis, who stood a towering 8 feet 6 inches tall, glowered at Altair. His Presence descended across the mountain peak, lashing across the earth like rain. Awakeners, one after the other, caved, falling to a knee, leaving a selected few to stand.

Altair couldn't be bothered to flinch. The spiritual pressure could not even bypass his Almighty Resistance. He wondered if the same could be said for Reina, as Nephilims would, too, awaken their Almighty Resistance with time. Presently, only the Nephilim had held any sort of Almighty Resistance, at least until Altair came into being.

"Are you looking to die at such a young age?" Altair asked. He was smiling, finally discovering an equal.

'Enough!" Lu Chen said louder, his authority shattering the Giant's spiritual pressure. He stood to his full-length eyes, ready to destroy those who broke his rules. "Another outburst like that, and I'll personally kill you."

The Giant snarled. "I'd like to see you try."

"Then break my rules again," Lu Chen said calmly.

A faint shadow emerged behind Varis, lingering like death, glowering at Lu Chen with cunningly red eyes.

Suddenly, two clashes of will struck the heavens, nearly tearing Altair off his feet, who stood his ground as Vale Qi coalesced around him. The clouds beneath the mountain peak were torn asunder, leaving space to tear and splinter like a web.

It had been said to be a Ranker of the Myriad Heavens; one needed to possess the battle prowess to kill the weakest Devil of the Nine Hells, and to slay Angel would result in being named a High Ranker.

Few remembered the name, Lu Chen. Fewer are still honored to witness the retired swordsman whose blade allowed him to approach those who stood on the Omnis Ranking. It had been said that he had personally received guidance as a reward from the first Prince of Hell, Seir, when he battled a Knight of Hell to a standstill.

Whatever arrogance Varis held vanished into dread as the ghostly shadow behind him fractured beneath the might of Lu Chen. he shuddered, taking a step back by an almighty presence only those that stood above creation held. In that single moment, he'd felt he'd die over and over, somehow brought back only to die again.

"Senior Brother!?!" A sultry voice called, shattering Lu Chen's old persona as he appeared like a young man in a blinding moment. His long grey beard vanished into a well-groomed black goatee while his hair transitioned to jet black.

He looked every bit more like a Young Master than he did an elder as he whirled, with a smile, "Junior Sister, Yu. You're looking lovely as ever. You didn't need to come out. It's just some troublesome kids making noise." he chuckled, grabbing Varis by the wrist before hurling him off the mountain, shouting, "You can make your way up by foot."

Altair saw only a blur followed by an earth-shattering explosion reaching up from below. His lips twitched as he looked towards the fairy, landing with a lithe step.

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"You're not bullying someone, are you?" Fairy Yu Yan asked, cheeks flaring.

Lu Chen rounded to Altair with a look that said, 'You better not lie, ' and asked, "Lord Blackwood, would you please corroborate my story."

Altair was quick to react, tilting his head and giving the man a look that read, 'What will you give me in return?'

A slight twitch ran across Lu Chen's lips. "Lord Blackwood?" he said, his voice slightly weaker, when he delivered a Soul Whisper to Altair's mind.

Altair smiled, nodding, immediately recounting what he'd seen to Yu Yan.

Tasha wanted to laugh at the blatant blackmail but managed to hold it in. It wasn't every day she saw a mortal forcing a Fell God's hands.

'I'll have him one day,' she thought, tracing a finger across her belly. 'One day soon.'

Yu Yan grinned. "Then how about I take over?" she asked with starry eyes. "I'm sure the Blade of Samsara would like a break."

"Only if my Junior Sister can join me so that we might cultivate together." Lu Chen said, watching his Junior Sister blush. He grinned feverishly, taking in the lovely sight before him.

Altair coughed, "So… what is our mission?"

Lu Chen tsked. He turned to Altair, saying, "You'll each show me a single skill that is at the best of your ability. Then, break that limit. The stronger you are, the harder this trial becomes. You'll have two attempts. Afterward, I get to kill you.

So don't try to pull some bull shit."

"What are the rewards?" Raven asked.

Lu Chen stared at Raven longer, finding something… impossible. When he found the words, he said, "Enlightenment to a single skill within the system. Once a month, you'll be given Mind Incense that heightens your comprehension for a time."

Tasha lifted a hand, asking, "Does that apply to me?" She was a little bothered as she looked at the list of skills she'd already mastered to the peak her body and mind allowed. She'd spent hundreds of years honing her craft like all Lilim within her crèche. Improvement wasn't something that could occur, at least not unless she experienced enlightenment, which couldn't be sought.

"As I said, the stronger you are, the harder the trial."

"Just learn a new skill." Altair said, "There isn't a rule against that, right?"

Lu Chen's lips thinned. "There isn't, but it takes years for the system to register skills and longer to grow it above two letter grades. You only have ten years."

Altair made a face. "Two letter grades! All my shit is at C or D!" he wanted to say, realizing the lower layers of Babel's tower are meant for weaklings. He nearly cried, saying, " Not like we have a choice unless you want us to gain letter grades on a skill that already has a C rating."

"That's…" Lu Chen shook his head. "Those are the rules. You are free to look around my Sect and purchase techniques. But there will not be violence of any type, is that clear." He glanced at Julia, shaking beneath his stare, turning them to Altair, who nodded.

"Fine by me."