At the edge of the Western continent, where the border met the territory of the Savage Communion, reality itself had begun to fray.
The air shimmered unnaturally, the space around it compressed and bent as though trapped within the grip of an active Domain. The fractures in the fabric of reality glimmered like shards of glass, scattering fractured light across the desolate landscape.
And all around, saturating the mana and black mana that swirled like a storm, was one undeniable feeling.
Carnage.
The raw, unfiltered essence of destruction and death itself radiated from the artifact, a pulse of silent violence that warped the world in its presence.
The space in front of the disturbance rippled suddenly, bending further as a figure stepped through. The distortion seemed to part for her, obedient to her will, before closing again with a faint hum.
She moved lightly, almost lazily, as if this disjointed, malevolent space were nothing more than a pleasant garden stroll. Draped in a cloak of woven space that rendered her invisible to wandering eyes, the pink-haired woman tilted her head to take in the sight of the Domain with faint amusement.
Alyssara Velcroix was rarely impressed, but even she had to admit the sight before her deserved a touch of awe.
Her jade-green eyes sparkled as she raised her hands, crimson threads spinning into existence between her fingers. The threads glowed faintly, pulsating with the unity of her Thread Gift, imbued with the culmination of her mastery over Thread Unity. With a casual flick, they extended outward, stretching toward the fractured Domain in an elegant, deadly arc.
The threads reached the shimmering edge of the Domain—and stopped.
Alyssara's smile widened, her curiosity piqued. She pushed harder, her threads shimmering brighter as they warped the space around them. The Domain's surface rippled like disturbed water but remained impenetrable. With a faint hum, her threads were deflected, scattering harmlessly.
"Incredible," she murmured, her tone as light as if she were complimenting a fine wine rather than facing an impenetrable force. She pressed forward again, weaving her threads into a tighter, more complex pattern. The result was the same. The Domain remained unyielding, indifferent to her mastery.
Finally, Alyssara let her hands fall, the threads dissolving back into the air. She sighed, a sound that was almost wistful. "As expected, I'm not quite there yet," she said softly, though her eyes gleamed with a dangerous determination.
Her gaze shifted, scanning the shimmering edge of the Domain until it fell upon another entrance, one not far from where she stood. Her lips curved upward into a slow smile as she caught sight of a familiar figure.
Arthur.
He was there, standing tall and resolute, with four princesses flanking him. Alyssara's smile widened into a grin, and a soft giggle escaped her lips as she watched him.
'I missed you, Arthur,' she thought, her mind flickering back to the memory of him charging into the Red Chalice cult with all the subtlety of a landslide.
"Well," she mused, her voice low and playful, "I suppose I should observe for now. After all, you're still unripe, my dear." Her grin faltered slightly as her eyes flicked to Rin, who stood close to Arthur's side, her dark presence unmistakable. Alyssara's playful aura dimmed, and for a brief moment, her jade eyes burned with something sharper, colder.
Her hand twitched at her side, and the faintest trace of killing intent escaped her before she forced it down, her expression smoothing into calm neutrality.
'Who is that bitch?' she thought, her thoughts laced with irritation. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she shook her head, forcing herself to relax. It didn't matter how many girls surrounded him, how many vied for his attention or affection.
It didn't even matter how many of them claimed to love him.
Because, in the end, only Alyssara Velcroix could give Arthur the kind of love that mattered.
She would wait. For now. But her jade-green eyes glinted dangerously as she whispered under her breath, "Soon."
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The five of us stepped into the Domain of the Infernal Armis, the air thick with the weight of carnage and raw power. The fractured terrain shimmered under the ominous red light emanating from the center of the Domain, and the oppressive energy pressed against us like the world itself was trying to crush our resolve.
Then came the first trial.
It announced itself without ceremony—no grand voice or ominous warning, just a sudden, deadly hail of crimson lances. They erupted from the air around us, their trajectories chaotic and unpredictable, each one slicing through the fractured space with an ear-piercing hum.
"Be careful of the spatial manipulation!" I called out as I drew Nyxthar, its blade humming faintly with power.
Infinite Edges.
My astral energy surged, and dozens of spectral sword strikes materialized, spinning outward like a halo. The edges collided with the lances, deflecting them with explosive bursts of crimson light. For a moment, it felt like I had control.
But only for a moment.
The spatial manipulation of the Domain twisted reality around us. The lances didn't travel in straight lines; they curved, bent, and reappeared in impossible places. One moment they were headed toward Rachel, and the next, they'd shifted mid-air to target Rin instead.
"This isn't just random!" Rachel shouted, her light mana flaring as she conjured a barrier to block a sudden barrage aimed at her. "The Domain's trying to predict us!"
"It's reacting to us!" Seraphina added, her ice magic forming crystalline shields that shattered as a lance punched through. She gritted her teeth, adapting her defenses on the fly.
"I can't track them all!" Cecilia growled, dark mana swirling around her as she tried to disrupt the lances' trajectories. But even her dark magic struggled to keep up with the relentless assault.
Rin was quiet, her black mana coiling around her like a storm, deflecting the few lances that got too close. Her expression was calm, but I could see the calculation in her eyes as she analyzed the pattern.
We had to adjust, and fast.
I took a deep breath, letting my mind still despite the chaos. "Focus on the distortions in space," I said. "The lances are tied to the fractures—they're using the broken space to redirect."
"Got it," Rachel said, her sapphire eyes narrowing as she switched her focus. Instead of trying to block the lances directly, she began targeting the distortions themselves, her light mana flooding the air. The glowing fractures shimmered under her attacks, momentarily stabilizing the space around us.
Cecilia caught on quickly, her mana weaving through the cracks Rachel illuminated. The two of them began working in tandem, sealing the fractures and cutting off the lances' ability to twist and shift.
"Cover them!" I ordered, stepping forward to shield the group as a fresh wave of lances rained down. Nyxthar sang in my hand as I swung it in a wide arc, my Infinite Edges forming a barrier of flashing strikes that held the lances at bay.
Meanwhile, Seraphina adjusted her ice astral energy around her sword, absorbing the lances instead of shattering. The ice grew denser with each strike, freezing the energy and rendering it harmless.
And Rin—quiet, focused Rin—moved with uncanny precision. Her black mana surged outward in controlled bursts, striking the lances at their weakest points. She wasn't just deflecting them; she was dismantling them.
Slowly but surely, we began to push back. The lances still came, relentless and deadly, but they no longer felt overwhelming. The chaos became something we could read, adapt to, even counter.
"Arthur!" Rachel called out, her voice cutting through the storm. "The distortions are weakening!"
She was right. The fractures in space were stabilizing, the Domain's assault faltering as we worked together. With one final push, I swung Nyxthar in a wide, sweeping motion, my Infinite Edges slicing through the last barrage of lances.
And then, silence.
The air around us stilled, the oppressive energy of the Domain momentarily receding. We stood in the aftermath, breathing hard but victorious.
"That was… unpleasant," Cecilia muttered, her mana dissipating as she crossed her arms.
"It wasn't just unpleasant—it was testing us," Seraphina said, her icy gaze scanning the now-quiet terrain. "It wanted to see if we could adapt."
"And we did," Rin said softly, her voice calm but resolute. She stepped closer to me, her black mana still flickering faintly around her. "What's next?"
I looked ahead, toward the shifting red light in the distance.