In a voice that sent shivers down their spines, Elizabeth warned "It would be... unwise to display hostility within my realm, mortals."
°°°°°
As the sun began to rise, casting a warm orange glow over the landscape, Elizabeth stood tall, her slender figure silhouetted against the imposing castle walls behind her. With an air of quiet confidence, she chanted, "Insight." The words hung in the air, carrying an aura of mystery and power.
Gwen and Jessica, positioned a short distance away, misinterpreted Elizabeth's skill as a hostile attack. Gwen's instincts kicked in, as she swiftly turned to flee in the opposite direction, desperate to create a safe distance between herself and the Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Jessica's eyes locked onto Elizabeth, her mind racing with a plan. With a swift motion, she chanted, "Shadow Step," and vanished into the shadows.
In an instant, Jessica reappeared, having leapt into Elizabeth's shadow. The skill's effects took hold, momentarily immobilizing Elizabeth for two precious seconds. Seizing the opportunity, Gwen halted her retreat and swiftly nocked an arrow in her bow. With a steady hand, she fired the projectile, aiming squarely at Elizabeth's head. The arrow soared through the air, its trajectory unwavering.
However, instead of striking its mark, the arrow bounced harmlessly off Elizabeth's face, as if deflected by an invisible force. Gwen's eyes widened in shock, her mind struggling to comprehend the unexpected outcome. Elizabeth's calm demeanor never wavered, but a hint of rage flickered in her eyes as she spoke, her voice dripping with venom. "I was thinking of letting you go, since we were bound to be sister-slaves, but who would've thought you had the nerve to attack a Goddess?" The air seemed to vibrate with her anger, leaving Gwen and Jessica to wonder if they had made a grave mistake.
Elizabeth's eyes blazed with fury as she gazed at Gwen and Jessica, her rage intensifying with each passing moment. The air around her seemed to distort, as if reality itself was bending to accommodate her wrath.
With a voice that sent shivers down their spines, Elizabeth declared, "You dare to attack me? I, a Goddess?" Her words hung in the air like a challenge, and then, in a flash of movement, she raised her hand.
"Cryogenic Abyss!" she screamed, unleashing a blast of frost-imbued abyssal energy that seemed to rip the very fabric of reality apart.
The blast wave struck Jessica and Gwen with incredible force, sending them flying backward. Jessica's attempt to use her agility to dodge the attack was futile, as the skill's area of effect was too vast. Gwen's arrow, still clutched in her hand, was frozen solid, shattering into a thousand pieces as she crashed to the ground.
The two warriors struggled to rise, but Elizabeth's skill had left them battered and weakened. Jessica's vision blurred, her head spinning from the force of the blast. Gwen's muscles felt like lead, her body numb from the cold.
As the skill's effects lingered, Jessica and Gwen's eyes fluttered closed, their bodies succumbing to the damage. They lay motionless, unconscious, and at Elizabeth's mercy.
Elizabeth's chest heaved with exertion, her rage slowly giving way to a cold, calculating calm. She gazed down at the two warriors, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
"You should not have attacked me," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind.
Meanwhile 'Dervin.'
"The least Elizabeth could've done was take me with her, now I'm stuck in this bedroom with nothing to do," Dervin said to himself, remembering that he had a Qi based system, he figured he could check it out.
"Status, " He chanted.
[Mana or Qi]
...
_________
Name: Dervin Daligoad
Race: Abyssal Entity [Abyssal Lord]
Class: Curse Manipulator [Cultivation]
Major Stage: Mortal Realm
Minor Stage: I
Qi: 510,000/510,000 (Effected by Dervin's Destruction Talent)
Talent: Destruction Dantian
Effects: Effect: "Devouring Destruction" - Dervin's Destruction Dantian grants him the ability to absorb and convert destructive energies into cultivation progress, amplifying his growth and combat prowess. When Dervin defeats enemies, uses destructive techniques, or is in environments with intense destructive energies,he absorbs energy and gains:
- 10% of the residual energy from defeated enemies, converted into cultivation progress
- 20% increased cultivation speed
- 15% increased damage output when using destructive techniques
- 10% chance to ignore the target's defense when using destructive techniques
- A temporary 10% boost to his cultivation speed (stacks up to 5 times)
Active Skills:
Cursed Exhaustion (S): Deprives 20% of the target's mana, reduces the target's mana regeneration rate by 20% for 5 seconds. (Can be stacked up to 5 times, Qi consumption increases with each stack.)
~Qi Consumption: 20,000
Passive None:
None
__________
"Grabble!!" The lavish furnishings of the royal chamber trembled and shook, as if the very foundations of the palace were being torn asunder. The velvet-draped bed, the golden candelabras, and the intricate tapestries all seemed to quiver in unison, as if the room itself was being ravaged by an unseen force. Dervin, standing at the center of the maelstrom, felt the tremors coursing through his veins, making his skin prickle with anticipation.
As the quake intensified, the air grew thick with an electric, pulsating energy. Dervin could feel it coursing through his veins, making his heart pound in his chest. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this energy was emanating from Elizabeth. The sheer scale of it left him breathless, his mind reeling with the implications. What could possibly have triggered such an enormous release of power? Was Elizabeth unleashing a devastating attack, or was this some kind of desperate, last-ditch defense?
Dervin's thoughts were racing with possibilities, his mind working overtime to piece together the puzzle. But before he could even begin to formulate a coherent theory, his system intervened, presenting him with a quest notification that seemed to sear itself into his retina. The words blazed with an otherworldly intensity, providing Dervin with the answers he sought, and plunging him headfirst into a maelstrom of uncertainty.
[Ding! New Quest Generated.]
[Mission Type: Optional.]
[Description: Elizabeth has injured your precious friends, Gwen and Jessica.]
[Clear Conditions: Punish Elizabeth for injuring Gwen and Jessica.]
[Mission Reward: A S-ranked Skill.]
[Failure Consequences: None.]
_______OR_______
[Mission Type: Optional.]
[Description: Elizabeth has captured potential slaves, Gwen and Jessica.]
[Clear Conditions: Reward Elizabeth for capturing Gwen and Jessica.]
[Mission Reward: A S-ranked Skill.]
[Failure Consequences: None.]
A wicked gleam danced in Dervin's eyes as he whispered to himself, his voice dripping with malevolent intent, "How...deliciously intriguing." A slow, sinister smile spread across his face, like a crack in the facade of sanity, revealing the dark, calculating mind that lurked beneath.