Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 311 Empress of the Abyss

It had only been a droplet Tasha had transferred into Altair's body and yet his milky skin transitioned to red. Bones threatened to shatter as, one by one; they fractured like cracks upon glass. Pain lanced up through his body as he growled.

Without hesitation, Altair lifted a palm, burning the droplet of Mana before it shattered him. He winced, invoking Fallen Necromancy. In a blinding moment, a stunningly beautiful humanoid male came from his shadows, rising from the earth like a mist. He stood tall, carrying long bat-like wings that caressed his back and scarlet eyes glowing in the night.

The cambion stood there, its past life burnt away from its very soul. Confusion and recognition both danced in its eyes. It smiled, a transformational smile, as it fell to a knee before its Master.

Altair tried to find the similar silliness he'd seen in Kirr but felt only a distinctive will to destroy.

"From here on out. Your name shall be Therion." Altair decreed, regenerating his shattered bones and ruptured organs with his Ashen Blood. He stood when color returned to his face.

The Shadow Demon pressed his head to the earth, speaking in a soothing voice, "I thank you for honoring this lowly Shadow with a name."

"Hide in my shadow and learn all you can from the others," Altair commanded, oddly satisfied as Therion vanished into his shadow.

He sucked in a deep breath when he felt Tasha wet tongue run across the curve of his ear. She smiled, feverishly cupping his crotch.

"I, too, can satisfy you, my Lord," Tasha said beside his ear. She grinned, feeling him getting hard.

"Master! You made a…" Raven's voice trailed off as she stumbled forward, craning her head at an angle. "Master, what are you doing?"

Tasha giggled. She glanced back to Raven. "Do you want me to teach you how to please your master? Truly please him."

"Hmmmm… Has Raven not been doing a good job?" She clenched her small fist.

"Of course. But you've not given your Master everything he desires. Look." she spun, directing Altair to face his guardian. "Look how much pent-up energy he has." Tasha's smile turned savage as her finger reached into his robes, curling around his lance at attention. When she felt Altair tremble, she said, "Every night he has Syris to please him, but…"

"Stop it." Altair snapped, swatting her hand off his manhood. He winced at the sudden loss of warmth. "Can't you sense it? Were being watched," he said, opening his senses to the strings of intent invading his cave.

"We could have given them a good show. You, me, Raven, and Morrigan over there. Don't try to hide it. I know you saw us. You're blushing!"

Morrigan turned her head towards the darker aspect of the cave.

Altair nearly laughed but stifled it back down. He kind of felt bad for Raven, staring at his crotch.

"Does… Does Master think Raven is pretty?"

'Oh dear lord,' Altair thought. Raven had been one of the most stunning specimens he'd ever laid his eyes upon. She did what she wanted, openly challenging some of the orders he'd given her at times. She didn't care about anything other than protecting him. Aside from corn and exploration, matters of the flesh were not even on her list of things to experience.

Altair knew this and said, "Don't listen to Tasha. She's trying to bait you into doing something you've no interest in."

"No interest?" Tasha nearly scuffed. She hurried on over to Raven, circling her like prey. "She has a working cunt, right? She has the ass that any man would die to have and the tits that could sandwich any man's c—"

"Hells, Tasha!" Morrigan cut in. "Leave the girl alone. Let her have her Innocence."

Raven touched her breast, confused.

Tasha rolled her eyes. "Innocence is so overrated," she said, touching Raven's chin and smiling. I bet she hasn't even had her first kiss yet. Isn't it better to have fun?"

"Altair tell that succubus to leave that girl alone. Don't take advice from a damn Devil." Morrigan said. "Let Raven be as Innocent as long as she wants."

"What so good about innocence," Tasha argued. "What's so good about being a virgin? I don't really see any sort of benefits. It's not like Raven is cultivating her Primal Yin. And if you're so against it. Let Altair have a go at her starfish.

That'll still keep her innocent.'

"M-M-M-My starfish?" Raven stammered to say, looking as if she were about to cry. "W-w-w-whats that?"

"Us girls are born with three splendid holes, darling," Tasha began when both Morrigan and Altair covered her mouth.

Altair specifically didn't know what to do with the succubus. He lamented, whispering in her ear, "After this floor is complete. You've my word; I'll deliver you my seed. Just drop it. Leave Raven out of this. It needs to be her choice."

Tasha smiled, "of course, my Lord,' she said, although she was in disagreement in regards to Raven. She agreed nonetheless, at least for now.

Altair saw the scheming glow in her eyes but left it alone for now. Releasing the succubus, he patted Raven on the head. "Ignore the crazy woman, okay? Just be Raven," he told her.

Raven moved out of the Cave, returning to that of a crow as she took off to think.

Altair sighed. "And there she goes." he shook his head, refocusing his awareness on the string of intent watching them.

"What is that?" He finally asked, pondering the meaning behind why such intent was so blatantly exposed to them. Not realizing those beneath the fifth or sixth circle might not have realized they were being monitored.

"The Sect. They are monitoring their interest. You or Morrigan." Tasha expressed. She didn't include herself, aware that the Heavenly Thunder Gods Sect would rather see her dead than on their mountain.

Altair's lips curled downwards. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. Aside from training, he wanted a certain level of awareness of his empire.

"I can block it," Tasha revealed, sensing his frustration.

"Don't. Let the sect watch." Altair commanded, conjuring the Sword of the Vale. Listening to the thrum of his blade, he began the movements of the Sword of the Heavenly Raijin.

[Sword of the Heavenly Raijin Proficiency has Increased by 1%]

Studying the movements Altair was going through, Morrigan scuffed. "I don't understand why he's trying to master such a powerful Technique when he's barely tapped into Grave of Night."

"Perhaps he sees something we don't," Tasha agreed. "Don't you sometimes do something that defies the common sense?"

Morrigan turned silent. She sighed soon after, lifting the manual she'd picked and began training.

A slow, devilish grin surfaced across Altair's face, revealing sharp white fangs he held at bay. He could feel it. The Infernal Lightning he'd cultivated for years was slowly embedding itself into his Dantain, seeking to merge with the Vale Qi. Yet all it faced was a cruel slaughter as the Vale Qi devoured the energy.

Beads of sweat trailed down Lord Blackwood's brow as the pressure began to hammer at his bones. Pain lanced across his nervous system as Vale Qi began to rise like a shadowy flame, coalescing across his frame.

The Vale Qi was growing, pulsing like a heartbeat, pushing Qi through his meridians like blood through vessels.

[Sword of the Heavenly Raijin Proficiency has Increased by 1%]

Ba-Dump! Ba-Dump! Ba-Dump! Ba-Dump! Ba-Dump! Ba-Dump!

[Sword of the Heavenly Raijin Proficiency has Increased by 2%]

Within his Astra Sea, across the still black lake that separated him from the Vale itself. Ripples began to quiver across its mirrored surface. Slowly, droplets of that pure black lake began to rise across its surface, reaching up and vanishing into Altair Dantain.

Drop after drop began to reach his core, falling into a new lake that represented a source of power that could no longer be stolen or sealed away due to some god's higher understanding of Dao and Concepts.

[Error]

[New Source is not proficient with System!]

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[Er—3238359750239483913948570239481394134]

[Hi… Master]

****

"So? What did you want to talk about." The Empress of the Abyss asked, looking through the wall-to-wall window towards the Citadel of the Abyss, lined with monolith buildings confined by a dome that represented the skies.

The Second Monarch grinned. "No hugs, no kisses, just business."

Lilith Snow turned to Arsene, a delectable smile playing on her lips. "Is that something I should be doing, Mr. Snow."

Arsene cringed. He hated when she spoke with honorifics. Nothing good ever came from honorifics.

"A few years ago… I felt something. It's like a heartbeat. It comes and goes. It beats every month, on standard time. I was curious, you know. So-So Cursious.

I sent your uncle Eroma to check it out." Lilith's smile began to thin. "I got so impatient. I had the Abyssal of War aid him."

Arsene felt a knot form in the back of his throat. "You sent Damaris."

"Izavith, Cyra, and Iliana are both indisposed. So, of course, I had to send Damaris," Lilith said. "Do you disapprove?"

'She knows,' Arsene thought, shaking his head inwardly, thinking,' No. She'd have gone herself if that was the case. She knows something is up, but—"

"Did you sire another child, Husband?" Lilith outright asked. Amethyst eyes narrowing into two twin swords.

"I—"

"Don't answer that. I'll find out myself," she said, touching her belly.

"Our main bodies are a step away from breaking out. It should be done in two months, maybe three. Shouldn't we be preparing for that? Especially when—"

Lilith looked at him, fingers falling from her belly to her side. "The Night is dying. Tenebrae is dying."

"So you knew."

"Of course, I knew. I created her. The Father merely gifted her sentience," Lilith said, closing her eyes. She sighed. "There are so many things going on in the Myriad Heavens. And when she dies… all hell will break loose, when the Primal Sins are released."

Arsene frowned. "You aren't going to help?"

"You married Tenebrae to spite me. Why would I help." Lilith said. "If you want help, go to the Father and ask him for assistance. My Abyss doesn't want to deal with your problems."

"Mephisto and Lucifer are both in Arcadia." Arsene expressed. "We don't—"

The look Lilith gave Arsene was one of pain. "You married her to spite me. " she repeated. "I don't give a fuck if the Myriad Heavens burn. You and your family are welcome in my Abyss, but I'm not helping you battle against the Primal Sins when they are released. Have the twins do it.

Iza and Vesyrn are capable of manipulating causality into whatever they seek to happen. Maybe they'll be able to stop one or two."

Arsene gave a wry smile. "I don't think I've seen you this mad in a long time." He chuckled, taking her by the hand. Lilith snorted but didn't pull away. "Darling… how about… how about we go on a trip."

"A trip?" Lilith asked. "You're just trying to get me out of the Abyss to—-"

"In the Abyss," Arsene interjected. Your main body might be pregnant, right? Let's find out. Let's gather some rare material to see."

"Dameris already did that."

"... ok, let's get you some vitamins."

"The Abyssal of Reincarnation already did that."

"Damn that Renru. Ok. Let's just go on a damn trip."

"What's in it for me?"

"Sex"

Lilith rolled her eyes. "And…"

"Memories.," Arsene said. "We haven't gone on a trip since we got Sealed. Let's do it."

"I know this is a trap… but that does sound nice." Lilith nodded. "It won't work, but I'll allow it. Let's see what you're scheming, Mr.Snow. But first… let's make a trip to Earth."

"Eh?"