"I’ve come here with a proposition for you." He chuckled, causing Alice to frown.

Anytime the Outer God wanted to cooperate, the situation was never good. They are fundamentally beings who are only faithful towards their own desires. And for Zal-Ka’Rith, that would be the script.

Stories he wishes to digest and understand.

And right now, Alice understood that she was the main dish for his dinner.

"Bold of you to assume I want whatever you’re offering." Alice narrowed her eyes while Zal-Ka’Rith simply laughed.

"Oh but I’m sure you do. After all... it pertains your dearest Allura. The Apostle responsible for severance. A woman whose life slowly slips through the cracks in the hourglass."

Alice creased her brows.

Zal-Ka’Rith knew too much. Trying to bargain with this man was dangerous. Especially when he held all the cards.

If so...

*BANG!!!

The floor fractured beneath them as Lab and Elias widened their pupils. Alice was gone!

Void Steps!

Appearing behind Zal-Ka’Rith, Alice was already in her resonance state as energy roared from her body. Tiamat’s wings looming over the Outer God as energy was being absorbed into Alice’s body.

In her hands, Void Fang trembled as a ludicrous amount of energy coursed through its body. Yet thanks to its unique properties as a weapon, it was holding on!

"Wow! Such a hot blooded approach!" Zal-Ka’Rith jumped away.

"Gotcha!"

Triggered Cast!

Sigils lit up across Alice’s body as she clawed down with her spare hand.

Space folded in on itself as the gap between Alice and Zal-Ka’Rith was reduced in an instant. He had been pulled back!

Veins bulged on Alice’s arm as she held her breath. A singularity spun to life before being infused into Void Fang. Her eyes turning bloodshot as Zal-Ka’Rith realised this was not the time to joke around.

Void Axis!

*KRK!!!!!

An arc of violet energy tore forward, ripping through the space around them as a grimoire was quickly summoned.

"A tale about- sh*t!!!" His cast was interrupted as silver swords manifested in the air.

All of them infused with Tiamat’s power as they Alice was not holding back in this moment!

The abyssal artifacts, physical resonance, bloodline release, forced level up, personal artifact resonance. Nothing was spared with the exception of her personal realm.

A trump card that must only be used to guarantee victory as she was helpless once it was down.

Discarding his grimoire, Zal-Ka’Rith quickly wove through the blades as he clenched his teeth.

Whispering a few words, he sacrificed his left arm to tank Alice’s Void Axis.

Sliding out of the harms way, his eye darted around, trying to locate the furious split haired girl.

Above!

Snapping his gaze upwards, Zal-Ka’Rith slammed his hand into the ground.

The realm started to collapse but Alice was ahead of him.

Her personal artifact shifted, four swords rained down, piercing the expansion of Zal-Ka’Riths realm before shattering it.

So long as she could use Ruinous Void, no one can use their resonance or personal realm!

"A tale about tenacity."

Dark tendrils burst out of Zal-Ka’Riths arm as his wound was regenerated.

"A tale-"

"About me kicking your ass." Alice activated Void Step, breaching Zal-Ka’Rith’s defences as she twisted her body.

Her heel slammed into his chin, launching him into the sky as Tiamat’s Wings were inverted using the power of Duality. What was gathering power now became a weapon to output the energy she’s been absorbing since the beginning of this fight!

Throwing Void Fang into the air, Alice split it into countless tiny fragments as they will serve the core of this next attack.

Her sixth Sigil activated, Void Fang’s strongest form traced using Kazira’s power as countless blades appeared in the sky.

Each fragment became its own weapon. While lacking the durability of the original Void Fang, their power was just as ferocious!

For the first time, both Lab and Elias saw what Alice was like when she was fully serious.

Without giving Zal-Ka’Rith a chance to fight back, Alice flicked her finger and every single blade shot towards him with the intent to kill!

"A tale about a Warrior who can’t be harmed by blades!" Zal-Ka’Rith defended himself yet as the first sword struck, a cut appeared across his body.

"These aren’t normal blades dipsh*t." Alice slammed her hands together, creating a singularity between her palms.

"Every single one of these are a fragment of Void Fang imbued with the power of the Void. The edges of these weapons aren’t made of metal. It’s the result of space between pushed in opposite directions. Friction between realms!" Alice threw the singularity into the air.

She didn’t care about how big of a spectacle she was causing.

After all, without her being able to track Allura, the best way to see whether or not she was in the capital was to flare her aura as much as possible!

*RUMBLE!!!

The land began to tremble as the clouds parted ways to reveal the singularity that was now growing in size.

Zal-Ka’Rith clenched his teeth while defending against the countless sword slashes trying to tear him apart. If he didn’t die to these things, whatever Alice was charging above him would finish the job!

With no other choice, he closed his eye and opened his grimoire. He didn’t want to push things to this extent but if he did nothing here, the consequences would be disastrous.

"A tale about the world eater with a voracious appetite."

The moment he finished his sentence, he felt his body transform as his eye turned bloodshot.

"Alice my dear! Know that you’re the one who pushed me to do this! Do your best to stop me!" Zal-Ka’Rith laughed.

It was in the face of danger did the hero show what they’re worth.

This ’disaster’ will simply become another page in Alice’s story. A test to see whether or not she was truly worthy to be consumed when the time is right rather than for him to lose himself in his desire.

The first to transform was his jaw.

A wet crack echoed out as his mouth unhinged to form a ghastly maw. The letters flickering from his head transforming into flesh as his body was made into the vessel housing this ’story’.

Skin tore aprt at the corners of his lips, teeth pushed out from flesh and blood dripped down his neck.

His body arched forward, spin bulging outwards. A skull was crafted on his head, his eyes bursting part as black mutated flesh swelled around the bone.

Veins spread across his face like countless crawling worms.

His suit tore apart, his ribs tore open, transforming into jagged hooks that held his chest open.

A sickening laugh unlike Zal-Ka’Rith echoed out. It lacked the refinement and elegance that he carried himself with. This was... primal.

His flesh rotted, transforming into strands that acted as tendril that hovered around his body.

A mass of writhing black tissue spilled out from his stomach before climbing up his body, reshaping his entire form.

Seeing all of this, Alice couldn’t help but take a step back.

This power... this... Evil.

Was like nothing else she had ever seen in her life. It felt uncanny, not in the sense of the hybrids but rather in the way that sent primal fear through her bones.

The manifestation of desire. The need to consume.

Despite laying her eyes on this... thing for the first time today, Alice understood that allowing this beast to roam free would be inviting disaster into their world. To allow it to grow and transform into something beyond them.

If given the chance, this calamity will quickly spiral out of control.

She had to kill this thing no matter what!

Rather than killing Zal-Ka’Rith, she now had to deal with the ’tale about the world eater with a voracious appetite.

Taking a deep breath, Alice clenched her fist and recalled every single blade from her surroundings.

Transforming Void Fang into a bow, Tiamat’s wings stabbed into the realm around her as energy floated into her body.

A pulse of blue lights rippling across the spectral wings.

Alice took aim.

A singularity spun to life before shifting into an arrow.

Then she paused, dismissing the arrow.

An attack like this wouldn’t succeed. She could feel it instinctively.

Firing this would simply be giving that monster another meal to consume.

Instead, she needed to focus her all into severing something hidden at its core.

The connection this thing held with Zal-Ka’Rith.

Transforming Void Fang into a spear, Alice overlayed it with her personal Artifact. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The ability to guarantee a single hit with her attack.

Using this, she’ll focus on the connection between the story and the Outer God who summoned it.

*BANG!!!

Crackles of lightning flicked off Void Fang’s body as violet energy rippled across her body.

Golden chains manifested on her wrist as Alyss stepped in.

If Alice was responsible for the casting, she would be responsible for the physical action.

To throw the spear as accurately as possible while making use of her own skills.

Exhaling softly, Alyss tightened her grip around the spear.

The golden chains now wrapping around the handle of the blade, enhancing it with the Anti Eldritch properties that Velouria left behind.

Destruction Point!!!

The world transformed into a muted landscape of black, white and greys.

The only colour that could be seen in this world was the weakness leading to the monster’s heart.

The core of its being.

’Ready?’ Alyss smirked.

’More than ready.’ Alice nodded. Her preparations now done.

Taking a few steps back, Alyss started to run forward as energy flowed through her veins.

Her physical power reinforced to the maximum as she pulled her arm back.

*BANG!!!

Taking that final heavy step, Alyss leaned into the strike as she twisted her hip, generating as much power as possible before throwing.

*BOOM!!!

In an instant, the spear crossed the distance between Alice and Zal-Ka’Rith. It drilled a hole through the beast, tearing apart its body as flesh unravelled, revealing the Outer God hidden within its torso.

A single eye staring at Alice in disbelief, unable to accept the fact that she tore apart his ’story’ so easily.

It seems... her growth was far more explosive than he had initially anticipated. Perhaps spurring her on...

Was no different than opening Pandora’s box. A path of no return.

To bring forth a being that none could contend against.

A monster in the form of a girl. The consequence of the Zenia family and the betrayer’s sins.