Abyssal Awakening

"Rise and shine, it's time!" Allura shouted, waking both Ria and Alice up.

Lifting the two over her shoulders, she left the carriage before placing them down and gesturing for the driver to get to a safe location.

"We're here. Me and Gin will be watching from afar. We won't interfere unless you are close to death. After all, the moment we interfere marks your hunt a failure. I want to ask you again in case you have any second thoughts. Are you sure you want to hunt the Blood Widow?" Allura asked.

Alice nodded. There was focus and commitment in her eyes.

Allura smiled with satisfaction. "Alright, When you come face to face with the beast, remember to designate it as a target of your hunt and prepare for a fight to the death. Ria, once again, the key is to find out the perfect moment to give Alice your support. Ideally, you want to keep your distance so that Alice doesn't have to worry about you if you are discovered. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ria jokingly saluted, causing Allura to gently knock her on the head.

"Now, focus. May the Abyss bless your hunt."

Watching Allura disappear with Gin, Alice turned around and stared at the entrance of the forest.

Tall white trees as far as the eye could see, lifting the skies above with its crimson leaves, accompanied by white grass and dirt that was seemingly untainted by the world.

Taking a deep breath, Alice mentally prepared herself while Ria gave her body a stretch.

"I'll take the high ground through the branches. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you even if you don't see me. Just take things at your own pace. I'll follow up, okay?" Ria reassured her. Alice nodded in response.

With that signal as the start sign, Alice cracked her neck before running into the forest while turning the bracelet into a hook.

Throwing it against the trees, she used the branches to help her navigate the forest at high speed.

Even though she said she was going to be right behind her, Ria was surprised by Alice's proficiency with the weapon despite only recently acquiring it. If she didn't know better, Ria would've thought that Alice had been using the bracelet for a long time.

Activating her first Sigil, she jumped up onto the treetops and followed behind Alice.

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Dashing through the forest, Alice recited the information Allura had given to her in her mind.

'When I see it, I need to designate it as the target using the Eye. Allura did warn me to keep interactions with the Eye at a minimum so that it doesn't wake up too early.' Alice thought to herself as she noticed a pair of eyes staring at her from above.

Killing intent flooded out as Alice narrowed her gaze and transformed her hook into a blade before twisting her body and throwing it above.

Stabbing deeply into the neck of a bird beast trying to ambush her from above, a spear of lightning erupted from deep within the forest and pierced it, finishing it off after Alice stopped its movements.

Raising an eyebrow, Alice glanced back and gave a thumbs up, knowing that Ria could see it even if she couldn't see her.

Continuing her run through the forest, she noticed a small change in the surroundings.

Landing on the ground, Alice kneeled down and looked at a red flower standing out amidst the white surroundings.

Looking up, she could see the flower slowly increase in number before the land was fully covered in red.

'When you see the Blood Widow, don't attack immediately. Doing so will enrage her and cause her to go all out at the start, making the battle hard to approach. Play along, get within range, and try to end it before it even starts. Should you lack the power, follow the original plan.' Alice thought to herself as she slowly walked through the field of crimson flowers.

Her weapon transformed back into a bracelet.

She was currently wearing the cape made from Crimson Silk, blending in with her surroundings.

Pulling down her hood, she double-checked her equipment.

Her blood pouch was housing 10 vials. 2 Lunar Siren vials, 3 of her own blood vials, 4 healing vials, and one berserk vial to give her an extra push if needed.

Not only that, six scarlet powder bombs were hooked to her belt and hidden under the cloak.

Grabbing one of the Lunar Siren Vials, Alice opened it and drank all of the contents in one gulp. She could already feel the side effects kicking in, but kept her focus strong.

With everything checked and ready, Alice narrowed her eyes at the hazy figure in the distance, obscured by the field of red spider lilies.

Taking a deep breath, she communed with her Eye.

[Do you wish to hunt this beast?]

'Yes.'

Flinching from the sudden headache, Alice could feel a connection being formed between them as a black and red energy swirled around the Blood Widow before reaching out towards Alice and forming a tether.

Understanding that her bounty had been set, Alice approached the figure. Cold sweat dripped down her back.

She felt as though thousands of eyes were staring at her, examining her every move. It was akin to needles stabbing against her skin, thick killing intent permeating the entire area. Yet she never made a move.

Trying her best to keep her breathing under control despite the killing intent suffocating the air from her lungs, Alice was glad to see that Allura was right. The Widow wasn't killing her despite getting this close.

As she closed in on the figure, her appearance became clear to Alice.

She was a tall woman with a slender body and sickly white complexion. She was facing away from her, making it difficult to discern some features. Pale blonde hair draped over her shoulders as a white veil covered her face. The veil itself was stained with blood as it dripped onto the flower bouquet she was holding in her hands. The flowers within the bouquet had long been stained red.

She wore an elegant wedding dress adorned with frills and fake flowers. Blood soaked her gloves along with her dress.

She slowly turned towards Alice.

If Alice couldn't sense all the killing intent along with not having the knowledge that she was a beast, she would've mistaken her for a strange woman in a strange forest, not a creature that could end her life in a heartbeat.

"Ah… A guest… Are you here for my wedding?" The lady asked softly as she tilted her head at Alice.

"Yes, I am." Alice nodded as the lady smiled happily.

"Then please, take a seat. I'm sure my fiancé will arrive soon." She chuckled. Waving her hand, tables and chairs were created from blood as an altar appeared in front of her.

Following along, Alice took a seat while making sure she was keenly aware of her surroundings.

As time passed, the woman continued to stand by the altar, waiting silently while holding her bouquet.

Sobbing sounds could be heard as blood slowly dripped from the woman's eyes from behind the veil.

"Young one… May I ask that you leave? It seems like my fiancé will not be arriving today." The lady asked, forcing herself to smile and surprising Alice as she froze up on the spot.

'Did… Did the Blood Widow just ask me to leave? Without trying to kill me?' Alice questioned herself as she could feel the killing intent fading away, but not completely. However, it was not targeted towards her.

'Isn't the Blood Widow supposed to end the ceremony in blood? It's here where she's most vulnerable. Wasn't this an opportunity for me to strike?'

Confused by the sudden turn of events, Alice slowly stood up while keeping her eyes on the Widow.

"Young one… It's rude to watch a bride cry on her happiest day… My fiancé will not turn up… The wedding is over… Please leave me to grieve." The Widow asked once more as she kneeled down on the altar. Her shoulders shook from her sobs as blood continued to pour around her.

Furrowing her brows, Alice bit her lip and took a deep breath.

She could ask Allura questions later. The Abyss was a place that held many secrets and she had barely begun to scratch the surface of its knowledge. She had already set her bounty, all that remained was to finish the task at hand.

Closing her eyes, Alice gritted her teeth and transformed her bracelet into a blade before cleaving downwards vertically, aiming to cut the Widow in half.

However, a cage of blood was formed before Alice could even react.

"So you will not leave… I'm sorry… But dare I imagine? Young Hunter… You've come to take my head? Rid me of this accursed ritual… Or leave thy life behind like many others…" The Widow sighed as she slowly stood up.

Lifting the back of her hair, she revealed her back that had been carved with countless ritualistic markings that bled through her dress.

In an instant, Alice felt as though she was drowned by the killing intent. The world turned black before her vision returned. Jumping back in shock, she watched as all of the trees that surrounded them started to rustle.

One by one, spider lilies started to fall from above like snowflakes. The veil covering the Widow's face disappeared, revealing her ghastly visage of having her eyes plucked out, leaving behind sunken eyelids with blood pouring out from beneath the skin.

Scars similar to what she had seen on the back of Ria's scalp could to seen across the upper half of the Widow's face.

"Goodbye Young Hunter."

With a wave of her hand, the forest sprung to life as countless spikes shot towards her from above and below.

Widening her eyes, Alice finally understood. This was not an ordinary Blood Widow that Allura had told her about. Ignoring the abnormalities in its behaviour and appearance, the range of her attack was far too large!

Gritting her teeth, Alice focused her Eye and slowed down the world around her.

This was no longer training; it is a battle to the death!

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