Bro, I'm not an Undead!

The glow in Stylla's eyes was suffocating.r

Ed almost fainted when he glimpsed at the their unfamiliar image, foolishly assuming initially that they belonged to the woman he knew.r

Realisation set in moments later, following this glimpse, the strings of his relation to Stylla proving their adequacy in making him understand that the determined lady of the Family he knew, and even the dead eyed ball of gloom he had been seeing recently, was gone.r

Only a shell remained.r

The extraordinary beauty that Stylla had suddenly adopted as well as the unfathomably boundless well of strength she had inexplicably attained would have mislead others, but not the loyal Knight.r

Ed drew back.r

He watched as Stylla gazed hollowly past the light of runes guarding the man she called father, and stretched out her hand towards the bed.r

An indescribable stillness instantly superimposed itself over the brilliant scenery, the tension brewing among the Family auxiliary staff as well as the free air.r

At the same time, the clouds directly above Stylla parted, pulling themselves back to form a circular hollow in the partially overcast sky that expressed the respect of the world for the power being demonstrated below.r

Ed gulped.r

The parting of the sky was a significant phenomena as far as experts and their level of power was concerned. As such, the Knight couldn't for the life of him believe that Stylla had reached such a level... somehow.r

The redhead of the hour did not pay attention to anything else other than her task which was powered solely by past ambitions struggling against the loss of her mental clarity.r

Her vision seemed to see something no one else could, a menace that had brought her pain, grief and sorrow. r

It was a stirring pool of darkness twisting and turning within her father's body.r

The curse.r

Stylla had consulted with many Healers and powerful Mages – ones that she could afford to have an audience with – in the past, and they had all failed to purge this dreadful curse. Watching her father be forced into this coma, one that overstayed its unwarranted visit, had been crushing, moreso when Stylla knew who was responsible for it.r

But now, with powers geared towards combating something like this...r

Stylla's father's expression changed.r

He strained and frowned with his eyes still shut tight.r

Before long, he groaned and gnashed his teeth, his body convulsing violently.r

Stylla, as if struggling quite a bit, frowned and reached in, pushing her hand through the glow of runes effortlessly to place it directly onto her father's chest!r

Immediately, the Head of the Bryne Family opened his eyes wide and screamed aloud, the agony he felt more obvious than otherwise!r

Ed and the rest watched silently, their hearts beating quickly from fear... and hope.r

Certainly, Stylla's appearance had startled many of them – the webbed wings, her sudden growth in height as well as the shift in her facial appearance – but none of them doubted, as soon as she arrived near her father's bed, that she meant him no harm.r

Even if sentiment wasn't the prime reason for it.r

As Stylla exercised unseen and firm power over the curse within her father, the resistance offered by the damned corruption finally waned.r

A dark, cold stream of fog that began to freeze the surroundings blasted from the man who had been imprisoned to his bed for too long.r

It streaked erratically, seemingly attempting to escape but Stylla contained it with a simple fist gesture in her palm.r

All the biting cold and dark, pervasive fume was trapped in her hand.r

She then wordlessly took a deep breath and closed her eyes.r

Her father, coming out of the instinctive reaction to express his agony, lost consciousness and slumped to the bed again.r

Truly...r

Ed stared... surprised, for lack of a better word.r

There was a torrent of emotion flooding through him right now, but surprise was definitely atop that mix.r

Truly, it seemed Stylla had finally overcome the biggest hurdle for the Family!r

She had removed her father's curse... but at a cost.r

She opened her eyes and glanced at her father... one last time.r

Her dark, webbed wings, the majesty of their span fully unfurled, blew out a cold breeze around her. r

Without warning, she then shot into the sky, rising as quickly as lightning drops from the heavens.r

"Lady Stylla!" Ed screamed at the top of his lungs, but the redhead was long gone before he even thought to raise his voice.r

*r

The Null Devil King leisurely gazed at the new arrival and the returned Gillewart.r

The conflict on the man's face made it chuckle.r

This was because it was clear to the City Guardian that this being before him was not something he could beat on his own, especially with that damned sword by its side.r

Naturally, Gillewart's assessment was not entirely correct.r

Unlike Skullius right now who clearly understood what the crimson bladed sword could do, how overpowered it was, he failed to comprehend the stipulations behind its outrageous effects. Not that it would help much.r

Sevill helped Skullius up while continuing to watch the enemy closely.r

"Lord Festos. What is this creature...?" she asked with a look riddled with suspicion under her veil.r

It was strange.r

When gazing at it, Sevill felt like her unnaturally keen perception abilities as an Incandescent Stage expert were the ones being used to give her the image of this being. Without them, she doubted she would be able to see this creature or even feel its serene, yet viciously abundant presence.r

The distinction between Stages, Cores and Classes was made more apparent here.r

The reason why Stages were deemed superior to Classes and Cores, was because they did not merely give abudant increments to physical capacity or even new abilities in the conventional sense. They granted unnatural, powerful properties which integrated seamlessly into the practitioner, the results of which rivalling and exceeding even Hidden Class abilities in some cases.r

This was especially so when the last two Stages above the Incandescent Stage were introduced.r

The Transcendent Stage...r

The Beyond the Veil Stage...r

Even millennia ago, in the most trying times of Aigas' history, only a total of fifteen beings had ever touched on these realms of power while Hidden Classes and the peak of mana quality and quantity, the golden hue, were touched upon by close to a hundred experts.r

"I have... no idea..." Skullius strained to answer Sevill's question.r

The Null Devil King scoffed.r

"Lies. You know exactly what I am..."r

It suddenly turned its head to the left.r

A rolling breeze and the quaking of the air resounded.r

Something had burst into the open sky.r

"My guide is leaving, it seems. Fascinating creature... Well, I suppose that's my cue to leave as well," the Null Devil King pulled up the Bastard Sword of the Hedonist, its gesture making everyone tense.r

Sevill had already begun to gather her Perfect Aura while wondering what the creature was saying... and why it seemed to be addressing Skullius.r

The creature then looked at its gauntlet.r

There was a shallow scar on it from Skullius' previous attack.r

'Hmph.'r

The Bone Tender disregarded this detail and instead felt its body underneath the armour.r

It seemed inhabiting the body of the Null Devil King gave it more time than expected.r

That time, especially in a Rich World like this, needed to used wisely... whether Serenity liked it or not.r

The bastard sword faded from the Null Devil King's hand.r

"The race begins, bearer of Serenity. I'm sure other bearers may have already begun contesting over this world. Hmmm, it has to be so. Whether you know what all this means or not, matters little. I look forward to the near future. Maybe we might even collude if you're so inclined," the Bone Tender expressed with a serious face.r

Right after, a burst of Null Life Essence, another variety Skullius hadn't seen before, burned like a flame over its figure with a royal blue hue.r

"I'll leave my unwanted followers, six Null Badubs for you to deal with. Surely YOU can take care of that much."r

In a flash, the Null Devil King vanished.r

While seeing its figure disappear, Skullius just knew this world was about to turn chaotic... more chaotic than it already was.r