The large Black Trojan was embroiled in fog. Countless cracks filled the ship from the onslaught of Adredah.

  The air carried the sensation of mist from the dense fog surrounding the sea.

  Countless crewmates were at a standstill, including Captain Merril, as they watched the impending battle between Caspian and Adredah. They knew better than to try to help, knowing they’d only get in his way.

  A man hooded in a dark purple cloak watched the unfolding scene from the shadows of the ship.

  Caspian stared at the figure of Adredah. It would have been impossible to fully see her form in the newly risen fog, had it not been for his enhanced eyes.

  Caspian took a step forward and rushed towards her.

  In a few breaths, he reached Adredah and began his barrage of strikes.

  Adredah continuously dodged, avoiding each strike with relative ease.

  She then opened her mouth and unleashed a piercing scream, which carried shockwaves.

  ‘This move again. It’ll be dangerous if it hits. I’ll have to find an opportunity to shoot her in the mouth when I get the chance.’

  Caspian dodged backwards and covered his body with his arms, blocking to the best of his ability.

  With his newly fortified body from Father Ignatius’s abyssal support, his body was capable of withstanding some of the effects of the shockwaves. Though a few blood vessels in his body had still burst.

  The others weren’t so lucky. The shockwaves had landed on several crewmates, their bodies bursting upon impact.

  “S-Save us!”

  ‘Sigh.. The longer this fight continues, the more crewmates will die. I don’t especially care for any of them, but it’ll be useful to have them around in this treacherous sea.’

  His gaze landed on Father Ignatius, who still appeared to be preparing his move.

  ‘Then I’ll simply have to prevent her from anymore large scale attacks. I’ll overwhelm her and have her fully concentrated on me!’

  With a few steps, he was right before Adredah once more. But this time, he concentrated the abyssal energy inside him in his legs.

  In a flash, he slammed his foot towards Adredah’s head.

  She narrowly raised her arms and blocked the kick, though the heavy blow still carried a strong impact, and she was sent flying and crashed into the mast.

  THUD

  Blood escaped from her mouth, and it pooled down her face. Her arm, which she used to block the kick, appeared slightly dislocated.

  “Y-You!!! I’ll tear your body limb from limb!”

  Adredah quickly stood up and regained her bearings. On her hands, the sharp nails grew thicker and sharper. They appeared more like beastly claws.

  She lunged towards Caspian, managing to slice a small part of his skin.

  As she relentlessly attacked, bits and pieces of Caspian’s flesh tore off.

  She grinned and slashed towards his abdomen.

  Caspian narrowly dodged backwards, losing his footing in the process.

  Adredah took advantage of this. She leaned in and opened her mouth, about to deliver a lethal shriek from close range.

  ‘Arghh! A shockwave from up close. Unlike last time, where she was further, this will be my end if this lands! Then…’

  Caspian intentionally remained in place.

  Adredah, thinking he had given up, put full force into her shriek. Soundwaves appeared in her mouth.

  Just as she was about to release them, Caspian swiftly took out his revolver, cocked the hammer, and shot her mouth.

  Adredah’s eyes widened. Unable to stop her shriek, she tried to take a step back.

  But she was too late. She watched helplessly as the bullet instantly pierced her mouth. The soundwaves turned into shockwaves, exploding in her mouth.

  Her ears instantly bursted and blood poured from her eyes and nose. Her mouth, clearly dislocated from the explosion, slightly remained open.

  Enraged, she delivered a lethal kick to Caspian’s stomach.

  Unable to react in time, Caspian was sent flying and crashed into wood.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Caspian’s head spun, and his abdomen ached with each movement he took in an attempt to stand up.

  He turned his attention to Adredah. She gripped her head with ferocious strength. Her eyes appeared even more deranged.

  The bullet, which was enveloped with Father Ignatius’s Abyssal powers, was seeping into her mind. Adredah deduced that the bullet that hit her head wasn’t as simple as she thought before. Her mind, which was usually organised and composed, became a jumbled mess as she suddenly found it hard to sort through her thoughts.

  “W-What have you done?! Right, that priest!”

  She then turned her head to Father Ignatius’s position. Caspian followed suit, curious about whether he had completed his spell.

  ‘Please tell me the spell is complete!’

  Father Ignatius stood still and chanted. His hands interlocked to form a circle; in the middle, a chaotic, shadowy aura was being refined.

  After he successfully formed the Shadowy Abyss into a pure and steady pitch-black sphere, Father Ignatius gazed at Adredah’s rapidly approaching figure and Caspian on the floor, holding his gut in pain.

  “You did well, Caspian. Leave the rest to me.” He swung his hand and threw the Abyssal sphere at Adredah. “Witness the power of an Ascendant stage Apprentice of the Abyss!”

  The black sphere flew towards Adredah.

  She extended both her hands to the Abyssal sphere. Following this, she shrieked, and the previous shockwaves from before had appeared, hoping to slow its impact.

  But due to her disfigured jaw from the explosion, the shockwaves had lost their previous strength.

  The Abyssal Sphere, upon making contact with the weak and ethereal shockwaves, continued its quick approach, undisturbed, before reaching Adredah.

  Before she could react, the dark sphere erupted into a shadow mist, enveloping Adredah’s body.

  Instantly, her body's flesh began dripping onto the floor. Chunks of her skin and muscle became a gruesome combination as they mixed and melted together.

  “M-My body! H-How could I, a great Harbinger of the Void Sea… To h-humans, and one

  Her voice, unlike the melodic, soothing tone from before, was monstrous and gruff. She was losing the allure that made her so beautiful upon death.

  “...T-Then before I perish, I’ll at least take you two with me!”

  Adredah’s body gradually turned darker. Her eyes were pitch black, and dark veins coursed through her skin.

  A look of panic spread throughout Father Ignatius’s face.

  “Not good! She’s planning on self-destructing!”

  Caspian immediately tried to get up. He placed his hand on his knee to prop himself up. Tumbling in the process.

  ‘Damn it, with the size of this ship, it’ll guarantee everyone will end up dead…’

  ***

  In the shadows of the ship, a man with a dark purple cloak smiled. “Hmm… I wasn’t expecting to find someone so capable here. Heh, the others will just have to forgive me.”

  He raised his hand, and numerous bright purple stars appeared. With a grin on his face, he sent them flying to Adredah.

  ***

  Adredah smirked crazily, the dark veins on her body gradually spread until they reached the entire ship. The veins pulsated, carrying a black substance inside.

  As she was about to burst the dark veins, she was suddenly surrounded by bright purple stars. They glistened and shone, lighting up the ship and the dark sea around it.

  ‘W-What?! This… No way, what is a Horseman doing here?!’

  “N-”

  The bright, purple stars spun and revolved around her body at breakneck speed. Then, they individually rushed towards Adredah’s body. Planting deep within her, her skin illuminated a dark purple glow.

  Before she could make any attempt to stop this, the stars suddenly exploded, turning her body into red mist.

  ***

  Caspian was startled. Surveying the ship, he couldn’t see any place where that attack might come from or who might be behind it.

  “To defeat someone that the entire crew struggled with… And with such ease at that. Not to mention, they completely hid from my enhanced eyesight.”

  As Caspian contemplated this mysterious figure, his heart began to beat rapidly. The darkness he felt in his soul started to seep into his body.

  “AARRRRGHH!!!”

  Caspian clutched his throbbing heart. His skin was a faint black, similar to Adredah moments before her doom.

  Father Ignatius, in a similar stunned state, turned his attention to Caspian and examined his state. He was not unfamiliar with what was happening to him.

  “Caspian, you must let go of the Abyss! You previously used it despite not having the body to withstand it, which is causing a backlash in your soul. Grasp it, and let go of it!”

  Caspian listened attentively despite being in excruciating pain. Blood escaped from his eyes and mouth. He closed his eyes in hopes of sensing the Abyss within.

  In his core, he felt the same dark energy that radiated from Father Ignatius, Adredah, and the mysterious Star attack.

  It was an unwavering flame. By the second, Caspian felt it grow increasingly potent. If he didn’t resolve this, he was going to be swallowed up by the Abyss.

  With his eyes closed, Caspian mentally grasped the Abyss. He was attempting to distance himself from it; however, it clung to him even more in the process.

  ‘Not good, the more I try to let go, the more it latches onto my soul. In that case… I’ll forcibly stabilize it!’

  In his core, Caspian retracted the flow of the Abyss that was seeping further into his limbs back to the origin point: his core. The once chaotic but small clump of Abyssal Energy grew in size. Caspian intuitively sensed that if he left things as they are, he’d be consumed by the Abyss in no time.

  Having retracted the Energy from his limbs, his body gradually regained its color.

  ‘Good. With the Abyssal Energy all in one place, I only have to deal with this clump of Energy. Hmm, now I should try to give it some form; perhaps that will deal with its chaotic fluctuations. Father Ignatius’s act of dealing with the Abyssal Energy before unleashing his attack might be viable for this.’

  The large and chaotic Abyssal Energy started circulating. It rotated at high speeds like a whirlwind. Caspian’s brain was under a load of pressure trying to maintain its state despite it spinning uncontrollably.

  ‘E-Endure.. When h-has anything ever been easy? C-Climb the treacherous m-mountain, and I will overlook the p-peak!’

  Caspian continued exerting his mental strength in stabilizing the spinning abyssal energy. Eventually, it gradually slowed down to a halt. Revealing a pure black and stable form. There were some slight fluctuations here and there, but compared to before, it was bearable.

  ‘I did it! I stabilized the Abyssal Energy!’

  Father Ignatius looked in shock.

  “You fool! I told you to release it from your body!”

  Caspian finally found the strength to stand up. He felt rejuvenated.

  “I tried, yet no matter how hard I attempted to release it from my soul, it only clung on more. So, I decided to take it in and make it my own. I seem to have stabilized it, to the best of my ability, anyway.”

  “...So how do you feel?”

  “With my current state, I can maintain the strength that you temporarily gave me with the Abyss. I just have to make sure I don’t overdo it. Yes, as long as I don’t overdo it…”

  Caspian sighed.

  ‘But with such powerful and terrifying people in this world, how can I only use strength temporarily… I’ll need to find a way to make this power my own, yes, I’ll properly acquire the Abyss to get stronger!’