Bonds of Darkness: Swordmen's Redemption

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Destiny's Edge

Note: Do read Chapter Fifty-Six before reading this, thank you.

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In the aftermath of an elemental tempest, the world lay in a state of altered reality, its essence trembling from the sheer force of unleashed powers. Amidst this chaos, Adabas materialized, her figure a paradox of childlike innocence and ancient wisdom, standing between Seris and Yara. Her gaze, piercing the veil of destruction, sighed at the sight of the dimension's scars.

"You claim to embody serenity itself, yet what I see suggests otherwise." Adabas remarked, her voice a melody woven with disappointment, as she surveyed the damage sprawling before her.

Jingliu's patience frayed at the edges, her spirit irked by the accusation. "The blame isn't mine alone; all of you unleashed your powers without restraint. Naturally, I was compelled to react in kind," she retorted, her voice laced with the weight of truth. She had mirrored their actions, a reflection of expectation, her restraint born from a deep-seated fear of her own potential.

Adabas, with a graceful wave of her finger, summoned petals that danced around it, crafting a spectacle of beauty amidst the desolation. "Now, now. Your fear is understandable, yet you should trust in us. You accuse us of unrestrained, but haven't you done the same? Clearly, there are external factors at play." The petals coalesced, forming a tiny globe of pink and red, a mimicry of Earth, complete with seas and lands.

Yara, her eyebrow arched in skepticism, couldn't hold back her thoughts. "You're making no sense. Why not simply say we need to conclude this swiftly? Has the Enigmata's fondness for riddles muddled your thinking?" Her words cut through the tension, a sharp reminder of their dire circumstances.

Seris, a silent observer until now, exhaled a sigh of weariness, her patience thinning like the ice beneath them, tired of their constant bickering.

Adabas, unphased, her eyes alight with the spectrum of rainbows, retorted, "I'm hardly the one tampering with the fundamental nature of living entities and their Order. The 'nonsense' you attribute to me is, indeed, my own, not yours." Her words, cryptic as ever, hinted at a truth only she could see.

The Nighthilt Sovereign, Jingliu, had heard enough. "It seems you all believe we have limitless time to discuss... shall we proceed?" Her words, firm and laden with authority, shifted the air, drawing the focus of Adabas and Yara, who seemed momentarily taken aback.

Seris, revealing her visage by removing her hood, unleashed a transformation that captivated all. The frost that lingered around her dissipated, giving way to black flames that morphed into a scythe of pure fire in her grasp.

Jingliu, observing this, realized it wasn't just a transformation but a revelation—a price for a pact with a Great One, perhaps?

Adabas, seizing the moment of distraction, clapped her hands, her figure beginning to fade. "Ah, dear Jingliu, being distracted now was your folly. I hereby claim dominion over this dimension." Her voice, echoing with a newfound authority, marked the beginning of her dominion.

"Just as you offered Icaria a minute of your time, we're granting you three minutes. Fail to overcome Seris and Yara within that span, and I'll obliterate this dimension, invoking the power of Red and Black," Adabas proclaimed, her figure vanishing in a cascade of red petals, her presence, however, omnipresent.

'Red and Black?' The terms were foreign to Jingliu, yet she knew better than to underestimate the Enigmata's unorthodox nature.

Now, her focus shifted to Seris and Yara, who stood ready, weapons in hand. The doppelganger charged, her scythe swirling with a deadly elegance against the icy remnants of Jingliu's previous battle.