Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Viccil emerged out of the compound Territory, and her state was less than appealing. Her body was mostly covered in thick, wooden bark – shaped like bulky armor – but that didn't seem to have deterred the visceral blows she had received while fighting the lanky, square-jawed man before her. Blood was gushing from several gashes over the bark that left her real armor and flesh exposed, seeming to have done no better job against whatever had been flung her way within the Territory, rather, Territories.

It appeared in the battle of expelled domains, she had not fared too well.

As she coughed a mouthful of blood from behind her veil, Viccil collapsed to her knees. 

Her opponent looked extremely tired, but he found enough mirth on his tongue to amuse himself with silent jests about his enemy. Now, all that was left, was to finish her off. He had won all else, hadn't he?

Unfortunately, that was not easily done.

It might have been very easily forgotten by lesser combatants, but there were several prices to pay for using Majestic Territories, after all, they were taught to humans by the beasts of Sacred Forests, and weren't an inherent part of the Incandescent Stage initially.

To create one required a massive amount of Nitros, which could be produced by condensing mana to its limit. In the olden days, powerful experts deemed that using Creeds to double one's sum of mana would suffice for the creation of a Territory, and somewhere along the line – in the time that followed this discovery – it was defined such that calling out the name of one's Territory, would be the command that spurned one's Creeds to be used in order to double one's mana volume at once – streamlining the process of Territory activation.

As such, following the use of a Territory, the toll of suddenly gaining double the amount of resources, only to use them all up in one fell swoop, would catch up to the Territory User in full force, inflicting first, unbearable exhaustion.

The feeling was especially grueling when the cast Territory failed to finish the job.

That was why the square-jawed Incandescent Stager standing before Viccil swayed a little.

"You were… surprisingly resilient. But that was all…" the man said with a cocky sneer.

Viccil panted hard.

"Well, then thank goodness I'm not alone…" she said.

…!!!

The whistling of a sword came for the lanky Maqian, quick and vivacious.

Yet, somehow, he managed to duck and side step its following assault, much to Sevill's dismay. 

She had found the optimum chance to swoop in and save her fellow Sif, only for her exhausted prey to somehow show incredible tenacity, even while experiencing what was commonly known among all Territory users, as the Poison of Majesty. 

"Another enters the fray. Come on! Give me a better show!' the man grinned as he roared.

Sevill scoffed while she swung her slender jian around. To think this man was so zealous even while being devoid of a single drop of mana.

"I'll send you off with a bang!' she said, but she didn't advance. Instead, she backed away and threw her hand forward, pointing towards the square-jawed man. "Hear me, O Quintess, devour my enemies beneath, so that they may never again see the light of day!"

The Maqian instantly tensed.

A blessing?

Suddenly, below his feet…

Wait…

There was nothing below his feet!

"Aaaah!"

The man screamed as he fell. The ground had opened up under his feet, as though it had never existed, revealing a depth of no end which he dropped into. 

The man descended until he could see no light. 

Until he saw only darkness and grew sick of the insurmountable void.

…

Sevill walked to a square-jawed man laying on the wet ground. He kept convulsing and flailing his limbs, as though having a nightmare.

All the man had seen, was false.

In reality, the world never opened up to receive him. 

Sevill's blessing induced the potent illusion of such. Just that single, simple illusion. It worked particularly well on experts who weren't too adept at sensing their surroundings beyond their normal, enhanced senses. Most Form Users, for instance.

TCH!

Sevill's sword penetrated the man's brain, ending his life.

"Job well done."

Sevill turned to see Skullius walking towards her and Viccil, who also turned.

"Lord Luminant!" they both called.

"Looks like things turned very chaotic here," Skullius said as he watched through the agonizing trees the ugly image of what the Wonderfall Torrents had become. Darwel's great mansion had sustained more damage than before, and the clear pools around it were now stained in the blood of several experts along with many Sif servants who had been unfortunate enough to be in the thick of the battles.

Shannazah and Kudobtu were nowhere in sight.

"The Maqian soldiers… they are very strong," Viccil said as she pushed herself off the ground. "I can tell, what we have been fighting are the average combatants. A mere Master almost got the better of me last time – an assassin back in Genhuis who was sent to kill Lady Darwel."

Skullius rubbed his neck.

"I can imagine that they only sent a few powerhouses with a boatload of 'mediocre' fighters. In any case, I've seen who they really sent to stir things up over here," Skullius said.

Both Viccil and Sevill nervously looked at him.

"What?" the latter said in surprise.

"Indeed," Skullius nodded, and then he pointed towards Viccil, and a golden, half a skull mark appeared just below her neck.

She blinked as she felt for it, having noticed that a spark of light had touched her skin.

The same happened to Sevill.

"To stand a chance against who we up against, strong or mediocre, you'll need these. Hmmm I wonder if I can mark every Sif on Opungale. That's probably a bit too much…" Skullius said more to himself than the two staring at him curiously.

"Uhm… Lord Luminant. What are these?" Viccil asked.

"We'd also like to know…" 

From the desecrated entrance to the mansion, Maxim and Vali walked out – well, the latter sauntered.

"Oh, you're still alive?" Skullius turned and smiled.

"That's rude," Maxim said as she brushed chunks of dirt off her pink hair.

Vali wore her seductive smile as always, and when she saw the Bashful Abomination in Skullius' hand, it grew wider – rather, wilder.

"How is it? I didn't exactly get a chance for a review," she asked.

Skullius grinned.

"It's pretty neat."