One Eventually Finds Translucence In A Nebulous World

"We are part of your faction, Mistress." One admitted, and they aren't lying. "However, we must convince you to halt these attacks. The other Grims will soon awaken from their foolishness, you do not need to drag yourself along their fall."

I could see the number signs on the middle of their collars. None of the past servants I've killed so far have the first number on them, which means they've either been hiding considering my faction only has a few number compared to other Grims' factions, or just letting how all of this play out. I rolled my eyes at this.

"Where were you the last thirty minutes? You may be small in number, but I was so certain there were at least fifty of you, as Azto kept track." I wondered, shifting my gaze back to the wall. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter." I touched the blocking wall, sensing it sapping my energy off me.

"Mistress, please stop this." Another pleaded, walking beside me as he held my shoulder. "Or we will have to force you--"

I grabbed his neck, slamming him hard over the wall that created a small crack on the metal. He doesn't have any energy that's why the wall doesn't have any effect on his constitution. I held his neck tighter, his veins almost popping out on his forehead at the lack of air as his hands attempted to get mine off. The others simply watched, hesitating on what to do.

"What was that? You forcing me to stop?" I shook my head. "How can nobody of you understands that you are weak? All of you are, and yet you still hope to stop me?"

The poor man gagged for air, but he wasn't getting any as life slowly left him after a few seconds, his neck lengthening at how hard I was holding it. I dropped the body, and along with it was the wall lifting back up to the ceiling. It made me think I was right, after all.  My energy was radiating around me, and I can't really push it all back inside since it only ever reacts on my emotions and right now, I'm still angry. That's why the wall will only ever open to those those who cannot manipulate spiritual energy.

Still, there was another wall around ten meters from where I stood, which means these walls could go on and I need more of these servants. Destroying them is near impossible for me. I may have an overwhelming spiritual energy but my strength is greatly base on that same energy. With my energy useless against the blocking system, my strength may as well be. Though thankfully, I have plenty of spares to use. With that in mind, I turned around and smiled playfully at the rest.

"You wouldn't mind doing a favour for me, would you?" I asked, walking towards the group.

"We will stand our grounds, Mistress. We will stop you." With what he said, all of them pulled out a gun and began shooting.

"How pitiful." I raised my hand, a layer of barrier forming before their bullets could have managed to pass.

I pushed the layer forward, the barrier immediately wrapping around them into a tight cage. I quickly clenched my hand into a ball of fist, the barrier squeezing them until they screamed in pain, their bodies pressed against one another and just like that, they exploded inside the tightening barrier.

Their insides were sliding over the transparency of my barrier, like a squeezed ketchup with its content boiling inside that tore the lead and container open. Blood and flesh littered on the floor the moment I made the barrier disappear, it was absolutely horrifyingly pleasuring to witness.

I've always just let these people get the better of me, always ignoring their murmurs and slanders whenever I walked through these halls. I ignored them because I was more focused on doing what I need to finish, and for three years I let them do them all do what they want. These damn servants underestimated me because I never retaliated. I even ignored the poisons in my foods and drinks for three years now, those Grims thinking they could kill me just like that in a peaceful manner.

I would even just laugh it off whenever they intentionally forget sending my meals, or accidentally spill drinks on my robe, or even go as far as failing in cleaning my room every twice a week. The third one did annoy me though, for I greatly dislike it when my private chamber isn't clean. Of course, all of those were just silly offences and thus, I didn't seriously mind. But in exchange, they took for granted how I was the First Grim, they did not respect me because they didn't know what I was capable of.

It was my fault, I know I was the one to blame for being too lenient--for nor caring. But they took it too far today. If I was in my normal self, I wouldn't necessarily have to deal with them like this. I would just normally ignore it and do what I needed to do, but they chose to anger me now of all days.

"You can't blame me..." I whispered, it was as though they were still listening when I know they're already dead. "It's all your fault."

I touched my head, feeling it throb just now, like a crack slowly spreading along my forehead down to the back of my skull. These headaches were the reason I lost consciousness for two weeks, appearing every single time I use my energy. It's like my body was telling me that there's this certain limit, that even if I have a large energy capacity, it doesn't mean I can handle using it.

I already know that though, since the beginning. The constant headaches would eventually become a growing ache that would spread all over my muscles, it's the kind of pain that won't go away no matter how much I cancel out my senses. It would seem like my body had suddenly weighed too heavy that it would be so much harder to move, until I lose my consciousness again-- my body finally resetting naturally.

This overwhelming power, the reason I can't use it to its full potential is because no humans can ever truly. Nether energy wasn't meant to be harnessed in the first place, pure and dark wasn't meant to be blended in, both energies were created to go against one another, not to mix like this.

However, in order to survive from transferring worlds before and that world's great lack of spiritual energy needed for me to live, my body had created a system inside me to filter both pure and dark. As a result, my life force became able to exude nether energy. In other words, me capable of harnessing this kind of power was only an accident but without this accident ever happening, I would have already died long time ago.

I already have a massive energy capacity, but for that whole capacity to be filled with nether energy, it's greatly affecting my health, especially knowing my insides have already been exposed to it for how many years now. I would always cancel out my sense of pain before whenever I overuse my energy, but it was only recently these past three years that my ability had become useless against it.

"That is such disgusting sight." A voice behind me spoke.

I blinked, my throbbing headache becoming a little bearable now. I turned around, noticing the walls had all finally lifted up to see a familiar man walking out of his hiding spot, with a few servants following behind him. It took me a moment to realize I've already probably been standing here for quite some time now, forgetting what I was originally doing. I was contemplating on looking for another servant because I apparently forgot to leave one of these people alive to open the walls for me, seems like I don't need to deal with those at all now.

"It doesn't have to be." I replied, swirling the wine glass on my left grip. "Finally tired of hiding? The hide and seek game was just getting exciting though."

"You are clearly a lunatic if you're enjoying this." He scowled, his face distorting into disgust, an expression that has always amused me. "Everything would have been much more easier if you had just stayed put as you always have."

"You chose the wrong day to do your little coup d'état, apparently." I shrugged. "However, a coup of all things. I did not expect you would go this far just to eliminate me."

"You may think we are doing this because we do not like you--"

"Which is a fact."

"It is. But we are not that petty. This generation of Grims do not particularly go well together, we do not like each other."

"So there's another reason for this?"

"The previous Grims, the former First Master Clerix' batch, had a traitor amongst them that had been working for the World's Organization. We were just an apprentice back then, but he was a lot like you. So fixated in taking down enemies, so obsessed with his passions that all of us fell to his charms saying he would finally serve Grimhouse's purpose of defeating the World as long as we follow him, the Second Master--so much that he drove the entire Sect nearly into a trap."

I scoffed,  frowning at him. "You think those towers I designed were for you instead of them, is what you're assuming."

"You do not understand. We are merely taking precautions. His fellow Grims died because of the all-out war against the enemy. If it hadn't been for Master Clerix, the Grimhouse Four would have already been eradicated then and there."

"You respect him, yet you do not trust his decision of relenting me his title."

"Although that incident happened over seventy years ago, the Sect still has that same fear of it happening once again, and we see it in you. We see a war, history taking place once more because of your fixation and obsession. We have always dealt with the World's Organization subtly in secret, but what you are planning with those towers will result to another all-out war and we cannot let you sacrifice the entire Sect."

"But isn't the purpose of the Sect is to defeat the World's Organization? What's wrong with sacrificing you all for the sake of serving that purpose?"

He sighed, the other servants behind him murmuring amongst themselves. "Can't you see? This is why you must be eliminated. The Sect is not just some kind of an army that will bend for your every word and order as the First. Everyone here is our brothers and sisters, our daughters and sons. This is not just an organization, it is a home for thousands of people working together to achieve a purpose in this world."

"So? Am I supposed to follow that ideology now?" I chuckled.

This wasn't the reason I expected them to come up, yet I also know he wasn't lying. They simply want to eliminate me because I will bring harm to their beloved Sect, and they're right. That's not something I'll come denying when it's a fact. Once those towers are completed, the people in this entire Sect will become my sacrificial pawns, pieces I'll use to conquer my enemies.

Most may not have spiritual energy, but they're overwhelming in numbers that surely they'll manage. And that's what these Grims are trying to prevent; annihilation. But if they won't become my own army, what use are they to me?

"We have been planning this coup for three years now, since the very few months you've arrived in our sacred organization and Master Clerix suddenly giving up his title." He admitted openly. "All your meals and drinks have been poisoned so far, it was never meant to kill you, it was meant to weaken you."

"As you can see though," I smirked. "Your poisons did not work. The nether energy inside me body automatically erases anything that harms my meridians."

"I am now aware, a big mistake in our part." He nodded. "I still must ask of you to step down, Mistress Ke'ala Feyree--the First Grim of the House. The entire Sect asks of you to surrender your title. We, too, are prepared to relent our titles to our apprentices as long as you do, it is only fair we sacrifice our own authorities all the same."

"I'm sorry," I said genuinely. "But I can't do that." I could only smile as his serious façade turned into that of anger. "The very first moment Clerix passed his title to me, all your lives are already under mine. Which means I can do whatever I want with this Sect in order to achieve its purpose of finally defeating the World's Organization once and for all."

"Master Clerix would never sell the lives of his brothers and sisters just for you to sacrifice." One servant spoke, his voice told me he, too, is angry.

"Oh but he did." I replied promptly. "He was getting tired of all these secrecy, scheming, plannings, and pretensions that never came to be because his Sect lacked the courage to take the step, all because of the fear this 'home' of yours will be destroyed."

"Well, it's a war, you'll have to get used to the destruction it results. You can't just defeat an enemy without sacrificing anything on your side. That's an elementary knowledge, by the way. Kids who play chess even use that ideology all just the same." I continued, sighing at my own words. "But it just seems to me you simply just do not care about defeating the enemy. You just want to play 'family' in this Sect and not go to any war at all."

"Preposterous." He said immediately. "We just want our people to be safe, and we won't actually have to kill you if you just cooperate."

"That safety causes you fear, and why would I cooperate if it means abandoning everything I've worked until now?" I insisted. "Whatever. If you won't yield, I'll simply make you."

"So it seems." He agreed, straightening himself now as both his hands moved to his back. "Apprehend her."

The five men behind him started moving forward, each of them were radiating pure spiritual energy, but their energies weren't natural, they were coming from something else. With that knowledge, I immediately noticed the chains attached on their backs that scourged deeply into their flesh as hinted by the small sign of blood dropping from their backs. While the other end of the chains were on the Third Master Erwin's hands on his back.

"So you can't only suck energy with your chain magic," I inquired. "You can also give them off. Interesting."

"Perceptive." He said with a small smile.

I avoided an incoming attack. It was a sword that almost hit my arm. But there's also something different with their weapons, they were radiating with something I can't quite decipher, and these weapons were able to cut through the waves of energy I was sending them. I ducked, another sword passing by overhead as I touched the ground, exuding energy to it.

"Those are created solely to fight against nether energy. We have been on a constant threat against nether for so many years now that we have made some of our own adjustments to survive from it. You, a person who is capable of using this particular energy, won't be able to get out of this easily. Surrender, First Grim Ke'ala. You do not have to make us end your own life despite the slaughters you did to our brothers and sisters."

"I urge you not to jump to the conclusion of this fight, Mister Johnsonian." I carefully leaped back, touching the wall this time, also careful not to spill the blood from the glass wine or it would be a waste otherwise. I'm looking forward the most in seeing Darvalli Zesc drink this.

"Hmph." He scoffed, raising the level of the energy he was sending to his five servants. "Let us not waste more time and be done with this."

I swiftly moved past the five men, dodging their attacks as though I was dancing, still minding the glass on my left grip. Eventually, I touched the last floor corner of the area where Erwin stood before he jumped away, probably thinking I was going to attack him. I smirked, finally relaxing my stance as I let all of them go to my direction.

But with a snap, lines appeared on the floor where the magic circle I planted earlier were, the lines eventually connecting to one another. The floor glowed in blue, forming into a triangle where the five of them stood frozen, their bodies unable to move. The chains immediately broke off, and the next thing I know was them screaming in complete agony as they held the weapon.

"I see." I commented, going back to swirling the glass. "These weapons won't work unless they are being used by people with energy. I must commend your creation though, a weapon that can cut through nether, huh? Quite impressive."

"Enough with treating everything as a game, Ke'ala." Erwin sternly demanded.

"But you're clearly underestimating the extent of nether energy." I raised my hand, the triangle-shaped magic circles beginning to spin.

A few moments later, the spinning triangle rose above their heads, and I smiled when they cried out again, the intense radiation of heat burning them and as the magic circles spun back to the floor, the five men i side had already disappeared along with their screams. That was the first time I actually used that kind of spell, I didn't think it was that easy.

"When did you learn such a spell?"

"Ah, you bathe around in Dark Arts, too, don't you? It's only natural for you to be curious." I faced him. "To answer your question, I might have read a book or two about forbidden spells back at Magnus and blended some law formations with similar concepts together from the book my previous aide has." I admitted, referring to Lucis' spell book and I only realized some time after that they were actually original and advance theorized spells that hasn't been out to practice yet. But for that one particular spell to actually work, it really was impressive.

"You are a wasted potential. You could have been a genius who helped with the advancement of magic theory and yet you chose to be...this, of all things."

My eyebrow raised in amusement. "For your enlightenment, they did not vanish. They were simply incinerated by the intensity of the energy until not even a trace was left. It wouldn't have worked that well if they had energy wrapped around themselves like we energy-based people have. Despite that, it does not take a genius to mix the right formations."

"Do not get ahead of yourself." Erwin lifted his hand and swiped the air from right to left. Four small magic circles appeared where his hand had swiped as they glowed in black. "I am still ultimately the Third Master."

I immediately countered the chains that appeared on his magic circles by creating my own circle right in front of me, blocking his attacks. When mages fight against one another, that one who can chant or form a law formation first often wins. Mages literally have to form magic circles at every little magic they do, except for those who are so used to their own magic or have plenty of energy to spare that some don't need magic circles.

However, a magic without a circle is like drawing a formation without anything to write those numbers and patterns on, and even if they manage to do it, the result of the spell would still be weak compared to the spells done with an actual circle. And for the past few minutes now, he has been constantly making law formations now and imprinting them on magic circles--and the fact he's doing that so fast as though he was easily breathing those spells were impressive.

I could only summon my barrier, blocking his barrage of random spells. I couldn't even make my own spell properly due to how fast his attacks were becoming. He opened his palm that summoned a large white circle, dozens of ice lances appearing from them. I quickly summoned my dual blade from my right, my left not really letting go of the wine glass. In fact, the only reason I find it hard to counter him was because of this. Still, I just know it'll be worth holding unto this 'till the end.

My barrier broke, making me swirl my sword around my