Rhine stood in silence, unsealing the vessel that harbored the collected aether.
Upon the opening of this extraordinary container, the aether would swiftly dissipate without specialized thods of absorption. Yet, Rhine was acutely aware that Marlina wielded a power that would not squander even a fraction of this precious essence.
It was a power that Rhine had long coveted, yet remained forever beyond its grasp.
The ebon witch raised her left hand, adorned with a serpentine ring.
The ring's design was the epito of the macabre - not a circular band, but a "snake's head." The wearer's finger passed through the serpent's maw, where four fangs pressed against flesh, nearly embedding themselves within, as if poised to devour even the one who bore it, in a display of insatiable voracity.
In the instant the aether surged forth from the vessel like a tempestuous tide, the serpent ring suddenly clamped shut, its four fangs piercing deep into Marlina's ring finger!
Having tasted the flesh of its bearer, the bestial visage, emblematic of abyssal monstrosities… awakened.
A colossal, spectral serpent coiled around Marlina, its exultant roar resonating with unbridled ecstasy. It gaped wide its maw, yearning to engulf all power within its greedy gullet. In but a breath… it unleashed a maelstrom within the expansive chamber!
The harvested aether had no chance to disperse before being swept up by the cyclone, instantly swallowed by the serpent's maw. The mountain of magic crystals shattered with thunderous cracks, their latent aether brutally extracted without any arcane finesse, leaving them utterly depleted!
Such a terrifying quantity, at such a terrifying rate, would cause extraordinary beings below the fifth stage to rupture in re seconds.
Even one as gifted as Seraphina could not possibly consu such a deluge of aether in so brief a span. Yet Marlina accomplished this feat… not only with ease but with apparent relish, as if savoring every mont.
Marlina, the Head of Devouring, flushed with satisfaction, her eyes closed in rapture, reveling in this sensation of infinite fullness. In a re dozen seconds, she had devoured the vast reserves of aether to the last drop!
Yet the serpent's appetite remained unquenched. As the aether's presence rapidly waned, it coiled ever tighter around Marlina's form. Its massive head turned slowly, its obsidian eyes glinting with dark radiance... reflecting Rhine's image.
The gargantuan maw stretched into a terrifying grin that could induce syncope. The serpent's head inched forward, driven by its unslaked thirst and greed!
Rhine witnessed this transformation and began to tremble, gripped by fear, desperate to flee from this woman who had beco the avatar of so eldritch horror. Yet it found itself paralyzed, unable to escape.
As a trusted subordinate of Ansel, Rhine knew that the Head of Devouring of Hydral was exceptionally unique.
This head, symbolizing the essence of the frenzied [Beast], represented Hydral's insatiable hunger for power. It was the emblem of Hydral's origin from the abyss and ultimate return to it. Legend spoke of an ancient Hydral who, in its final monts, was driven to such madness that it consud all other heads with the Head of Devouring, unifying nine into one in a desperate bid for ultimate transcendence!
The veracity of this legend remained uncertain, but if the Head of Devouring exhibited such frenzy when Hydral was whole, should Hydral bestow this power upon another being incapable of mastering it...
They would fall prey to its ravenous hunger, becoming re puppets in an endless pursuit of power.
Precisely for this reason, Hydral's Head of Devouring was best suited to creatures aligned with the bestial elent, their minds and essence in perfect harmony with this power. Otherwise, one would be rcilessly consud.
Rhine, targeted by the serpent's gaze, found no escape. It was certain that any attempt to flee would result in being torn asunder by that ravenous maw, which might even devour its own master.
Had Marlina... been consud?
You idiot! Worthless woman! If you lack even this level of skill, what right have you to be the Head of Devouring? Lord Ansel must have been mad to bestow this ring upon—
"You mustn't eat Lady Rhine just yet."
A gentle whisper interrupted Rhine's internal tirade.
"As long as Lady Rhine holds value for Mr. Ansel, it is not to be considered prey."
Gradually, Rhine felt the predatory aura dissipate.
It watched, dumbfounded, as the serpentine shadow coiled around Marlina slowly retracted, abandoning its intent to devour Rhine.
This woman... had she truly mastered the Head of Devouring with such mundane aptitude?!
As Rhine grappled with this absurdity, an even more preposterous event unfolded.
Marlina, who had just consud an oceanic, boundless quantity of aether, now found her power... receding! Diminishing at a rate even more terrifying than that of the Head of Devouring's consumption!
This was not the crux of the matter; Rhine knew the destination of this extracted aether, or it wouldn't be here now. The true shock ca as the montarily sated Head of Devouring, having barely achieved satiation, suddenly lost its fleeting sense of fullness. In an instant, it lost all control, its maw gaping wide in fury, lunging directly for Marlina's head!
"How... troubleso," the ebony witch sighed with re annoyance in this life-or-death mont.
Crack—
Not the sound of Marlina's neck snapping or spine shattering.
But the sound of the fang-embedded ring being forcibly pried open by Marlina's hand!
The fangs, once buried in her ring finger, returned to their previous state of rely grazing her skin. The serpent's head, poised to entirely devour Marlina's skull, froze in place.
"You are the power bestowed upon by Mr. Ansel. No matter how greedy or maddened you beco, you are ultimately destined to offer everything to him, are you not?"
Marlina raised her head, her gaze fixed upon the obsidian serpent's head.
"Or perhaps..."
Her voice suddenly turned glacial, deathly, like a malevolent spirit from the netherworld or a demon from the deepest abyss.
"You wretched beast..." The witch's face contorted with cruel, violent malice. "Do you dare contemplate rebellion against your master?" Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
Ebony patterns, like thorns and ashes, slowly writhed across Marlina's face, emanating an aura that nearly compelled Rhine to flee in terror.
It was the essence of the Hydral closest to destruction, to finality, most beloved by the abyss—the very breath of the abyss itself!
Even the most defiant and rapacious beast must bow before this presence, before one who could perfectly embody this essence, even if she were rely a vessel.
"Very good, very good... good child," Marlina gently caressed the massive serpent's head as it slowly lowered.
"All aether, all power, belongs neither to you nor to , but solely to Mr. Ansel."
"Everything is Mr. Ansel's. Rember this."
The serpentine shadow, as if tad, flicked its tongue, lightly licking Marlina's cheek.
"..."
Rhine stared, dumbfounded, at this spectacle, unable to articulate what it had witnessed.
Marlina... couldn't possibly have overwheld the Head of Devouring's power with Ansel's aura alone. Having embraced the Head of Devouring's power, their conflict was not a re clash of raw strength, but a battle of wills!
How could the Head of Devouring relinquish its greed rely because "everything belongs to Ansel"? It existed to devour all for Hydral's sake—how could it compromise with a being incapable of mastering it, simply due to its inherent nature?
Marlina... how had she subdued this madness and greed?
"Let us proceed," Marlina waved her hand.
The now-pacified serpentine shadow resud its frenzied consumption of the constantly flowing aether. The current influx couldn't match the Head of Devouring's appetite, yet this didn't diminish its chilling visage as it absorbed the essence.
"My sincerest apologies, Lady Rhine," the woman said, caressing her left cheek adorned with dark patterns.
She tilted her head slightly, sighing, "This is my first ti wielding the Head of Devouring's power. I hope you'll forgive the unseemly display."
"It truly is... quite the unruly child."
"I..."
Rhine opened its mouth, but words failed it.
After a prolonged silence, it lowered its head, much like the Head of Devouring had monts ago, and spoke with utmost reverence: "No, your talent is... truly compelling."
"Talent?" Marlina chuckled, "I possess no such thing. It's rely... well, nevermind. You may consider it talent if you wish."
She didn't pursue the topic further, instead placing her hand on the glass vessel and speaking softly:
"We'll need more aether for Mr.Ansel's continued campaign. If we exhaust our supply here, then... Hm?"
Thud—
Following Marlina's slightly puzzled murmur, the sound of sothing heavy treading the corridor echoed from the area's entrance.
Rhine instinctively turned to look, and saw soone who shouldn't—absolutely shouldn't—be here.
"Lady Rhine."
The woman entwined with shadows and serpents calmly said before Rhine could express its shock, "You may leave now. I'll handle things from here."
"...Understood," Rhine replied without further comnt, wisely vanishing in a few flickers. It knew well that it had no right to participate in or even listen to what was about to unfold.
This was a clash between two pact heads, and more importantly, a confrontation… between sisters who had chosen different paths.
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