Abyssal Awakening

The vault itself was split into five sections with the Artifact section located on the right-hand side.

Glancing back, Alice could see Erick gesturing for her to go ahead and pick something that she liked.

There were two options for Alice right now. First, pick an artifact and call it a day. Second, she could check out the different Abyss Blood and find something that suited her!

She wasn\'t sure if drinking Abyss Blood that had been kept in a vial would hold the same result. But if it was indeed successful and she could \'extract\' a Sigil from it then it would be worth it. She had never succeeded before but there were always exceptions.

But compared to an Artifact, Abyss Blood was still lacking.

Making her way to the right side, most of the Artifacts on display were weapons, grimoires or shields. Each Artifact was encased in a glass display and beneath, their name and effect were written down.

[Lothim\'s Rapier – Intermediate Grade]

Increases physical attributes, especially speed.

Increases stabbing speed tremendously.

Each stab leaves behind a mark.

Each slash detonates the mark.

The most Artifacts could be classified into three grades. Low, Intermediate and High grades. Anything higher, even if it is Artifacts, was hard to come by.

\'What grade do you think Void Fang would be considered as?\' Alice asked curiously as Cayla contemplated the answer.

[Based on its usual properties, I would say it\'s Peak Grade. Above High grades are Peak, Legend, Myth and then Holy grade. While its properties are certainly amazing, being able to turn into any weapon with enough blood and durability to withstand Void Flux – Cleave, it was lacking to properly manifest as a Legend ranked Artifact. But since Velouria has upgraded it, it\'s definitely Legend grade.]

If Void Fang had a display like the Artifacts in Erick\'s vault, it would be like this:

[Void Fang – Legendary Grade]

After absorbing blood, can take any form.

After absorbing blood, increases lethality.

After absorbing blood, enhances and adapts to the user\'s Sigil powers.

Significantly enhances Violet Flame abilities.

Significantly enhances Void Flux attacks.

Decreases energy used to manifest Violet Flames and Void Flux attacks.

Returns to user\'s hand if recalled.

Superior Durability.

After all, Velouria modified the weapon so that it suited Alice\'s fighting style. A style that revolves around using her Void Flux and violet flames.

If it wasn\'t for the fact that she hasn\'t fully bonded with the weapon, it may as well be her Personal Artifact!

Browsing through the different High grade Artifacts, Alice furrowed her brows as all of them had useful abilities.

Weapons that could help her breach defences, armour that enhanced her fighting capabilities and grimoires that summoned beasts to her aid.

In the end, Alice narrowed down her choices to three Artifacts.

A sword, a staff and a floating shard.

The Sword was crafted from a crystalline material with a cross guard embedded with a blue crystal.

[Sword of Frost – High Grade]

- Passively enhances all physical attacks with cold energy.

- Absorbs energy to coat the blade in a layer of ice to enter an enhanced state.

- During the enhanced state, the user can release aura blades with devastating cold energy.

- Create a blizzard zone by stabbing the sword into the ground, hindering movement except for the user. Ice blades are created in the ground for the user to use.

- Absorbs blood to enter a breakout state. Breakout state enhances physical attributes and casting abilities. Swords manifest around the user and bend to the user\'s will.

At first, the blade simply looked like a standard weapon that was better than usual but what caught Alice\'s eye was the breakout state. In this state, it enhanced physical attributes and casting abilities.

Meaning, in this state, her Void Flux and Void Flux – Cleave would become more devastating!

Even if she doesn\'t use this weapon as it\'s intended, just having the breakout state is enough for her to consider this to be her choice.

The staff was made from a black material that pulsed with a bloody red in the gaps. Secured at the rob was a swirling red orb covered by a jagged claw.

[Blood Moon Staff – High Grade]

- Boosts casting speed of Blood, Lunar and Blood Moon abilities.

- Boosts spell power of Blood, Lunar and Blood Moon abilities.

- Decreases energy consumption of Blood, Lunar and Blood Moon abilities.

- With every cast of Blood, Lunar and Blood Moon abilities, stores charges. Once enough charges are gathered, activates Blood Moon realm.

- Blood Moon realm is a short duration area of effect ability that reduces the consumption of all Blood, Lunar and Blood Moon abilities to near zero. Enhances Speed and Power immensely.

For Alice, this staff allowed her to boost her most versatile ability, her blood manifestation and control. Boosting the casting speed and power meant her Void Flux, which was created through a mix of her blood and violet flames, would be enhanced!

Not only that, but the Blood Moon Realm meant that she could use the special properties of her second Sigil without limit for a short duration. Just the thought of being able to constantly abuse the effects of her red spider lilies and violet flame tempted Alice to take this staff.

And finally, a single floating shard.

Usually, one would stop at the previous two mentions due to the immediate benefits they grant to Alice\'s skills and power. However, after seeing the shard, Alice was swayed.

A simple floating shard that looked as though it used to be part of a mirror. A shard with a splintered centre surrounded by vines and flowers.

Compared to the other two, this Artifact was… lacking in abilities. While the others had five features, this one only held three.

[Shard of Kara – High Grade (Damaged)]

- Can form a shield using the user\'s Sigil power.

- Automated defence that can be manipulated.

- Absorbs stamina and energy to block attacks.

A damaged Artifact yet still preserving the rank of High grade simply due to its defensive capabilities.

While Alice was an agile fighter who avoided taking damage whenever she could, now that her right eye is blinded, gaps will no doubt appear.

Her blood and metal manifestation can defend her to a certain extent but it was still lacking. Since she had plenty of firepower, she needed a survival tool and this shard was the perfect tool for her.

Not only that, but the third ability to absorb her stamina and energy to block an attack could turn out to be more helpful than she expected. However, she needed to limit-test the durability of this shard to truly understand its value.

[The shard will help you tide over this period where you\'re not used to your current vision.] Cayla suggested while Alyss shook her head.

\'The shield is good but we\'ll unlock the eye eventually, right? Wouldn\'t the sword or staff be better? While the staff doesn\'t suit me, it\'s better for you who focuses on casting abilities.\' Alyss reminded as Alice folded her arms.

After a long moment of contemplation, Alice still chose the shard in the end simply to act as a means of survival.

Their regeneration is strong but they can\'t be relying on it all the time. Especially for abilities that latch onto their bones and hinder regeneration.

When both options take her stamina, it is better to block than to tank the strike.

Taking the shard out of the vault, Alice showed it to Erick who nodded his head.

"Shard of Kara, a good choice. It\'ll help cover your blind spot since your eye is damaged right now." He smiled while Michael closed the vault.

Alice felt a little regretful since she wanted to leave a tracker in order to find the vault in the Void but it was too risky to pull off right now.

"Did you know that this Shard used to be a Peak grade Artifact that was given to a member of the main family? But after it was damaged, it was downgraded to High grade and the drain for the third effect is exceptionally high. Regardless, it\'s still a good defensive tool." He explained while Alice affixed the shard to her hair as a hairpin.

Closing her eyes, she funnelled some of her energy into the shard while using Tiamat\'s power.

Detaching itself from her hair, the shard shattered into several small pieces that acted as anchor points while an illusionary barrier appeared beside her.

"Oh~" Alice blinked her eyes in wonder while knocking the shield with her finger.

Hearing the echo, she retracted her energy and the shard returned back to normal.

\'The energy drain is a little steep but if I focus on blocking a strike the instant it\'s about to hit, I should be able to reduce the impact to some extent.\' Alice thought to herself before turning to Erick with a grin.

Now that she\'s picked her High grade Artifact, what\'s left is the Personal Artifact.

The reward that she had been looking forward to the most yet also had the most questions about. After all, how could the Zenias mass produce a Personal Artifact?

"I know that look. Seems like you\'re pretty eager for a Personal Artifact huh?" Erick chuckled.

"Well of course. Who doesn\'t?" Alice shrugged as he nodded.

"Indeed. But before we continue, let me ask you this. Do you know how a Personal Artifact binds itself to the user?"