Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 416: Welcome to my Abyss

Sky's face showed clear astonishment as he paid attention. He quickly scanned the grotesque creatures gathered in the chamber, his gaze lingering on the pair from the Seven-Scars group.

Both were female, identical twins based on their uncanny resemblances despite the skeletal features.

Sky could distinguish the twins solely by their hairstyles. One had hers fully braided, whereas the other wore it in a voluminous, rounded puff.

It possessed an odd allure. This wasn't the initial occasion he'd encountered such a style, and Katy had previously explained it as an Afro.

Clearing his thoughts with a head shake to refocus, Sky turned his ears to the woman with the Afro. Her name was Aminata, and her twin with braids went by Awa.

"We belong to a race known as BoneHunters," Aminata declared, locking her dark eyes firmly on Sky's features while red mist swirled around her, "I won't trouble you with our origins."

Her skeletal visage appeared to contort in disgust. Sky struggled to interpret it, finding it hard to decipher their expressions.

"Yet, similar to the other Orders, we count ourselves among the monsters."

"Now you're probably questioning why we're revealing this to you at this moment." Awa took over, her tone brighter than her sister's.

Sky gave a nod.

She grinned and went on, "It's not solely due to your attainment of Three-Scars rank. Plenty have reached that within our Order over the years. Numerous who weren't native to us. Much like yourself."

"Nevertheless, esteemed Sky, you're the sole one present in the Room at this stage."

Awa let out a laugh that echoed like bones grinding together,

"Do you understand the reason?"

"Because of my exceptional talent." Sky stated plainly, his face unchanging, "Because I stand apart from the rest."

His master flashed a grin, displaying a satisfied and proud look.

No individual at Three-Scars level would venture to address a Seven-Scars in that bold fashion. Yet Sky did so. And remarkably, it shocked none of them.

They had come to view Sky's boldness as inherent to his nature. Of course, they tolerated it only thanks to his strength and extraordinary aptitude.

Any other soul would have ended up skewered against the wall, bones piercing their cranium.

Since that monster's emergence, they had witnessed no one comparable to Sky.

And that precise factor was why,

"You're correct," Awa affirmed, with Aminata pressing on more severely,

"Owing to your gifts, we see no reason to delay the invitation to join our Order any longer than required. Actually, we would have extended it right after your Second Scars formed, except..."

She trailed off, then snapped her tongue in irritation.

"The essence is, we desire your inclusion among us."

Sky's brow furrowed momentarily. 'This poses a complication.'

"Ponder it carefully prior to responding." His master suggested, familiar enough with his student to read his emotions from a subtle facial shift, "and reflect on the advantages you'll gain by agreeing."

"Advantages?"

"Indeed, advantages." Awa replied, offering a shy smile, "since marriage within our Order demands full membership."

Sky's eyes expanded, his thoughts instantly grasping Awa's implied message.

He fixed her with a piercing stare, then glanced toward the others.

"Moreover, as a formal member of our Order, you'll earn the privilege to request one favor from us that we cannot deny."

"To put it another way..."

His master smirked wickedly,

"Should you desire The Fat's head, my apprentice, then Order Orion will exert every effort to deliver it to you on a platter crafted from his own fatty bones."

"Assuming he possesses any." Awa chimed in, chuckling as her blue mist coiled around her form.

"So avoid rash decisions," Aminata warned, folding her arms across her ample bosom while disregarding her sister, "for we won't extend the offer again."

"What happens if I decline?" Sky questioned at last, tilting his head slightly, "what if I, for instance, truly cherish my human existence?"

His statement hung like frost, freezing the chamber in tense quiet as Awa, Aminata, and his master directed their beastly gazes toward him.

In that moment, Sky sensed himself as quarry on the brink of consumption by three ravenous predators. He swallowed silently, the bones in his frame groaning faintly.

It seemed they might pounce at any second, ending him in a flash.

Sky forced a tight smile, gesturing casually with his hand, "it's merely a straightforward query," he remarked, aiming to ease the heavy air, "after all, my master has always instructed me to weigh both options before deciding."

The strain burst like a deflating bubble, vanishing as though it had never existed.

"Quite right, quite right." His master agreed, his beard swaying with his vigorous nods, "I indeed taught you that."

"However, Sky," Awa interrupted, beaming kindly, "you surely wouldn't want to discover the consequences of refusal after beholding our true forms. Trust me on this. There's purpose in our preference for human guise."

"You have two days now." Aminata stated, lifting two slim, dark bony digits, "Two days to deliberate your reply."

"Since in two days, we'll require your position regarding the conflict with the Heir."

"Return to your chambers if you lack further inquiries."

Sky offered a gentle smile, inclining his head in deference, "I'll provide my decision prior to that."

Without additional remarks, he turned and exited the chamber, his thoughts swirling with turbulent concerns.

'Damn it all.'

...

Returning to the Tomb of Echidna, Inara observed her master's now serene demeanor.

Even so, amid the tranquility, Inara sensed that a single misstep in words could spell her end.

"The Seven-Headed King of Hydra, The Mother of Dragons of Draco, The Primal Bonehunter of Orion, The Wise Warmonger Centaur of Centaurus, The Song of Temptation of Lyra, and ultimately..."

The Snake Princess hesitated, then proceeded, her tone laced with tension,

"...The Sphinx."

"Correct," Echidna confirmed, her eyes sharpening, "those are the ones."

"But why?" Inara inquired, confused, "why would they turn against you, aware that you birthed them? And how did they amass such might?"

"Figure it out yourself, my princess." Echidna frowned, "What motive could surpass the pursuit of liberty?"

"Yes, liberty." Echidna repeated, "that was their sole desire. Liberation from my domineering grip. Liberation from the reality that I could reclaim all I'd granted, rendering them powerless without me."

"Can you grasp it?" The Mother of Monsters probed, leaning closer with chillier eyes, "the dread of awakening to find yourself erased, merely because another willed it?"

Inara remained silent, the complete scenario unfolding vividly before her.

It formed a terrifying tableau.

"They rejected a life shadowed by such terror. Thus, they chased emancipation."

"How so?" Inara pressed once more, "I never imagined a monster rebelling against its creator."

"Grasp this lesson now. Impossibilities don't exist, Princess. None whatsoever." Echidna rasped, "One merely requires a path. And they discovered theirs. All thanks to that cursed thing."

"Star?" Inara repeated.

Yet Echidna merely tilted her head skyward, gazing once more at the watchful eye twinkling above. It appeared to soothe her.

"Time grows short, my princess." Echidna murmured, "and for victory in this endeavor, we must undertake one final act jointly."

She shifted her gaze back, and Inara bore the burden of the moment. Still, the Heiress held firm. She braced herself, meeting her master's stare with the resolve of a warrior braced for a battle that could claim her life.

"What must we accomplish?" Inara questioned, her hands clenching into tight fists.

Echidna gave a subtle smile at her resolute posture.

"With your present strength, facing them would mean your death. And the Gambit I've orchestrated over ages would crumble to nothing if that occurs."

She rose gradually from her throne, approaching Inara with deliberate steps.

"You must ascend to Grandmaster." The Mother of Monsters persisted. "You must claim your Domain to bolster our odds of triumph. But that's not everything, my princess..."

In a blink quicker than Inara anticipated, Echidna stood mere inches away.

She extended her index finger, placed it beneath Inara's chin, and lifted it softly until their gazes locked profoundly.

Inara stifled a tremble upon glimpsing the unholy image within her master's eyes.

"...I require you to pull me back from the grave. You hold the key, Princess. You've always done so."

"How?" Inara ventured cautiously, "I lack an Evolution Stone for advancement, nor any notion of reviving you. Is such a feat even feasible?"

"An Evolution Stone merely aids in elevating your essence to prepare for evolution and accept a directive from The Will."

"Should you attain that exalted state independently," Echidna bared a fiendish grin, "stones become unnecessary."

"But—!"

"From the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of sublimation," Echidna interrupted, her head splitting into four segments, unveiling a horror that drew blood from Inara's eyes, her sanity teetering on collapse.

She parted her lips to cry out.

But Echidna sealed Inara's mouth with her palm.

"Remain silent. Only heed."

Echidna compelled Inara to behold the contents of her psyche. Inara whimpered, her eyes bulging in dread.

The surrounding air shifted, the remains of slain monsters quivering.

Finally, Echidna's voice resounded in Inara's thoughts,

"Welcome to my Abyss, Inara Serpentine. Heed the voice of sublimation, or let us perish with honor."

Inara plunged into Echidna's psyche; into her shattered, ruined Warren.

—End of Chapter 416—