With a swing of Equilibrium, another one of the beasts fell, the surging Voidflame incinerating the beheaded corpse before it could hit the ground. Elizabeth felt so exhilarated and mighty, like a goddess of war, gracefully dancing through the battlefield. So undaunted and invincible were the fruits of her years of effort. She adored letting loose and cutting down the hordes charging at her.

Feeling a surge of mana, she dodged another beam of void magic, no longer even having to think about the motion. Perhaps that was what being engulfed in battle meant, not frenzied yet smoothly passing from one foe to another, her mind clearer than. She swung Equilibrium again, this time no foe was in immediate range but that swing became the catalyst for a different attack, an arc of Voidflame manifested and flew at speed none of the wyverns could even come close to, sewering everything in its path. Without the need for even a direct line of sight, Elizabeth beckoned the arc as it shifted direction and slaughtered even more while Elizabeth herself leapt into the air again.

Her magic propelled her towards the nearest monster which she cleanly cut into two, Equilibrium passing through the scales like a sharpened axe through a stick. As she landed two more tried to plunge at her but one was shredded from behind by the arc which was just about to vanish while the other was welcome by a burning ebony spear right between the eyes. With a wide smile on her lips, Elizabeth was prepared to leap towards the next enemy, yet when she searched for them there were none left.

[Wave 5/5 completed; calculating]

Quite disappointed, Elizabeth wanted to sigh, though the anticipation of the next phase quickly calmed her down. Inevitably 4th tier enemies had to show up soon. A few moments later, the already familiar nothingness overtook her.

[Phase score: Completion 1098/1098; Contribution 1097/1098; Surviving members 275/1098; Bonus objectives 879/1098. Final score 3348/4392; Next phase will initiate soon.]

[19th phase commences, round 90-95; The gates of Abyssal Ridge; Pass the 5 gates and earn the right of entry; Bonus objective: Reach the gatekeeper guarding the 5th gate.]

When her sight returned it was completely filled by a giant wall, as high as the skies and a gate, taller than the gargants she had fought throughout the trial.

“You are really impressive,” a whistle sounded from behind Elizabeth though she did not turn towards the boy, “Irwyn is really lucky to have found someone as capable as you. If even of my own proteges were one-tenth as good as you I wouldn’t ever have to worry about anything.”

“I am still not talking to you,” Elizabeth retorted and strolled towards the gates. Irwyn had warned her about Ilius von Brightbeak, the only son of the widowed duchess but more importantly a reborn lich. Though the boy could not use Necromancy in areas governed by Logos, Irwyn had carefully stressed to every member of his group to be wary of Ilius’ subtle manipulations. The seeds of doubt he might try to plant or lies he might tell with a straight face. So the moment Elizabeth encountered him in the first phase she had refused to engage in a conversation.

“Honestly, what could I possibly say that would be so dangerous?” Ilius tried again. Even though he could not use the magic he was the most skilled at the boy was extraordinarily capable at creating barriers and protective magic, especially when it came to things that defended only himself. Thanks to that he managed to survive where Elizabeth failed to keep the other 3 alive, “Besides, this is as far as I can go with you.”

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth was taken by surprise and asked him before she realised that it would cause a conversation. But she was really startled as Irwyn had given them another instruction when it came to Ilius: If at all possible, help him reach the stage 95, yet all of a sudden the boy refused to go on just before that mark.

“I don’t know whether you are aware what the Abyssal ridge is but I am,” Ilius laughed, sounding a bit strange as he put a palm on his right cheek and left temple, “Therefore I know that if I step through those gates no amount of power would allow my kind to return,” and then, without a semblance of hesitation, those hands pushed. A sickening crunch sounded as Ilius’ neck snapped while the magic inside his body seemingly went out of control, exploding and shredding his corpse into pieces.

Elizabeth was a bit taken aback. If there was one thing she did not expect from him it was suicide. If the undoubtedly ancient caster was so afraid of proceeding, it might not be safe for her either. Though any of those thoughts were quickly dismissed as she remembered Irwyn and his words. If there was really some real danger ahead Irwyn would’ve warned her. It was just Ilius’ attempt to stop her from continuing forward and she was not going to fall for it.

With that determination in mind, she stepped forward again, reaching the gates.

[Gate 1/5 passed]

Unexpectedly there were no monsters ahead, instead, she was enveloped by incredibly dense mana. Although it would make sensing magical beings quite a bit harder, the pressure itself was bearable, so she carried on. Treading on the endless white between the walls, her guard was as high as it could get, searching for any movement or sign of an ambush. Yet by the time she reached the second gate nothing had happened.

[Gate 2/5 passed]

And when she stepped through, she quickly realised why: The foe of that phase were not swarms but the mana itself. Elizabeth nearly stumbled as the pressure surrounding her multiplied. She hastily put up some defences she had previously foregone to not further muffle her perception, though that would clearly not be enough to move much further forward. It would hold beyond the second gate but if the multiplication trend continued it would collapse after the 3rd or 4th. She needed a better solution than just a shell of her own power and quickly Elizabeth realised that she had been wearing that answer. The Voidmother’s embrace battle regalia had much utility and many uses, most of which even Elizabeth didn't know about but among them, she was aware of the ability to consume mana directly from spells making them weaker or even completely unravelling them. Elizabeth realised that perhaps it would not be too far of a stretch to nullify the mana surrounding her. Elizabeth just had to figure out how to achieve it.

She focused on the void attribute of nothingness within the regalia, though at first it did not respond to its wearer, after some time Elizabeth managed to catch a glimpse. It was so mighty, nearly omnipotent. Like nothing Elizabeth had ever witnessed. No wonder Irwyn had told that she would need to become far more powerful to tap into the regalia’s true potential. With slight dread she realised what was hidden deep beneath the surface: Genuine Truth of the Void, power of the awakened so intricate and mighty Elizabeth could not even attempt to comprehend it unless she wished to seek out her own demise. It could not be beckoned, so Elizabeth begged. She requested protection as the Herald of Umbra, asked for a sanctuary as an existence far inferior in power.

And the regalia granted her that safe embrace. The name felt truly fitting as that power enveloped Elizabeth, a shell of magic covered her, just above the skin, and separated Elizabeth from the ambient mana through the attribute of nothingness. It was different than if Elizabeth had done so herself, she would fight power with power. It was like trying to stand still in an accelerating hurricane. But Truth bypassed that struggle of power. It stood above, almost condescending of all below it, so superior the very concept of resistance could not exist beneath it. At that moment Elizabeth understood an undeniable rule which governed the universe: Only Truth could possibly challenge another Truth. With just a small fragment of Truth, Elizabeth was completely separated from that ambient mana. The pressure ceased and so did all outside influence. The only thing she could feel was the embrace of nothingness and for a moment Elizabeth truly felt as though she was held in the caring hands of Umbra herself. Though that sensation did not last as Elizabeth returned to reality. More confident than ever.

[Gate 3/5 passed]

Passing through the next gate felt no different. The mana could simply not reach her.

[Gate 4/5 passed]

When she entered the 4th gate, something immediately gathered her attention. A corpse, sprawling right beside her. It had to be fresh since the blood beneath it was still very dark. Lying face down, the person had ebony hair and clothes and was relatively tall, considering the applicants were mostly younger than 17. Then she realised that there were very few people who could conceivably reach this far and she quickly knelt down by the corpse, lifting the head to confirm what she suspected.

“Desir,” she felt discomfort in her chest. Even though death was only temporary in this realm, seeing the unmoving body of someone who she would consider one of her few friends was still making her feel strange. Though she did not have any more time to focus on her emotions as a rumble sounded above the final gate.

From the thick clouds above, an abomination of teeth and bone descended. A gargantuan monster without flesh or blood yet a form which portrayed terrifying majesty. Wings which once must’ve torn through the skies already white and empty, though still full of power which allowed the creature to remain above ground, though the four clawed limbs would have supported it either way.

With surprise and a hint of terror, Elizabeth realised that she was facing nothing less than a skeletal dragon. It did not give her time to recover as a mighty bellow left its fleshless throat.