HEX: Aspect Of The Void

"What's the Plan, Shamac?" Ana asked, looking at him expectantly.

Shamac was flustered by this sudden question and the eyes Ana and Talia gave him.

"W-What do you mean?" He stuttered, taking a step back in apprehension.

Talia sighed and relaxed her tensed face.

"Though it is vexing to say, I have to admit that out of the three of us, you're the most level-headed currently…" She muttered.

"Plus, you systematically take care of your opponents and you're not without strategy… Almost like Lord Hexarion" Ana added.

Shamac's heart thumped as he heard this, surprised by the words the girls gave him. Upon receiving such words of praise, his eyes began to get wet and his face quivered in overflowing emotion as he looked pleased and grateful for what they said.

"You guys…" He sniffed.

"Urgh, just come up with the plan already!" Talia sad in disgust, glaring at Shamac's snotty face.

Ana also had a similar, creeped-out, look. Upon realizing this, Shamac's heart broke and the tears and snot ceased immediately. He quickly cleaned his face, not wanting to incur such an expression from the woman he was infatuated with.

"I'm sorry for my shameful reaction just now. You are both right though, it is only the rational course of action for me to come up with a strategy. I'll do my best"

He donned a serious look and tightened his face into a glare. Ana smiled and nodded at this new reaction, so did Talia. An enormous sense of joy and pride filled his heart. Shamac felt warm and fuzzy all over, but he did his best to hide it.

"What do you think you're doing, Shamac? Now is not the time…" He cautioned himself.

He took a few steps forward and reached the two girls, standing in their midst. He knocked his right fist upon his left palm and gripped it tightly. Glaring at the two Apostles, he resolved to do whatever he could to win. Ana's words rang in his brain, and she was not one to joke or exaggerate.

"There's no room for error!"

"…"

"You've gotten bold, Lauria… To have ignored my words. I even patiently waited for your response, yet you wasted my time talking to those heathens instead." Gratiana said, now looking angry.

She exerted pressure which filled the room, similar to what Hexarion did earlier. However, unlike his, hers was far weaker. Still, to weaker beings, this intense aura would provoke fear within them.

But…

"I no longer go by that name…" Ana responded with a nervous smile.

She was still quaking within herself, but she couldn't fear forever. Her new Lord was Hexarion, and he was a far scarier person compared to Gratiana. With that in mind, she found strength within herself to defy the deadly Apostle before her.

"Oh? Laurie, what nonsense do you utter? You dare-"

"I said, my name is no longer Lauria!" Ana declared even boldly, raising her voice in defiance.

This surprised Gratiana, making her body jump slightly.

"I no longer answer to you, nor the Apostles! I am free, under my new Lord and god Hexarion!" She declared.

Immediately she said this, Gratiana's eyes bulged. An immense and overwhelming aura burst from her and devastated her surrounding. Waves of an overpowering force were sent all over the area, causing Shamac, Talia and Ana to get pushed back, bracing themselves as a result of the intense surge.

"You… You dare to mention the name of the abominable entity? The Evil One? You dare to say he is your god?!" Gratiana yelled in fury.

Ana gulped, feeling fear surge from within her again, however, she had come too far to retract her words. On that day, she had sworn her fealty to Hexarion. He gave her purpose and revealed the truth to her. She was his and his alone.

"Yes, I dare! Compared to your petty gods, Hades, and the others, Hexarion is… My Lord is the greatest!" Ana declared.

Ana's words greatly vexed Gratiana. She not only praised the Evil One, but she also insulted the gods whom the Apostles worshiped. This was too far.

"I see… So you're too far gone for salvation… I had come here in order to see with my very eyes whether it was true… That you defected and joined the heathens. And now I see that not only have you become one of them, but you have also immersed yourself in such abomination that is even rare amongst them…" Gratiana uttered, with a scowl all over her face.

"… Therefore, I will take it upon myself to purge you from this world, and pray that perhaps the gods should show you mercy for the slander you have uttered against them, and the abomination you have become… I owe you that much, as your mentor and the one who brought you into the Apostasy…"

The Apostles had only one thought for those who didn't believe and fervently worship the gods. Disgust and pity. For those who served the evil one, Hexarion, and practiced his Art of Hex, they had judgment to render and were merciless in their execution.

However, for an Apostle to turn their back on the gods, and give themselves to the evil Art… For such an operation, Gratiana did not feel pity, nor was it mere disgust. It was pure hatred and anger. Especially since the perverted Apostle was her disciple… She could not describe the height of her resentment and contempt toward Ana.

"You are truly undeserving of the Holy name, Lauria… You are nothing more than a heathen, no, you are even worse than them… You are an abomination, an error in creation… And I will correct that error." Gratiana said.

She turned her attention to the rest of Hexarion's slaves, Talia and Shamac. A slight grin appeared on her face.

"I presume the rest of you share her beliefs," Gratiana said to them with narrowed eyes.

Talia and Shamac glanced at each other and smiled.

"Of course! Hexarion is the best" Talia gleamed

"Yeah, Boss is simply the greatest," Shamac responded.

"I see… Then you should all get prepared. I will obliterate you, and I shall show you no mercy!" Gratiana said decisively.

Within herself, she felt conflicted though. The man who had just left the room, she still had no idea of what his identity was.

"Could he be a False Prophet? No, they shouldn't be that powerful…" Gratiana thought to herself.

His existence was a mystery to her, but she was certain of one thing, that he was the one who initiated Ana into the Evil God's service. If she could, she wanted to kill him many times over for tainting the Apostle, Lauria's pure soul. But, Gratiana knew she was no match for his power.

"In any case, these three are certainly his disciples. If I kill them, it'll definitely serve as a loss to him. With this, I'll weaken his force to an extent. Afterward, I'll have to report to the Council. Once the Prophet heard of this, he'll surely find a way to deal with that monster!" She decided.

Despite this being her plan, she had to be careful. She didn't know where their master went, or when he would be back, so she had to end things quickly. However, if she used too much of her power against them, and he arrived at that moment, she would be done for without any power left to defend herself against him.

"I need at least enough power to escape if it comes to that." She reasoned.

Using this logic, Gratiana concluded on not exerting her Grace more than she ought to. Using her extrasensory perception, she knew the three of them were nothing compared to her in Ability. There was no way they could win.

"Their master must be cocky! Does he think these three can beat me? Even if I don't know the other two, I personally oversaw that mongrel's training. While she must have definitely improved, she's still worlds apart from my strength. From my reading in the other two, their powers are nothing remarkable either. What fools… Didn't that mongrel tell them just who they are facing?" Gratiana laughed to herself in spite.

"Besides, I have Maria with me. This should be over quickly."

The three of them watched Gratiana cautiously. Even after she retracted her pressure, they still didn't let their guard down.

"I can guess what she's thinking…" Shamac muttered, closely watching their opponent.

"She believes we are pathetically weaker than her. Thanks to Ana's description, I already know how the Apostle's senses work. Judging our levels at this moment, it's easy to conclude that. However…"

"… Most of Talia's powers are sealed. Unless she desires to unleash it, her current strength will remain minimal. Ana's Gate Of Limbo is the same as before, but the contents are entirely different from when this Apostle knew her. As for me… As a Shifter, there's no limit to how much I can grow. My stats are not constant, so judging me based on my current state is an error." Shamac reasoned.

After following his line of thought, he had one conclusion. The Apostles they were to fight greatly underestimated them.

Shamac grinned widely to himself.

What a grave mistake they were making! It was perfectly in Shamac's favor.

"Ana, Talia… I need more data to come up with a sure strategy. Take the lead on this one, let's entertain her for a little while. An appetizer before the main dish" He smiled at the two women.

They returned his smile and nodded simultaneously.

It was finally time to begin a mad dance, one which would leave either side entirely obliterated.