198 Chapter 9 Checking The Construction

(Let's get a move on shall we.) I thought to myself as I shot through the Abyss.

"Let's just keep myself hidden for now, I don't have time to talk to everyone I cross paths with after all." I hummed as I altered my skin, my clothes and my wings to appear similar in colour to the sky above me, all the while I began to pick up speed. In the end I really needed to make this quick, who knows how long those two walking calamities would stay still for.

I had completed my first goal of naming Nirvana but I couldn't stick around to continue talking with them, after all there was still a few things that I had to do. First on the list was checking in on the activities of my underlings, of course some of my followers had decided to stay in Tempest for now, however most had decided to set up camp in the Abyss itself. As such I needed to check up on their current whereabouts and thankfully Nirvana was kind enough to tell me where to look.

The first place I needed to visit, and the closest to my current location, was apparently sent up by Rai and the other of his kin. It was surprisingly easy to find, not that this fact really mattered considering the lack of hostile entities in the Abyss.

"Nirvana said it should be just around here somewhere." I hummed as I tried to locate my destination.

(Where is...oh.) I stopped myself from finishing that thought when I noticed something off in the distance.

Flying over I let out a dry chuckle at the sight below me. "Yep, this is about what I expected from that training lunatic of mine..."

There, just beneath my feet, was a...fortress? Honestly it was somewhat hard to tell if I'm being honest, considering its rather unique design most would probably be just as stumped as I was. The whole place was billed into the side of a cliff and looked rather eye cashing to say the very least. 

(They turned the entire area into some kind of mixture between a fortress and a boot camp.)

It was really just like that, the whole place looked as if someone had taken possession of a rather large and fancy looking castle only to transform it into an absurdly elaborate and somewhat dangerous looking training camp. Of course most of it was still under construction but even now I could make out several things that surprised and worried me. For example, the fact that they had apparently set up several dozen lots of magical boobytraps that weren't designed to keep people out at all. No, the traps were designed not to kill the invaders but to constantly train the residents of the fortress by sharpening their reflexes and awareness, did I forget to mention that the traps also constantly moved locations making it hard for anyone to memorize where they were.

"Have to say though, I'm impressed with the lengths they are willing to go so that they can increase their combat abilities." I muttered with a shake of my head.

(Still, I wish they'd find things they enjoy other than constantly pushing themselves to find better tactics and strategies for combat.) I sighed intently to myself. (I know I should be happy to have such diligent followers and all but there is such a thing as too much work, and that saying a lot coming from me.)

(Welp, on to the next one.) For now I just wanted to have a quick glance, however I'd come back later for a more in-depth look at what they've been up to.

As I began to move to the next place, which just so happened to belong to Mika, I noticed some of the dragons under Shinkusho flying off in the distance. The dragons themselves hadn't built a place of residence and seemed to just prefer flying wherever they saw fit, they were rather free spirited like that and as such I left them be for now.

Anyway, it didn't take long for me to reach Mika's place, a rather gothic looking village in the middle of a small forest. Just like Rai's construction project, and probably the projects of all the others as well, the home of the Abyssal Blanks was still under construction but seemed somewhat further along. This was probably because a large number of the former cult slaves had moved here, a fact that probably sped things along quite a bit now that I actually think about it.

(Honestly it just looks like a normal, somewhat creepy, village as all, I do like the gothic architecture though.) I hummed as I passed overhead.

"Considering how much Mika likes to jump scare people it makes sense she'd make a village with a slightly eerie field to it." I mused to myself as I observed the people moving around below me.  "The fact that they used the materials from the Abyss for construction only helps increase the off putting feel it gives off."

Not sticking around for long I was quick to start moving once again. "Next up is Elizabeth."

While I was headed over I tried to locate one of Kaen's outposts, a fact that proved harder than I was expecting. These outposts that the Harbingers had set up were apparently all over the place, most of which were located around the territories of the others as a kind of early warning system. I had been confused as to why he insisted we set them up but now that I think about it he had a point, after all we have no idea what is actually inside of the Abyss or if anyone outside could find a way into this realm without any of us knowing.

"Yep, that seems about right." I muttered as I finally saw one after searching for a while. "They may look like outposts but they're just places for Kaen to sneak off to so that he can sleep without being interrupted." I joked, however I knew for certain he'd do exactly that if actually he got a chance to.

(I'm just surprised that he managed to build so many of them in just a short amount of time.) I thought as I continued to flap my wings.

"Anyway, Elizabeth's place should be up ahead."

This one was the easiest to be honest, however I did overlook it in the beginning mostly because I mistook it for something else. The thing is, at first I thought it was a somewhat oddly shaped mountain or something like that but no, no it was in fact the exact place that I had been looking for. 

I was honestly surprised and rather taken aback, and I mean who could blame me. Towering over the surroundings were they massive structure that resembled something akin to a paper wasp nest, except for the fact that it was rising out of the ground like a fucking mountain and look to be swarming with all kinds of Hive creatures.

(That...that's just fucking cool...) I hummed as I looked at the gigantic structure that loomed in front of me. (Sure it looks like a termite mound mixed with a wasp nest but still, considering just who it was that made this place the design makes sense.)

"I'll definitely have to come back and check what it is like on the inside once I have more time to spare."

"Now then, on to the last one." I sighed, I already had an idea as to what I was walking into. "It's gonna be a giant bloody colosseum, isn't it?"

I was exactly right, in fact I shouldn't have even been surprised considering which of my subordinates were responsible for building this place. The whole place was built within a mountainous region, the centerpiece of the all thing was, of course, the massive colosseum, although there were dozens of living areas built into the mountains around it. Additionally there were also multiple deep pits that contained some of the more vicious wildlife I had created, apparently they were being used as mounts or as opponents in the arena.

"God damn it Yama..."