The cavern walls shook violently, cracks forming in the obsidian spikes that lined the abyss. The air was thick with the scent of molten rock and blood, and the distant echoes of Vritra's dying roar still lingered.
Ravihiro exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around Kageha. His body trembled—not from exhaustion, but from the overwhelming energy surging through him. The Ring of Cataclysm pulsed around him like a second heartbeat, its crimson-black glow casting eerie shadows on the ground.
But the real problem was the fragment of Vritra's heart lodged in his chest.
He could feel it—pulsing, whispering, burning.
"Power… limitless… burn them all…"
His vision flickered, and for a brief moment, he saw fire consuming the world. Entire cities reduced to cinders, mountains turned to dust. His own hands, soaked in the blood of gods and mortals alike.
A sharp pain in his side snapped him back.
"Oi, don't zone out on me now," Samael said, flicking a bloodied dagger at Ravihiro's face. His usual smirk was back, but his eyes were sharp—watching. "You good, or should I start making funeral arrangements?"
Ravihiro scoffed, brushing off the lingering dizziness. "I'm fine."
Samael snorted. "Yeah, sure. And I'm a holy saint. Let's get out of here before this whole place buries us."
Escape from the Abyss
The ground beneath them trembled violently. Huge chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, and the molten lava below surged upwards in waves.
Without another word, Ravihiro and Samael dashed toward the cavern's exit. Their movements were quick, precise—until the ground beneath them gave way.
Ravihiro's instincts kicked in. He activated his Ryugan, tracking the safest path as he flipped midair, using falling debris as stepping stones.
Samael, relying on pure agility, twisted through the crumbling abyss, using his poison mist to propel himself forward when needed.
Just as they neared the surface, a final shockwave from Vritra's dying essence exploded behind them, sending a massive pillar of dark flames chasing them up the tunnel.
"Shit—MOVE!" Samael yelled.
Ravihiro didn't hesitate. He summoned World of Scales, using the floating bladed scales as a foothold to push himself higher. The moment they broke through the surface, the entrance to the Abyss caved in behind them with a deafening roar.
Silence followed.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The cold night air felt alien after the suffocating heat of the Abyss.
Then Samael groaned, stretching. "Well, that was a fun little suicide mission. What's next? Fighting a phoenix god? Taking on an entire empire? Oh, I know—storming heaven itself?"
Ravihiro didn't respond. He was still staring at his own hands, flexing his fingers as he felt Vritra's heart pulse inside him. The hunger for destruction had not faded.
Samael noticed. He tilted his head, watching him carefully. "…Hey. You sure you're fine?"
Ravihiro finally looked up, his crimson-black eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight.
"Let's go home."
[End Scene]