Recap of Chapter 11:
Ka'roth returned from the Abyss transformed. His glowing runes spread across his body, his jagged blade-like wings cut the skies, and his aura forced even distant beasts to bow. He conquered the Crimson Valleys, growing his horde to nearly 600 beasts, reshaping the land itself with abyssal mist. But as his rule spread, glowing eyes appeared in the sky—the First Gaze, entities who created the beasts and now watched Ka'roth with hunger and fear. The Abyss warned him: "If you would challenge them, you must take more." Ka'roth vowed to tear the watchers down.
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The Silent Skies
For three days, Ka'roth marched with his horde through the warped land. Trees twisted unnaturally toward him, rivers blackened at his feet, and even the wind carried his scent of dominance. Everywhere they passed, beasts knelt.
Yet the eyes never left the sky. They hung above the clouds like ghostly lanterns, watching without blinking. The horde growled uneasily whenever Ka'roth's gaze shifted upward, sensing the weight of those celestial watchers.
Then, on the fourth dawn, the sky split open.
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The Descent
A beam of white fire tore through the heavens, crashing into the ground miles ahead. The land quaked. The beasts roared in panic, scattering before Ka'roth's commanding snarl forced them still.
From the beam emerged a figure—towering, radiant, draped in light. Its form resembled no beast. It stood upright, humanoid in shape but colossal in size, its body plated in shimmering gold-like armor. A halo of pure light blazed behind its head.
The First Gaze had descended.
The horde whimpered instinctively, some collapsing flat to the ground, paralyzed by its presence. Even Ka'roth felt a pressure—not fear, but an ancient weight pressing against his chest.
The being's voice thundered across the land, deep and resonant:
"Ka'roth of the Abyss. Your rise was seen. Your defiance cannot stand."
Ka'roth lowered his head, his glowing runes flaring brighter. His wings spread jagged and wide, his roar exploding upward to meet it—a roar of challenge.
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The First Strike
The First Gaze raised its radiant hand. A spear of light formed instantly, its tip sharp enough to pierce mountains. With a motion faster than wind, it hurled the spear.
Ka'roth leapt, his jagged wings slashing air as he twisted aside. The spear struck the ground, erupting in a blinding explosion that vaporized stone.
Ka'roth dove forward, slamming into the figure's chest. His claws struck its golden armor, sparks flying. The being staggered but did not fall. It swung an arm, backhanding Ka'roth with force enough to send him crashing through a cliff.
The land split from the blow.
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The War of Behemoths
Ka'roth rose from the rubble, snarling. His runes pulsed violently, abyssal mist coiling thicker around him. He lunged forward again, jaws wide, biting down on the Gaze's arm. His teeth tore through the golden plating, ichor of glowing silver spilling across his muzzle.
The First Gaze roared, a sound like shattering stars, and slammed its knee into Ka'roth's chest, cracking his metallic scales.
Ka'roth's horde joined the fray. Raptors leapt onto its legs, tearing at joints. Winged predators dive-bombed its head. The tusked grazers rammed its knees with thunderous force.
The Gaze retaliated, summoning blades of light from thin air, slicing through dozens of beasts in a single sweep. Their screams echoed across the valleys.
Ka'roth's roar silenced all fear. His aura surged outward, commanding his horde with raw will. They rose again, even those wounded and bleeding, and hurled themselves forward with unyielding frenzy.
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The Abyss Unleashed
Ka'roth's glowing runes flared white-hot, brighter than ever before. The Abyss answered his fury. Black mist erupted outward in a shockwave, engulfing the battlefield. The sky darkened, and the light of the Gaze dimmed under its weight.
Ka'roth's claws lengthened, his tail's triple spikes sharpened like spears. He lunged upward, tackling the Gaze out of the air and slamming it into the earth with a quake that shattered stone for miles.
With his claws pinning its chest, Ka'roth roared into its face. The Abyss surged through him—tendrils of black energy piercing into the Gaze's armor, ripping through it from within.
The Gaze howled, its halo flickering.
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The Kill
The being swung its arms wildly, but Ka'roth bit down on its neck and tore. Silver ichor sprayed like molten fire. His claws sank deeper, splitting its chest apart.
Finally, with a deafening roar that shook even the heavens, Ka'roth ripped the First Gaze in half, tearing its body apart and flinging its remains across the blackened ground.
Light dimmed. The sky above flickered. The other eyes watching from above widened—no longer calm, but unsettled.
Ka'roth stood triumphant over the fallen celestial. His jaws dripped with silver ichor, his runes blazing blindingly bright. His horde roared in thunderous unison, their cries shaking the valleys.
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The Ascension
As the Gaze's corpse dissolved into streams of radiant energy, Ka'roth absorbed it all. His body convulsed violently, wings stretching broader, runes burning hotter, abyssal mist spiraling endlessly around him.
His wings now carried not just abyssal blackness but faint streaks of silver light, blending shadow and radiance. His claws shimmered with metallic sheen. His glowing eyes burned brighter than any star.
The Abyss whispered in triumph:
"You have slain a sky-born. You are no longer beast alone. You are Sovereign above Sovereigns."
Ka'roth raised his head and roared, his voice echoing into the heavens. The remaining eyes above quivered faintly. The watchers had seen their first death in eons.
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The Fear of the Sky
The land was silent except for the breathing of Ka'roth's horde. They bowed low, trembling under his new aura. His shadow stretched miles wide, swallowing hills and plains alike.
Above, the glowing eyes dimmed slightly, their light flickering as though retreating. For the first time, they looked not only down—but backward, pulling away beyond the clouds.
The sky-born feared him.
Ka'roth narrowed his gaze, his jagged tail lashing. He turned to his horde and let out a command-roar. They rose instantly.
"March," his growl rumbled across the land.
Toward the mountains. Toward the sea. Toward whatever lay beyond.
The Abyss Sovereign would not stop.
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The Dawn of the Abyss Sovereign
Ka'roth walked, his massive frame blotting out the sky. His horde followed endlessly—raptors, tusked grazers, winged predators, abyssal beasts born of his mist. Behind them, the land twisted further, reshaped by his passage.
The First Era now bent to a single will.
But far above, beyond the stars, more eyes blinked open. The death of one Gaze had awakened others—vast presences whose voices rumbled across the void.
"The beast rises too fast."
"He carries the Abyss and the Sky both."
"If he breaks his chains, he will devour all."
Ka'roth stopped, glancing skyward, his glowing white eyes narrowing. He heard them.
He smiled—a savage, fanged grin.
"Then come," his growl rumbled. "Fall, and feed me."
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