The clash tore reality apart.
Aezrael's scythe met the Silent Warden's divine core, the collision birthing a storm that swallowed the entire Tomb. Pillars crumbled, the chained titans howled without voices, and the statues of the Silent Gods themselves seemed to tremble under the pressure.
Every strike Aezrael unleashed resonated with the abyss. Shadows bled from his body, merging with the black flames of his Chaos Demon Dragon bloodline. The scythe's intent roared louder than thunder, cutting deeper than time.
The Warden, though weakened, was relentless. Each swing of its chains carried the weight of forgotten epochs. Runes pulsed like living suns across its form, and every wound Aezrael dealt threatened to heal instantly.
But he did not falter. His blood boiled, his scales cracked, and his bones shattered only to reform stronger. His will surged higher than the heavens.
> Ding!
[Scythe Intent Resonance Achieved]
[Unlocking: Abyssal Scythe Domain]
Black fog expanded outward, swallowing light. Within this domain, death itself bent to his will. The Warden's chains slowed as though dragged through eternity, and the cries of the chained titans grew louder—no longer silent but echoing in rage.
Aezrael's lips curled.
"Silence cannot bind me. You'll scream… even if I tear the sound from your core myself."
He dashed forward. His body blurred into streaks of black fire, scythe raised high. The guardian retaliated, unleashing its strongest strike: all chains converged into a single spear aimed at his heart.
The world seemed to stop.
And then—Aezrael split the spear in half with a single downward slash.
His scythe cleaved through the Warden's chest, shattering the Silent Core within. For an instant, the Tomb was blinded by a burst of white silence—absolute nothingness. No breath, no thought, no existence.
Then the silence broke.
A thunderous scream erupted from the Warden, a sound so primal it shook the chained titans awake. The corpses roared with it, their long-suppressed wills spilling out like floods. Their cries weren't just rage—they were freedom, defiance against the gods that had chained them.
The Warden's body crumbled, runes flickering out like dying stars. Its chains dissolved into mist, and the once-immortal guardian fell into ash.
Aezrael collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily. His body was mangled, blood dripping freely, but his aura only grew denser. The shattered Silent Core hovered before him, its fragments glowing faintly.
> Ding!
[Battle Concluded]
[Reward: Silent Core Fragment – Absolute Devouring]
[Bloodline Evolution Progression: 65% → 72%]
[Scythe Intent: Perfected Stage Achieved]
The fragments dissolved into his body, and immediately he felt the shift. The silence of the Tomb was no longer oppressive—it obeyed him. Every breath, every flicker of thought, every death-tinged echo in the chamber now moved in rhythm with his will.
He stood, and with his rise, the chained corpses began to bow. They did not speak, but their submission was clear: the silence that had bound them was shattered, and the one who had broken it now reigned.
Aezrael's voice was low, but it cut through the ruined hall.
"Your silence ends with me. I am the voice that cannot be chained.
But victory did not come without consequence.
As the Warden's essence vanished, the statues of the Silent Gods stirred for the first time. Their faceless visages tilted downward, empty hands lifting as if to reclaim what had been stolen. A thunderous voice shook the ruins—not the Warden, but something greater.
"Child of chaos… you break silence, but every scream births its echo. Remember this: gods do not forgive."
Then the presence faded, the statues turning still once more.
The chained titans collapsed into dust, their wills spent. The Tomb began to crumble, the ground breaking apart beneath his feet.
Aezrael staggered, but the system chimed again.
> [Forced Sign-In Completed: Tomb of Silent Gods]
[Special Reward: Silent Altar Key]
[Restriction Lifted: Abyssal Path Unlocked]
He clenched the obsidian key that materialized in his palm. Even without knowing its true function, his instincts told him it was tied to something far greater than this Tomb—perhaps another trial, another forgotten altar.
Outside, in the Azure Sky Sect, chaos erupted.
"What?! The guardian of the Tomb has been slain?"
"How could a mortal child destroy what the Silent Gods left behind?"
"This… this is heresy against creation itself!"
The Sect Master's face darkened, rage boiling in his veins.
"Enough. No more underestimation. Prepare the Heavenly Seal Formation. From this day, the boy is no longer prey—he is a threat to the heavens."
The elders bowed, fear and fury mixing in their eyes.
Back within the collapsing Tomb, Aezrael walked through the wreckage, his scythe humming at his side. His aura had changed completely. Where once he was a shadow within the forest, now he was a calamity that even the heavens would tremble to suppress.
He looked back one final time at the ruins of the Warden.
"You should have stayed silent," he whispered, before stepping into the abyss that would lead him to his next path.
And so began his true journey—not just as a survivor, but as a defier of gods.