The Hall of Echoes was silent, heavy with breathless tension. The broken throne glowed faintly behind the towering figure now standing before it. Armor black as night and veined with blue fire, the Abyssal King held his sword point-down, the floor cracking under its weight.
The air pressed on Ash's lungs. Every step forward felt like moving through gravity made solid.
[Boss Entity: Abyssal King (Lv 500)]
[User Level: 50]
[Power Gap: 450 Levels]
[Estimated Survival Probability — 0.02%]
Ash exhaled through the pain, lips twisting into a small, defiant smile. "Guess that's still higher than zero."
The King's voice rolled across the chamber like thunder speaking through stone. "A human… still breathing here. Do you not understand where you stand?"
"I'm starting to," Ash said quietly. "You're the one the dungeon was whispering about."
The King's sword rose slightly, its edge humming with deep resonance. "Why climb this far, anomaly? Why walk through despair twice? You have already died once. Why rise again only to seek another death?"
Ash's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Because the first time I fell, it was for nothing. This time, I'll decide what it's worth."
The King tilted his head. "You talk like one who has seen the end. You killed yourself once, didn't you? You stood at the edge, looked at the world that mocked you, and chose silence."
The words hit harder than the pressure in the air. "How do you—"
"The dungeon remembers despair," the King murmured. "It feeds on it. Yours was exquisite. A boy who wanted to matter, who reached for love and found laughter instead."
Ash's teeth clenched. "You think that defines me?"
"It defines everyone," said the King. "Even kings."
The helm's glow brightened. "I fought the System once. I screamed that I would not kneel, not be measured by numbers. When I failed, the System made me eternal—proof that rebellion is only another function it can perfect."
Ash raised his sword, the dark blade humming faintly. "You think because you lost, everyone has to?"
"I think loss is the only constant, anomaly. You died once for nothing. You will die again for less."
Ash smiled despite the ache in his ribs. "You're wrong. I didn't die for nothing—I died to start over. The difference between you and me is that you stayed dead."
The King paused. His voice softened, curious. "And what have you found in this second life that's worth all this pain?"
Ash met the blue fire behind the visor. "A reason not to be what I was."
The King's shoulders straightened slightly. "Then prove it."
The sword moved before the echo of his words faded. The first swing came down with the weight of a collapsing mountain. Ash didn't think—he acted.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Fortify]
Armor density increased by 25% for 15 seconds. Incoming physical damage reduced by 25%. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
The blow landed like thunder. The floor caved beneath him, the shield of mana splintering but holding. The armor glowed briefly, runes sparking across his arms. He ducked under the follow-up strike, sparks showering from his shoulders as the blade grazed him.
[Skill Activated: Vector Rift (A-Rank)]
Short-range displacement within visual range. Energy cost: 3 % mana per use. Movement delay: 0.1 s.
The world blurred. Ash reappeared behind the King, slashing across the back of its knee joint. The blade hit solid metal and screeched without cutting through. The King pivoted, faster than his size should allow, and swung horizontally. Ash jumped, the edge ripping through the ground beneath him like tearing paper.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Resonance]
Convert 10 % HP to mana for 10 s. Weapon power +15 %, defense penetration +30 %.
His sword ignited with black-red light. He brought it down hard against the King's shoulder. The impact cracked the armor and threw both of them apart in a shockwave that shattered nearby pillars.
The King looked down at the faint mark left behind. "You draw blood from eternity. Impressive."
Ash coughed, spitting iron. "I've had worse first impressions."
The King raised his hand, and the entire hall distorted. The weight of gravity tripled, pulling Ash to one knee.
[Skill Detected: Abyssal Dominion (S-Rank)]
Area suppression field generated. Gravity density × 10.
The pressure cracked the mirrored floor beneath him. Ash felt his knees start to buckle. His lungs burned.
[Skill Recognized: Abyssal Dominion (S-Rank). Copy Available.]
[Skill Copied. Upgrade Token +1.]
The System window flashed faintly as his Omni-Seer glowed for a heartbeat. His hand trembled, but he smiled through the strain. "Thanks for the lesson."
Vector Rift activated again, blinking him out of the gravity field. He reappeared above the King's head, swinging his sword in a downward cleave that sparked against the crown's ridge.
The King twisted, caught the blade midair, and slammed him into the floor. The shock sent cracks racing outward. Ash's health bar dropped dangerously low.
[Health: 34%]
[Warning: Vital Threshold Reached.]
The King's voice rumbled like distant thunder. "You fight with borrowed strength, anomaly. Every strike you make is the System's gift, not yours."
Ash groaned, dragging himself up. "Then I'll steal everything it has."
The King thrust his sword forward. A crescent of compressed mana tore from the blade, scything through the air toward him.
[Skill Detected: Eclipse Rend (A-Rank)]
Projected slash composed of condensed abyssal energy. Effective range: 60 m.
Ash triggered his buff instinctively.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Drive]
Speed, reflexes, and perception amplified. Duration: 20 seconds. Continuous mana drain: 1% per second.
The world slowed. He sidestepped the wave by inches, feeling the heat sear past. His Omni-Seer burned behind his eyes, recording the technique perfectly.
[Skill Recognized: Eclipse Rend (A-Rank). Copy Available.]
[Skill Copied. Upgrade Token +1.]
He launched forward, energy crackling around his sword. He swung upward, meeting the next strike head-on. The collision threw sparks and static light across the entire chamber.
The King pushed, voice rising. "Rebellion without end. Do you even know what you fight for?"
Ash's armor groaned under the strain. "No," he said, teeth clenched. "But I know what I don't want to be."
Their blades locked. Energy flared between them, shaking the walls. The King leaned forward, voice low.
"Then you are still running from ghosts."
Ash forced a breath. "Maybe. But at least I'm running toward something this time."
He twisted, breaking the lock, and drove his sword toward the King's core. The strike connected, carving a shallow gouge through the armor. Black mist hissed from the wound.
The King actually staggered.
For a heartbeat, the chamber went quiet except for both of their breathing.
Ash's System display flickered at the corner of his vision.
[Skills Acquired]
— Abyssal Dominion (S-Rank)
— Eclipse Rend (A-Rank)
[Upgrade Tokens +2]
Ash's body screamed from fatigue, but his grin returned. "You're not untouchable anymore."
The King straightened. "Then come, anomaly. Show me what you've stolen."
He lifted his sword again. The air shimmered around the edge, the runes on his armor blazing like suns. Ash tightened his grip, readying another Resonance surge. The red-black glow of his blade met the blue-white radiance of the King's.
Both charged.
The impact shattered light itself. The hall exploded with heat and thunder. And as the smoke swallowed the world, only two silhouettes moved—one impossibly tall, one refusing to fall.
Ash's voice echoed between heartbeats, low and fierce.
"If the System made you perfect," he said, blood running down his chin, "then I'll learn perfection long enough to break it."