CHAPTER 91: LONE SOLDIER

ABYSS REALM – SHORE #0

Lying unconscious, her face pressed into the dark-colored sand was a girl dressed in the muted gray attire of the Sisterhood. Once muddy, malnourished, and covered in grime, she was now inexplicably clean.

Her eyes snapped open. Pupils dilated.

She shot to her feet instantly, dropping into an alert stance. Glancing around, she realized she was surrounded by hundreds of figures in gray hooded robes who stood in eerie silence. Roughly counting, there were more than two hundred. Her heart pounded, a primal sense of danger screaming at her. Instinctively, she reached for the dagger hidden up her sleeve, only to grasp at nothing.

"It must have taken it while I was unconscious."

She thought as her mind raced, scanning the ground, searching for anything she could use as a makeshift weapon. But there was nothing, only endless stretches of strange, black sand. The thought of a fight vanished. She knew she was defenseless.

But, even if she could fight, she knew it would be a meaningless attempt. The sheer number of opponents was overwhelming.

In this realization, she falls on her knees. Eyes closed, bracing herself for the inevitable.

But nothing happened.

What felt like Seconds passed, Then minutes and an hour passed, and still nothing.

When she finally opened her eyes, she noticed the crowd around her had thinned. Many of the figures were walking into the vast desert, while those who remained either gathered in quiet discussion or were kneeling, with their heads pressed against the sand.

"...?"

Surprised by what wasn't happening, she wore a confused expression. She was at their mercy, yet instead of death, she was ignored. Spared no thought. It was as if her existence was inconsequential.

This realization eased the sharp edge of her panic. Slowly, as she rose to her feet, she noticed that her outfit now matched those of the robed figures.

"Where are they going?"

She thought in her mind turning her gaze to the group in the distance, travelling towards the vast desert.She curious, searched for a vantage point. To see where they were headed. In the distance to her left, she noticed a towering pile of sand.

"from that height, I should be able to see far. And if I'm lucky, they might lead me to their cultist base."

With that thought, she started walking, carefully stepping past the cloaked figures that remained. They continued to ignore her—

except for one. A pair of eyes trailed her movements.

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ON HER WAY TO THE SAND DUNE

"The last thing I remember was walking into the darkness in that selling shop… then nothing. After passing out, they took all my stuff, put me in these clothes, and sent me here. But where is this? I've never heard of a place with this much sand… even walking is hard."

She gritted her teeth as her legs strained against the shifting sand.

"Since they found all the things I hid on me, they must have sent me here with no good intentions."

She thought as she continued towards the Dune.

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WHAT FELT LIKE AN HOUR PASSED

Reaching the top of the dune, she panted from the exhausting climb. Resting for a moment, she raised a hand to shield her eyes and focused her vision. Scanning for the robed figures, she spotted them in the distance, moving through the shifting sands.

She followed the path they were taking, hoping to glimpse something ahead—

But there was nothing.

Only endless sand.

"There's nothing there… nothing but sand. Where the fuck are you going!?."

She yelled in anger, A wave of frustration crashed over her, followed by exhaustion. She let out a tired sigh and tilted her head up toward the sky—

And froze.

The sky, if it could even be called that, was empty. No clouds. No stars. No sun. No moon. Just… nothing.

Yet, the more she stared, the more she felt something was there.

Her breath hitched as an overwhelming sense of terror gripped her chest.

The sky was an abyss. A void filled with shifting, incomprehensible masses that existed yet did not. A chorus of agonized whispers clawed at the edges of her mind, warning her to look away.

But she couldn't.—

Something held her gaze.—

Compelled her to understand.—

To assimilate.

A crushing wave of emotion slammed onto her like a tidal wave. Her knees buckled. The world blurred. And then—

Pain.

A searing pain exploded in her abdomen.

She gasped, the force of the blow knocking the wind out of her. Her body lurched forward as violent coughs wracked her frame. Hands clutched at her stomach as she collapsed onto all fours, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

A sharp voice said with a harsh tone.

Still gasping, she looked up with a glare, her eyes filled with pain and confusion.

The hooded figure who had struck her loomed over her before reaching up and pulling back their hood, revealing a smirking girl around her age.

"What's with that look?"

The girl scoffed, crossing her arms.

"You are lucky I followed you. Or else you would've been assimilated."

She said while offering a hand.

"..."

For a moment, she hesitated. But as she studied the stranger girl's expression, she sensed no immediate hostility. Warily, she accepted the hand and let herself be pulled to her feet.

"Ugh… What do you mean by assimul-"

"Before we start with the questions, why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Jemma, from Drakenort City. Nice to meet ya!"

Jemma Introduced, as she walks up to the girl, leaning in far too close with a wide, cheerful grin.

Uncomfortable, Val took two quick steps back before muttering,

"Val. From Windmere Village."

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THREE DAYS AGO, SOUTHERN FRONT OF THE FIRST DEFENSE LINE- EIGHT MILES FROM THE FALLEN FORTRESS OF THE GIGGADON EMPIRE.

The earth trembled.

Marching toward the fortress from the north was a force of five hundred thousand knights and mercenaries. This massive army comprised the rear guard of the First Defense Line, the remnants of the defeated First Defense Line army, reinforcements from the Second Defense Line, and mercenaries who had answered the ORDER. Leading this large army was Commander Lieutenant Balt Clayledge.

Yet, before them, standing outside the fortress the Northern Vanguard Army of the Thorka Empire. Their numbers, a one hundred and fifty thousand. Though outnumbered, by the incoming army, they stood unwavering, filled with an overwhelming desire to fight. Though This was not the first, nor the second battle fought against the Giggadon army. They had clashed many times, and each time, Thorka's forces had been repelled. But defeat had not broken them. If anything, it had only sharpened their fangs.

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GIGGADON FIRST DEFENSE LINE -ARMY POV

"Just as the scouts reported. Their numbers are one hundred and fifty thousand."

Vice Commander Lieutenant August said narrowing his gaze, as he tightens his grip around the reins of his steed. Suspicion flickered across his face as he studied the enemy formation.

"They know they lack the numbers, yet rather than fortifying the fortress, they abandoned it to meet us h." He hesitated, thoughts racing. "This is…"

"A foolish strategy," Clayledge finished his voice grave.

Yet something felt off. Even from a distance, he could see it—their expressions.

They are unafraid. Even in the face of an overwhelming force.

A force with such morale could be dangerous, even against a larger army, but the outcome of this battle had already been decided at a glance. The strongest mana sensed from Thorka's forces belonged to five Fourth-Class Grandmasters. Meanwhile, the Giggadon Army had a Seventh-Class Grandmaster, three Sixth-Class Grandmasters, five Fourth-Class Grandmasters, and countless knights and mercenaries of First, Second, and Third-Class rankings. Against that, sheer bravery meant little.

"Let's end this quickly. They might have reinforcements coming," Clayledge said in a commanding tone, turning his head to his left. His sharp gaze landed on a sergeant bearing a silver badge.

The sergeant understood immediately. He spurred his horse forward, preparing to relay the attack command—

But then—

A sudden commotion rippled through the front lines.

Clayledge snapped his gaze forward to see the cause.

What he saw shocked him.

A lone Thorka soldier was walking toward them.

No horse.No flag of surrender.Just a single, deliberate march toward an army of five hundred thousand.

Murmurs spread like wildfire through the ranks. Confusion. Disbelief. And then—anger.

Clayledge's lips twisted in a snarl as realization struck.

"This... This BASTARD!"

His roar sent a shudder through those closest to him, even spooking the nearby horses. His rage was instant, searing. He knew exactly what this was.

It was their own tactic—the same strategy Giggadon had used during the Northern Conquests.

Send a single knight. A Grandmaster. A warrior of monstrous power. Let them stand before an entire army, alone. Let them shatter morale before the battle even begins.

Clayledge's hands clenched so hard his knuckles cracked.

"GET ME A BOW!"

In seconds, a bow and arrow were thrust into his grasp. Without hesitation, he notched the arrow, pulled back the bowstring, and channeled every ounce of his mana into the shot. The bow groaned under the sheer force, the arrow glowing with deadly energy.

His glare locked onto his target.

"DIE, ORANGE-HAIRED BASTARD!"

He loosed the arrow.

A sonic boom erupted as the projectile tore through the air, its sheer force splitting the ground beneath his horse. The arrow screamed toward the lone figure—unstoppable, undeniable.

It would kill him in an instant.

Except—

It didn't.

The arrow stopped mid-air, immediately caught by a massive shadowed hand that stretched from the figure's own shadow.

Slowly, an entity began to emerge from the darkness, its form taking shape. Within seconds,a hulking, giant humanoid beast rose, standing meters over the orange-haired figure before letting out a deafening roar.

And in that moment, as the echoes faded into stunned silence—the battle began.

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PRESENT TIME – ABYSS REALM – #0 SHORE

"..."

Hearing Val's reply, Jemma smiled happily before saying, "Well, Val, nice to meet ya…"

Her tone was joyful as she turned around, took a few steps forward, then stopped. Spinning back toward Val in a dramatic fashion, she placed a hand on her hip and pointed at her with exaggerated flair.

"Val! You clearly don't know a thing about the Abyss—that's a big no-no. Lucky for you, I was told by my master and the elders to help you survive here the best I can."

Val's expression shifted as she realized that this strange girl might have all the answers she needed.

"So you'll answer any question I have?"

Jemma nodded. "Yes, I'll try to answer anything within my knowledge."

"I see… then my first question is, where is this?"

"That's an easy one. We're in the Abyss, on the 'Zero' Shore."

Val frowned, unsatisfied with the vague answer.

"Well… to explain in more detail, the Abyss is a world separate from ours, a place where no physical being can exist—only the souls of the dead can wander. WAIT! Before you panic, no, we're not dead… probably."

Jemma's voice wavered slightly at the last part.

Val narrowed her eyes. "Are we dead or not?"

"Well… not entirely," Jemma admitted. "According to what I was taught, when we first awaken—what they call the 'awakening of the body'—we enter a state where we are both alive and dead at the same time. After that, we're placed into the Pool of Life, which sends our souls to the Abyss. And that's where we are now."

She hesitated before adding, "So… yeah, we're still alive."

Her unsure expression did little to reassure Val.

"I… understand," Val muttered.

"So what's our purpose in this Abyss?"

She asked.

"We're here to awaken our souls," Jemma said before she began to explain.

"As I said before, our real bodies are still in our world. The bodies we have now are just vessels created by the Abyss to house our souls, so we don't get assimilated."

"Hmm… so what happened to me earlier was…"

"Yes," Jemma confirmed.

"Your soul was about to be pulled out of that body. And even though this body isn't real, it still functions just like a real one. That's why pain helped break the process. But if we had been in the abyss longer, that wouldn't have saved you."

"What do you mean?"

Val asked with a curious tone.

Jemma's expression darkened slightly. "These bodies degrade over time. The longer we stay, the weaker we become. Eventually, they collapse—and when that happens, the Abyss takes us for good. That's why awakening our souls is so important. It's the only way to leave."

Val clenched her fists. "Then… how do we awaken?"

Jemma smirked. "You feel the murky air around?"

Val blinked before answering. "Yes."

"That's called Death Qi. Think of it like mana, except it's what we use to awaken the soul. And That's how we step into the Knowledge Path."

"Knowledge Path… Death Qi… Abyss… Soul Awakening… I've never heard of any of this before."

She furrowed her brow

. "Now I really want to know what kind of cult this is…"

Even as Jemma gave her answers, more questions piled up in Val's mind. Strange words she had never heard before. A soul-sucking sky she had never seen before. This was, without a doubt, the

"Come on, I'll explain more about the Knowledge Path as we search."

Val raised an eyebrow. "Search? Search for what?"

Jemma's grin turned sharp.

"The Abyss Beasts, of course."

She turned and started making her way down the sand dune, her steps sure and confident. Val hesitated for only a second before following close behind.