Chapter 68: The Price of Power

Eren stepped forward, his heartbeat echoing in his ears as he passed through the massive iron gate. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the world shifted.

The torches that lined the obsidian pillars behind him vanished, swallowed by an unnatural darkness that stretched endlessly in all directions. The air was thick—too thick, as if something unseen pressed down on his chest, trying to crush him from the inside out.

A deep whispering filled the void.

"You have come far… but do you truly understand the cost of the path you walk?"

Eren clenched his fists, his mana surging instinctively, forming tendrils of dark energy that wrapped around his body like a protective shell. He glared into the nothingness, his voice steady.

"I don't care about the cost." His eyes burned with resolve. "I'll do whatever it takes."

The whispering intensified. Laughter. Mocking. Skeptical. Hungry.

"Then let us see if you are worthy."

The void came alive.

---

The Trial of the Abyss

A figure emerged.

No, not just a figure—a reflection.

Eren's breath caught as he found himself staring at himself.

But this version of him was different.

His skin was cracked, as if his body had been shattered and stitched back together by something unnatural. His eyes glowed an eerie crimson, and the air around him pulsed with a twisted, unstable aura.

Eren could feel it—the raw, unchecked power radiating from this version of himself. But there was something else. Something far worse.

No hesitation. No morality. No limits.

This wasn't just a version of himself with more power.

This was a version of himself that had completely surrendered to the Grimoir of Infinite Malice.

"So this is what I could become…"

His doppelgänger tilted its head, a wicked smirk forming on its lips.

"You hesitate," it whispered, its voice layered with distorted echoes. "That's why you will never reach true power."

The reflection vanished.

Eren's instincts screamed. He barely managed to twist his body before a clawed hand slashed through the air, missing his throat by a fraction of an inch.

But it wasn't over.

His reflection moved like a shadow, faster than his own eyes could track. It reappeared behind him, a black blade forming in its hand, swinging down in a merciless execution strike.

Eren's Grimoir flared, its pages twisting violently.

"Dark Severance!"

A crescent of shadow energy erupted from his hand, colliding with the black blade, sending both attacks shattering into fragments of light and darkness.

His doppelgänger grinned.

"Pathetic."

It vanished again.

---

Fighting Against Himself

Eren's mind raced.

This wasn't a battle of brute force.

This was a battle against his own weaknesses.

His doppelgänger wasn't just attacking him physically—it was pressuring him mentally, forcing him to react, making him doubt himself.

"You hesitate."

"You hold back."

"You are weak."

Eren clenched his teeth.

No.

He wasn't weak. He wasn't the same person he had been before. He had fought, suffered, survived. He had earned his strength.

And he would prove it.

The air around him shifted, his mana surging like a storm. The Grimoir in his hand pulsed, reacting to his will. The next spell wasn't just a counter—it was an annihilation.

"Abyssal Chains!"

The ground cracked open, and from the void, shadow-forged chains erupted, snaking through the air like living serpents, lashing toward his doppelgänger.

For the first time—it hesitated.

That was all Eren needed.

He charged forward, his body moving in sync with the chains, closing the gap in an instant. The doppelgänger tried to react, but the chains wrapped around its limbs, locking it in place.

Eren's eyes blazed.

"Abyssal Oblivion."

His hand plunged into his doppelgänger's chest.

For a single, agonizing moment, there was silence.

Then—

BOOM.

A pulse of absolute darkness exploded outward, ripping the reflection apart, disintegrating it into nothing but fragments of shattered reality.

The air grew still.

The whispers stopped.

And then, the void spoke again.

"You have passed."

---

The Awakening

The darkness shattered like glass.

Eren found himself standing back in the golden hall, his breath ragged, his body trembling from the battle.

The Grimoir of Infinite Malice hovered beside him, its pages glowing with an eerie light.

New runes had formed.

New spells.

New power.

But deep inside, he knew.

He had won this battle.

But the true war had only just begun.

---

Author's Note

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in the upload! I appreciate your patience, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Eren's trial was crucial—not just a fight, but a test of his resolve, his weaknesses, and what he's willing to become. He's growing stronger, but at what cost?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! What do you think of the reflection fight? Do you think Eren is still in control of his power, or is the Grimoir starting to consume him?

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in Chapter 69!

— bloodyking99