Chapter 6: The Hunters’ Judgment

The Throne of the Devourer

The abyss shivered as Ronan leaned back in his new throne. The jagged obsidian felt warm, as if the seat itself recognized him—accepted him.

The moment he sat, the entire cathedral of N'Zallith had changed. No longer was it a ruined tomb. The shadows that had once lurked in the corners now bowed. The flames lining the walls had shifted from violet to pure black, burning without heat.

And in the air, whispers.

Voices of the past. Of those who had once wielded the Mark of the Devourer before him.

"You are not the first to claim this throne…"

"But you may be the last."

Ronan exhaled, feeling the weight of the abyss settle over his shoulders.

He was stronger now. Not just physically—something fundamental in his existence had changed. He could feel it in the way the darkness moved around him, how the world itself seemed to bend when he willed it to.

A System Notification flickered before him.

—----------------------------------------

🔹 Sovereign Ascension Complete.

🔹 New Class: Sovereign of the Devouring Abyss

Skills Unlocked:

✅ Abyssal Dominion – Your will is law within abyssal territories. Lesser abyssal creatures must obey.

✅ Void Reconstitution – Your body no longer follows normal healing. Instead of regenerating, you consume external matter to restore yourself.

✅ Mark of the First Devourer – ??? (Sealed)

🔹 WARNING: Your existence is now classified as an "Anomaly."

🔹 The System has marked you for elimination.

—----------------------------------------

Ronan's eyes narrowed.

"Marked for elimination?"

So the System itself had deemed him a threat?

He chuckled under his breath. Guess it finally noticed.

A sudden ripple in the air made him pause.

Something was coming.

Something… human.

The Hunters Arrive

Outside the cathedral, the ground quaked.

A massive magic circle lit up the sky, golden runes pulsing with divine energy. The light burned against the abyss, trying to push it back, but the shadows refused to yield.

Then—

Figures emerged.

A squad of Hunters—their armor gleaming with enchanted inscriptions, their weapons already drawn. At their center stood a man draped in silver, his presence alone enough to shake the ruins.

—----------------------------------------

[Jericho Voss – Platinum-Rank Hunter]

🔹 Guild: Radiant Dawn

🔹 Class: Holy Executioner

🔹 Threat Level: Extremely High

—----------------------------------------

Ronan's gaze locked onto the leader. Jericho Voss.

A legend. A Platinum-Ranked Hunter, second only to the S-Rankers who ruled the world.

And from the way his hand rested on the massive greatsword strapped to his back, Ronan could tell—he was here to kill him.

Jericho's voice cut through the air, cold and absolute.

"Ronan Kessler. By order of the System, you are hereby declared an Anomaly."

The Hunters behind him tightened their formation, their weapons humming with lethal energy.

"Your existence threatens the balance of this world." Jericho's silver eyes locked onto Ronan's. "For that, you are sentenced to immediate extermination."

Silence.

Then, Ronan laughed.

A slow, dark chuckle that echoed through the abyss.

The Hunters flinched.

"You people are unbelievable," Ronan muttered, rising from the throne. He descended the steps slowly, his abyssal claw flexing as the void curled around his feet. "For years, the System ignored me. Rejected me. Treated me like trash."

His violet eyes burned as he stepped into the open air.

"And now that I have power, suddenly, I'm a problem?"

Jericho's expression remained unreadable.

"You are an affront to the natural order."

"Funny. That's exactly what the System said when it abandoned me."

The abyss stirred around Ronan, responding to his will.

The Hunters tensed. Some reached for their weapons. Others murmured incantations.

But Jericho?

He simply drew his greatsword.

A massive, silver-forged blade, inscribed with runes that shimmered like starlight. The very air around it sizzled, rejecting the abyss.

"Enough talking," Jericho said, his voice a death sentence.

"Show me if you're worthy to exist."

The Abyss vs. The System

Jericho vanished.

One moment, he was standing twenty meters away. The next—he was right in front of Ronan, his greatsword already swinging downward.

Fast. Too fast.

But Ronan had fought monsters beyond human limits.

His Voidwalker's Edge formed in an instant.

CLANG!

The weapons collided.

A shockwave erupted, splitting the ground apart. The ruins of N'Zallith shook, entire structures collapsing from the force of their clash.

Ronan gritted his teeth, his arm numbing from the sheer weight of the attack. Jericho was strong.

But Ronan was stronger now, too.

The abyss flared, his power responding. His claw lashed out, black tendrils surging toward Jericho's exposed flank.

Jericho reacted instantly.

A wall of golden light erupted around him, burning away the abyssal tendrils before they could reach him.

Ronan's eyes narrowed. Divine energy.

A direct counter to abyssal power.

Jericho didn't give him time to analyze.

He pressed forward, his sword swinging again—a relentless barrage of strikes, each one backed by the sheer Authority of a Platinum-Rank Hunter.

Ronan barely parried, his blade struggling against the holy enchantments.

But with every clash, he was learning.

With every swing, the Devourer's Mark adapted.

And then—he saw it.

A flaw in Jericho's movements.

Too focused on attack. Not enough on defense.

Ronan smirked.

"You rely too much on the System."

Jericho's eyes flickered with confusion—just for a moment.

Ronan took advantage.

His claw pulsed, abyssal energy surging outward in a controlled explosion.

Jericho's instincts kicked in—he raised his sword to block—

But that was the mistake.

The abyss didn't attack his sword.

It swallowed the ground beneath him.

Jericho's footing shattered, the stone beneath him vanishing into the void, and for half a second, he lost balance.

That was all Ronan needed.

His Voidwalker's Edge slashed across Jericho's chest—not just cutting through his armor, but disrupting his very essence.

Jericho staggered back, blood dripping onto the ruins below.

For the first time, his expression changed.

Shock.

Disbelief.

And then, something darker.

"What… are you?"

Ronan stood tall, the abyss swirling violently behind him.

His violet eyes glowed, his voice calm—almost amused.

"The thing your precious System fears the most."

He lifted his blade.

"Now get up, Hunter. I'm not done devouring you yet."