Forsaken Throne – A Test of Limits

Samuel's POV

The ruins stretched endlessly before me, the echoes of the past whispering through the cracked stone and broken pillars.

I had fought my way through hordes of Forsaken Guardians, their bodies crumbling into dust beneath my fists.

The weight of my Abyssal Command and Dragon Fear Roar had sent lesser foes running, but those who remained were relentless, throwing themselves at me with the blind fury of those who knew nothing but duty and death.

And I relished it.

I cracked my neck, rolling my shoulders. My body was battered, my knuckles split from the relentless barrage of blows I had exchanged.

But the fire in my chest refused to die. I had not come here to take a throne. I didn't give a damn about ruling over some forgotten land.

I came here to test my limits.

To push beyond.

The last of the Forsaken Knights stood before me—a monstrous being clad in ancient, rusted armor, its skeletal form barely held together by the dark magic that animated it. The Final Guardian of the Throne.

Its hollow eyes burned with an eerie blue glow as it raised its massive, jagged greatsword. The sheer weight of the weapon cracked the stone beneath it.

"You have no claim here, outsider," the knight's voice rasped, echoing like a death rattle. "Begone."

I wiped the blood from my lip, smirking. "Yeah? I just killed every other sorry bastard who tried to stop me. What makes you special?"

The knight didn't answer. It simply moved.

And in the next instant, my world became a blur of steel and fury.

The knight's speed was unnatural, its rusted armor belying the inhuman reflexes that guided its blade.

I barely had time to dodge as the greatsword sliced through the air, missing my head by a breath. The wind pressure alone tore into the stone wall behind me, splitting it in half.

Shit. That was close.

I ducked, using my agility to slide beneath its next swing, and lashed out with my Warden's Gauntlets, aiming for its exposed ribs. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, but the knight barely staggered.

Instead, it twisted unnaturally, slamming the pommel of its sword into my gut.

I felt that.

The force lifted me off my feet and sent me hurtling through the air, slamming into a crumbling pillar. The stone shattered around me, dust and debris filling my vision as pain exploded in my ribs.

Damn it! That thing hits like a dragon!

But pain only fueled me.

"That all you got?" I growled, pushing myself up, cracking my knuckles. My vision blurred for a second, blood dripping down my forehead, but I grinned.

The knight tilted its head, as if questioning my sanity.

Then I activated Abyssal Command.

A dark aura erupted from my body, mixing with the bloodlust in the air. The very ground beneath me cracked as my Dragon Fear Roar followed, the sheer weight of my presence crushing the atmosphere like a suffocating abyss.

The knight hesitated.

And that was all I needed.

I moved.

In a flash, I was in front of it, my fist slamming into its chest with all the force I could muster. The armor cracked, the energy from my blow sending shockwaves rippling through its body.

It staggered.

I didn't stop.

I drove my knee into its skull, feeling the brittle bone fracture beneath the impact. The knight reeled, but I was already behind it, grabbing its rusted helmet and ripping it off.

The skeletal face beneath snarled, but before it could react—

I punched straight through its skull.

The knight froze, its body trembling before it finally collapsed, its ancient armor clattering to the ground in pieces.

Silence followed.

Then, the ruins trembled.

I turned to the Forsaken Throne—a massive, obsidian seat etched with runes that pulsed faintly, as if waiting.

I let out a breath. "So this is what all the fuss was about, huh?"

I wasn't interested in ruling. A throne meant chains, responsibilities, and a kingdom I had no interest in leading.

But…

A part of me was curious.

I had fought tooth and nail to get here. If nothing else, I wanted to see what made this throne so damn special.

I stepped forward and sat down.

The moment my body touched the throne, my consciousness was ripped from me.

I wasn't in the ruins anymore.

I was somewhere else.

A void stretched infinitely in all directions—a world of nothing and everything at once. The air felt heavy, thick with an overwhelming presence.

Then, a voice.

"You are not the one destined for this seat."

I turned sharply, scanning the abyss.

"The hell does that mean?" I demanded.

A figure stepped forward—tall, draped in shadow, its eyes burning like dying stars.

"Yet you sit upon it."

A wave of pressure slammed into me. My breath caught in my throat as my knees nearly buckled. This was unlike anything I had ever felt before—not even the Abyssal Gate had this kind of weight.

It was power. Pure, unrestrained, and ancient beyond comprehension.

I clenched my fists, my body screaming under the strain. "I don't give a damn about your throne!" I snarled. "I just wanted to see what the big deal was!"

The figure tilted its head. Then, it laughed.

"Amusing. You reject power, yet it seeks you."

The pressure vanished, and I gasped, sweat dripping from my forehead.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

The figure's eyes burned brighter. "I am the First Forsaken King. And I have been waiting… for someone like you."

A chill ran down my spine.

And then—everything shattered.

I gasped, my body snapping upright as I woke up—still seated on the throne.

I could feel something new coursing through me.

A notification flashed before my eyes.

-----

[Quest Completed: Claim the Forsaken Throne]

Reward:

+5 Levels

Forsaken King's Authority (??? Skill Added)

Unique Skill: "King's Flash" Acquired

----

I exhaled sharply, staring down at my hands.

Something had changed.

Something deep.

I clenched my fist, feeling the new power pulsing beneath my skin.

I didn't come here for a throne.

But whether I wanted it or not…

I had just awakened something far greater.