Chapter 35: Throne of the Abyss
The ruins stretched before Ash like the remnants of a forgotten battlefield. Shadows clung to broken stone walls, whispering silent warnings carried by the wind. The oppressive weight of the Nightmare Realm pressed down on him, but he had long grown accustomed to it.
This world had no mercy. It either shaped you into something stronger or ground you into dust.
Ash had no intention of being the latter.
His boots barely made a sound against the cracked stone beneath him. Every movement was calculated, his senses sharpened to their peak. His Observation Haki pulsed, reaching out like invisible tendrils, scanning for threats that might lurk in the dark.
Nothing immediate. But something was watching.
He could feel it.
Step. Step. Step.
He continued forward, his grip firm on the hilt of his sword. The deeper he ventured into the ruins, the stronger the feeling became. Not fear, not exactly. But a sense of being observed.
Then—
A flicker of movement.
Ash twisted, his blade half-drawn, but there was nothing. Only the ruins. Only silence.
His Observation Haki pulsed again. A faint presence lingered just beyond his range, vanishing the moment he tried to focus on it.
A test?
He exhaled slowly. If this trial wanted to toy with him, it would learn the hard way that he wasn't prey.
He pressed onward.
The air grew colder. The path narrowed between towering remnants of collapsed structures. Then, without warning—
A door.
It stood alone amidst the rubble, untouched by time. Blackened stone, its surface covered in unfamiliar engravings. Ancient, foreboding.
It was different. Unlike anything else in the trial.
Ash stepped closer, his fingers grazing the edge of the stone. The symbols pulsed faintly, as if reacting to him.
A choice.
Enter or move on.
His instincts screamed at him.
Whatever lay beyond this door would be significant.
Without hesitation, he pushed forward.
And the darkness swallowed him whole.
---
[System Update]
Name: Ash
Rank: Awakened
Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant
Flaw: Vision Impairment (Partial)
Observation Haki: Evolving
Stats:
Strength: 78
Agility: 82
Endurance: 76
Perception: 92
Willpower: 85
Abilities:
Phantom Rend (High-speed draw-cut)
Abyss Fang (Delayed-strike technique)
Tyrant's Form (Temporary stat boost)
Devourer's Rebirth (Energy-based healing)
Predator's Conquest (Martial technique absorption)
Status: Trial in Progress… Darkness enveloped Ash the moment he stepped through the ancient door. It was not the kind of darkness that came with the absence of light, but something deeper—more primordial. A force that swallowed sound, light, and even his own sense of presence.
For a moment, he was weightless, floating in the void.
Then—
Thud!
His boots met solid ground.
The air shifted.
A low hum vibrated through his bones, resonating with something inside him. His Abyssal Tyrant Aspect stirred in response, as if recognizing something familiar.
Then, the void split apart.
A new world unfolded before him.
---
The Trial's True Stage
Ash stood at the edge of an abyss. A massive chasm stretched out before him, jagged cliffs lining its sides like the jaws of some colossal beast. Below, there was only darkness, its depths unknowable.
The sky above was fractured—crimson light bleeding through jagged cracks, painting the ruins around him in eerie shades of red and black.
And then, he noticed them.
Shadows.
Not just any shadows—watching him.
They clung to the ruins, formless figures shifting between the remnants of shattered pillars and broken stone. Their presence was unnatural, but they did not move closer. They only… observed.
Ash clenched his jaw.
He had faced countless horrors in this Nightmare Realm. If they were waiting for him to break, they would be sorely disappointed.
A notification flickered in his mind.
[Trial Update: Abyssal Descent]
Survive and Conquer the Depths.
Time Limit: 24 Hours.
No hesitation.
Ash took his first step forward—
And the ground crumbled beneath him.
Falling.
The abyss devoured him.
---
The Descent
Cold air whipped against his body as he plunged into the unknown. His heart pounded, instincts screaming at him to react, but the abyss had no footholds, no ledges to grasp. Only the endless fall.
Then—
His Observation Haki flared.
Something moved in the abyss below him.
Ash twisted mid-air, his eyes narrowing. Shapes emerged from the void—creatures with elongated limbs and hollow eyes, their bodies shifting like liquid shadows.
The abyss wasn't just empty.
It was alive.
One of the creatures lunged.
Ash's blade flashed—
A single Phantom Rend tore through the darkness, carving through the creature with blinding speed. A delayed Abyss Fang followed, severing the limbs of another before the strike even connected.
The creatures shrieked—soundless, but felt deep within the soul.
But Ash was relentless.
His Tyrant's Form activated—his speed, strength, and reflexes surged in an instant. Twisting in the air, he cut through another beast, its shadowy form dispersing like mist.
More.
They came in waves now, the abyss itself seemingly birthing them.
Ash exhaled.
Then, he let go.
He stopped resisting the fall—embraced it.
Instead of fighting the abyss, he became part of it.
Falling, slashing, adapting.
His blade became an extension of the void, cutting through the creatures as they emerged. He moved like a phantom in freefall, weaving between attacks with inhuman precision.
Then, the abyss ended.
Impact.
Ash landed, rolling into a crouch. The ground beneath him was solid, but unlike any stone he had seen before. It was black, almost glass-like, pulsing faintly with an inner glow.
He rose to his feet.
Ahead, a colossal structure loomed.
A cathedral of shadows.
And in its center—
A throne.
Empty, but waiting.
Something stirred.
Then—
A voice.
"You've come far, Abyssal Tyrant."
Ash's grip tightened.
He wasn't alone.
---
[System Update]
Name: Ash
Rank: Awakened
Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant
Flaw: Vision Impairment (Partial)
Observation Haki: Expanding…
Stats:
Strength: 79
Agility: 83
Endurance: 77
Perception: 94
Willpower: 86
Abilities:
Phantom Rend (High-speed draw-cut)
Abyss Fang (Delayed-strike technique)
Tyrant's Form (Temporary stat boost)
Devourer's Rebirth (Energy-based healing)
Predator's Conquest (Martial technique absorption)
Status: Trial Final Phase Initiated…
The shadowed cathedral stood before Ash like a monument to something ancient and forgotten. Towering spires of black stone twisted toward the fractured sky, illuminated by the eerie crimson glow that leaked through the abyss's cracks. The throne at the center of it all pulsed with a faint, ominous energy—as if waiting for him.
But Ash's attention wasn't on the throne.
It was on the figure standing before it.
A being wrapped in darkness, neither fully human nor fully beast. Its form shifted, as if struggling to remain anchored in reality. Its face was obscured beneath a blackened helm, jagged and cracked, revealing only a pair of cold, golden eyes.
And then it spoke.
"You've come far, Abyssal Tyrant."
The voice was layered—one, yet many. A distorted echo that crawled into the bones.
Ash remained silent, his grip on his sword tightening. His Observation Haki flared instinctively, but the figure's presence was… wrong. It was there, yet not.
"You are not the first to descend into the abyss," the figure continued, stepping forward. "But perhaps, you will be the last."
Without warning, the ground trembled.
The cathedral came alive.
The shadows that clung to the walls slithered outward, forming spectral figures—warriors clad in blackened armor, wielding jagged weapons that pulsed with abyssal energy. Their forms flickered, unstable, but their intent was crystal clear.
Kill.
Ash exhaled.
Then, the battle began.
---
The Abyssal Duel
The first specter lunged. A blade of darkness carved through the air, aiming for Ash's throat. He sidestepped, barely an inch to spare, and retaliated—Phantom Rend flashed, cutting through the figure.
But instead of falling, the specter's form simply shifted, its wound closing as if time had reversed.
Ash's mind raced. They're not normal enemies.
Another one attacked. Then another. The specters moved in unison, surrounding him, forcing him on the defensive. Each strike he landed dissipated them for a moment, but they always reformed.
This wasn't a fight of endurance.
It was a test.
A test of understanding.
Ash's Observation Haki sharpened, piercing through the illusions. His mind parsed the details—their attacks, their movements, the way the shadows coalesced and unraveled like a living current.
And then he saw it.
A pattern.
The specters weren't attacking independently. They were reflections of a singular will—manifestations of the figure standing before the throne.
Meaning—
Kill the source.
Ash's foot dug into the ground. He vanished, pushing his agility to the limit. The specters reacted too late—he had already bypassed them, surging straight for the true enemy.
The dark figure smiled.
And then the world shattered.
---
Abyssal Tyrant vs. The Nameless King
The battlefield changed in an instant.
No longer in the cathedral—now, Ash stood in a void of shifting black and red.
The dark figure stood across from him, no longer flickering, but solid—real. A long, jagged greatsword rested on its shoulder, pulsing with abyssal power.
"You learn fast," it mused, voice carrying something new. Approval? Amusement?
Ash didn't care.
He dashed forward—his sword clashed against the jagged greatsword, the impact shaking the space around them. The force sent him skidding backward, but he recovered instantly.
The Nameless King attacked.
A single downward swing—faster than anything that large should move. Ash barely had time to react, twisting his body to avoid a direct hit. Even so, the sheer pressure of the strike tore into his shoulder, sending a wave of pain through him.
Blood dripped onto the void.
Ash gritted his teeth. Fast. Strong. But not invincible.
He adjusted his stance, feeling the weight of his injuries but pushing past them. His Tyrant's Form activated—his muscles surged with renewed power, his reaction speed increasing just enough.
This time, he met the next strike head-on.
His blade clashed with the Nameless King's once more, but this time—he adapted.
A sidestep, a precise deflection, and then—Abyss Fang.
The delayed strike landed.
A deep cut formed across the Nameless King's side, the darkness writhing in response. The entity let out a low chuckle.
"Good. But not enough."
The ground ruptured.
The force of the explosion sent Ash flying backward, landing hard. His breath came ragged, but his mind was sharp.
This wasn't just an enemy.
It was his reflection.
A test of his strength, adaptability, and will.
If he wanted to win—
He had to become more.
---
Awakening
The Nameless King raised its blade once more. The abyss responded.
But Ash was ready.
Something inside him clicked.
His Observation Haki surged—not just sensing the enemy, but predicting its movements. The way the King's stance shifted, the slight tightening of its grip—
He saw it before it happened.
The perfect moment.
As the Nameless King swung—Ash moved. Not after. But before.
His sword met the enemy's at the exact point of weakness.
A single, perfect cut.
The jagged greatsword shattered.
The Nameless King staggered, golden eyes widening for the first time.
And Ash did not hesitate.
His blade carved forward—one final strike.
The abyss trembled.
And then—
Silence.
---
Trial Completed
Ash stood alone in the void.
The Nameless King was gone. The battlefield had vanished. Only the throne remained.
A notification flickered in his mind.
[Trial Completed: Abyssal Descent]
Rating: S+
You have conquered the depths.
You have silenced the abyss.
You have earned your name.
A pulse of energy surged through him.
A mark burned itself into his soul.
A name.
A True Name.
[Ash, the Abyssforged Tyrant]
A reward followed.
[Skill Gained: Sovereign's Dominion]
A passive aura that weakens enemies in territory Ash has conquered.
Strength and perception increase while fighting in such areas.
Ash exhaled.
Then, for the first time—he sat upon the throne.
The abyss knelt.
And the trial ended.
---
[System Update]
Name: Ash, the Abyssforged Tyrant
Rank: Awakened
Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant
Flaw: Vision Impairment (Partial)
Observation Haki: Advanced (Future Sight Unlocking…)
Stats:
Strength: 85
Agility: 89
Endurance: 81
Perception: 98
Willpower: 90
Abilities:
Phantom Rend (High-speed draw-cut)
Abyss Fang (Delayed-strike technique)
Tyrant's Form (Temporary stat boost)
Devourer's Rebirth (Energy-based healing)
Predator's Conquest (Martial technique absorption)
Sovereign's Dominion (Territorial suppression)
Status: Trial Cleared. Returning to Reality…