Wrath of the Abyss

The transformation was horrifying.

The Crown Prince's body was now cloaked in living shadows, writhing like an unholy force given life. His eyes, once burning with arrogance, had turned void-like—black pits of endless darkness. His wounds had sealed, his stance was stronger, and the very air around him trembled.

This… was no longer human.

Yue Rin gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on her sword. The golden flames around her flickered, the phoenix behind her screeching in defiance.

The Crown Prince raised his hand, and the darkness moved.

Like a tidal wave, it surged toward her—fast, consuming, inevitable.

Yue Rin had no time to think. She leaped high, flipping midair as her sword ignited with holy fire. She slashed downward, a wave of golden flames crashing into the abyss.

BOOM!

The two forces collided, shaking the battlefield. The sheer impact sent debris flying, the ground beneath them cracking from the strain.

But the darkness did not break.

It twisted, snaking through the fire, reaching for Yue Rin like death itself.

She barely managed to evade, rolling to the side as tendrils of abyss tore through the stone where she had just stood. One mistake, and she would be swallowed whole.

The Crown Prince chuckled, his voice echoing unnaturally. "This is the difference between us, Yue Rin."

He lifted his hand, and the shadows exploded outward.

Yue Rin was forced onto the defensive. She darted through the battlefield, dodging strikes that shattered the ground, leaving nothing but blackened craters. She couldn't afford to take a single hit.

But she wasn't just running.

She was watching.

Analyzing.

Every movement of the abyss, every flicker of control—she was looking for a weakness.

And then she saw it.

The center of his chest.

The darkness was strong, but at the very core of his being, there was a faint flicker of crimson light. A heart? A core? Whatever it was—it was his weakness.

Yue Rin smirked. Got you.

She stopped running.

Instead, she charged.

The Crown Prince's smirk faltered as she rushed toward him. "Foolish," he muttered, and the abyss struck.

Tendrils lashed out—dozens of them.

But Yue Rin was faster.

She ducked, spun, and weaved through the onslaught like a dancer in fire. Her golden flames burned away the shadows that got too close, her sword gleaming with divine power.

Then—she leaped.

Straight at his chest.

For the first time, the Crown Prince's eyes widened in shock.

Too late.

Yue Rin struck.

Her blade, engulfed in white-hot flames, plunged into his chest—directly into the flickering light.

The reaction was immediate.

The Crown Prince screamed.

His body convulsed, the abyss writhing violently as cracks spread across his form. The darkness began to crumble, shattering like glass.

Yue Rin didn't stop.

She twisted the blade, unleashing a final surge of fire. The phoenix behind her screeched, its wings bursting into an inferno that consumed them both.

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted.

When the dust settled, Yue Rin stood alone.

The Crown Prince was gone.

The battlefield was silent.

She exhaled slowly, lowering her sword. It was over.

Or so she thought.

Because from the distant shadows