Descent into Chaos

The battlefield was silent.

Yue Rin stood amidst the swirling embers, her body trembling from exhaustion. The Crown Prince was gone—his abyssal form shattered, his power extinguished. Or so she thought.

Then, the ground beneath her quaked.

A chilling wind howled through the battlefield, and an ominous crack echoed in the air. Yue Rin's golden eyes narrowed as she turned sharply, her grip tightening on her sword. The lingering shadows from the Crown Prince's corpse began to move.

No… not move.

They were gathering.

Like a beast regenerating its limbs, the abyss reformed, coiling together with unnatural speed. The remnants of the darkness converged into a single point—a pulsating black mass, shifting, morphing into something far worse.

Then—it opened its eyes.

Not the Crown Prince's arrogant gaze, but something ancient. Something hungry.

The Abyss had awakened.

A deep, guttural voice rumbled from within the mass. "You thought a mere sword could end me?"

The darkness lunged.

Yue Rin barely reacted in time. She flashed backward, her golden aura flaring up, forming a barrier of fire around her. The abyss crashed against it, writhing violently, pressing in from all sides.

She gritted her teeth. It's stronger than before.

The moment she had pierced the Crown Prince's heart, she had broken something—but not in the way she had intended. Instead of killing him, she had freed something else.

Something much worse.

The abyss split open, revealing the figure of the Crown Prince once more—but now, his body was entirely consumed by darkness, his flesh merely a puppet for the entity inside. His mouth twisted into a jagged smile.

"I should thank you, Yue Rin." His voice no longer belonged to him. It was layered, distorted, filled with something inhuman. "You broke my chains. Now, I am whole."

The moment he spoke, the sky darkened.

The stars above flickered out, one by one, swallowed by a creeping void. Yue Rin's breath hitched. This wasn't just power. This was a force of nature itself.

She didn't hesitate. She attacked.

With a burst of golden flames, she launched herself forward, slashing down with everything she had. The impact split the earth beneath them, sending waves of divine fire crashing into the abyss.

But the darkness devoured it.

Her flames, her holy light—everything was absorbed.

And then, the abyss struck back.

A tendril of pure darkness lashed out, faster than anything Yue Rin had ever faced. It smashed into her side, sending her flying across the battlefield. She crashed through shattered ruins, her body slamming against a stone pillar before she could even react.

CRACK!

Pain exploded through her ribs. Blood dripped from her lips as she struggled to rise, her vision spinning. She had never felt a force like this before.

The abyssal form of the Crown Prince loomed over her, its shape shifting constantly, as if reality itself rejected its existence.

"You were strong," the abyss murmured. "But not strong enough."

It descended.

A massive wave of darkness rushed toward her, ready to engulf her completely. Yue Rin forced herself to move, pushing past the pain, her aura flaring in defiance. She raised her sword, the last of her divine energy crackling around her.

But she knew the truth.

She couldn't win.

Not like this.

And then—

A voice rang through the battlefield.

"Enough."

The abyss froze.

Yue Rin's breath caught as a new presence descended from the heavens. A blinding pillar of light split the battlefield, pushing back the abyss with raw, unfiltered power.

A man stepped forward.

Tall. Dressed in black robes lined with silver runes. His eyes glowed—not with magic, but with something far beyond it. A presence that demanded submission.

The abyss shuddered.

Even it knew.

This was a true monster.

The man's gaze swept over the battlefield before settling on Yue Rin. His voice was calm, almost indifferent.

"You've done well."

Then he turned to the abyss, his aura flaring.

"Now, let me show you what true fear looks like."