Chapter 23: The Abyss’s Greatest Secret – The Trial of the Supreme Path

The temperature in the chamber plummeted.

Leon felt the shift immediately.

It wasn't just cold—it was the kind of unnatural, suffocating pressure that came when something beyond comprehension was present.

The Council of the Inner Sanctum had stopped speaking.

Their abyssal robes fluttered, as if unseen forces stirred around them. The air crackled with raw energy, thick with power that threatened to crush lesser beings.

Leon did not falter.

[Selene]: "Warning: Supreme Instinct registering an unquantifiable force. This presence exceeds normal Abyssal thresholds."

Leon gritted his teeth.

So… this was it.

The true test.

The Supreme Trial – Face the Abyss or Be Consumed

One of the robed figures raised a hand.

A ripple of energy expanded outward—and the chamber vanished.

Leon's vision blurred as the world around him collapsed into nothingness.

No floor.No walls.No ceiling.

Just an endless void.

A whisper echoed around him.

"What are you?"

Leon's breath steadied. This was a test of will.

A battle not against an opponent, but against himself.

The shadows around him twisted, forming shifting figures.

Familiar faces.

His past.

His mother—Celeste, smiling.

The friends who had betrayed him.

The enemies he had crushed.

And then—himself.

A second Leon stood before him, but this one was different.

Golden eyes, but devoid of warmth.A smirk, but filled with cruelty.

This Leon wasn't just a reflection.

It was his potential.

The Supreme Path taken to the extreme.

"You want freedom," the doppelgänger said, his voice an exact mirror of Leon's own. "But power and freedom are not the same."

Leon's fists clenched.

"You could take everything," the doppelgänger continued, stepping forward. "Seize control. Become the one who decides the laws of existence."

The space shuddered.

Images flashed around them—visions of absolute power.

Leon saw himself ruling the Abyss, the Academy at his feet. The Tyrants kneeling. The gods fearing his name.

A universe with no one above him.

Only his rule.

His absolute dominion.

The temptation was undeniable.

[Selene]: "Warning: The Supreme Path is adapting. Your choices now will determine your future evolution."

Leon took a slow breath.

He understood now.

This was the true danger of his path.

Not just strength.

Not just vengeance.

But becoming something monstrous.

His golden eyes flashed.

And then—he made his choice.

Breaking the Illusion – The Supreme Will

Leon raised his hand.

His doppelgänger smirked. "You understand now, don't you? This is who you truly are."

Leon grinned.

"Maybe."

Then—he struck.

A punch, infused with Supreme Energy, blasted through his dark reflection.

The doppelgänger's expression flickered.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Then—acceptance.

"…I see."

And just like that, he vanished.

The void shattered.

Leon was back in the chamber.

The Council's Verdict – Acknowledged by the Abyss

Leon exhaled slowly.

The Council of the Inner Sanctum stared at him, their unreadable faces betraying nothing.

Then, the lead figure nodded.

"You pass."

Leon tilted his head. "That's it?"

The figure chuckled. "You don't realize what you've just done, do you?"

The chamber shook.

The shadows trembled.

And far beyond the Academy—something ancient stirred.

Leon had made his choice.

But the consequences had only just begun.

Meanwhile… Celeste's Final Trial – The Abyssal Gate Opens

Celeste stood before the Abyssal Guardian, her body battered, her breath ragged.

But she had won.

The Guardian knelt, its massive greatsword planted into the ground. "You have proven yourself," it rumbled. "The Abyss recognizes your will."

The massive obsidian gate behind it groaned as it began to open.

A rush of cold, dark energy spilled outward.

The path to the Abyss was open.

Celeste exhaled, stepping forward.

"Leon… I'm coming for you."

The Gathering Storm – The Academy Reacts

By the next day, the Academy was in chaos.

Leon's victory in the Inner Sanctum had spread like wildfire.

Students whispered his name.

Factions scrambled to predict his next move.

And the Tyrants?

They weren't laughing anymore.

Nyssa, Rank #2, watched the Academy from her tower, her crimson eyes narrowed. "This changes things."

Velgrath, Rank #1, stood in the arena, his arms crossed. His aura flickered like a raging inferno.

Leon had forced their hands.

And soon—they would make their move.