Chapter 16: The Abyss of Suffering

Darkness.

A void stretching into eternity.

Kuragami's body plunged through nothingness, his senses overwhelmed by an unearthly force that clawed at his flesh, his bones, and his very soul. He tried to move, but his limbs would not respond.

Then—

Agony.

A thousand invisible blades tore through his body at once. His flesh peeled, his bones cracked, and his blood boiled inside his veins.

He screamed.

But there was no sound.

"Am I dying?"

The pain did not stop. It only intensified.

His skin melted, only to regenerate, then melt again. His body was being torn apart over and over, as if some unseen force delighted in his suffering.

Then—

A voice, cold and merciless.

"You have chosen the path of power. You will suffer until you prove you are worthy."

Kuragami gasped, his lungs burning.

"Who… are you?"

There was no answer.

The darkness suddenly shifted.

The nothingness became solid ground, and Kuragami collapsed onto it, coughing up black blood.

His vision blurred, but he could barely make out his surroundings—a twisted, endless landscape of bodies impaled on black spikes, rivers of blood flowing beneath him.

And then—

The screams.

The horrifying wails of those who had entered before him.

He turned his head and saw them.

Men, women, demons, gods—warriors who had failed the trial. Their bodies were torn open, limbs missing, eyes gouged out, their mouths whispering endless pleas for mercy. Some had been reduced to mere husks, their souls trapped in a cycle of unimaginable torment.

Kuragami's breath shook.

"This… this is Hell."

A new voice whispered from the void.

"No. This is your trial."

Kuragami turned, and his blood ran cold.

A figure stood before him, but it had no face—only a shifting void where its eyes should be.

Then, with a sudden slash, Kuragami's right arm was torn off.

Pain exploded through his body.

His vision turned red.

"AAAGGHHH!!"

He fell to the ground, gripping the gushing wound, his own blood flooding his hands.

"You must endure," the voice whispered.

Then—

The ground erupted, and black chains wrapped around his body, dragging him into the air.

More pain.

The chains burned into his skin, carving symbols into his flesh. Each letter sent a new wave of agony through his nerves.

Kuragami thrashed, but the chains only tightened.

"You are weak," the voice mocked.

"Just like before. Just like when you failed your sister. Just like when you failed your mother."

Kuragami's heart pounded.

"Shut up…!"

Visions flashed in his mind—his sister's terrified face, his mother's screams as she was taken by Zeus.

The rage inside him boiled.

His remaining hand clawed at the chains.

"I… will not fail… again!"

Then—

Something awakened inside him.

A dark power.

The runes carved into his flesh began to glow.

The chains snapped.

Kuragami fell to the ground, panting, but he did not collapse.

Instead, he smiled.

The faceless figure tilted its head.

"So… you still resist?"

Kuragami's golden eyes burned.

"You wanted to break me? Too bad."

His black and white aura surged, his blood stopped flowing, and his severed arm began to regenerate.

"Now it's my turn."

The void shook.

And the real battle began.

To Be Continued…