Chapter 17: The Price of Power

The Battle for Survival

Kuragami charged forward, his newly restored arm pulsing with dark energy. His flesh was still raw from the torment he had endured, but he didn't care.

The faceless entity—the embodiment of his trial—hovered silently, as if watching, waiting.

Kuragami's blade of shifting energy formed in his hand. He swung at the entity's head.

CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the abyss.

His attack had been blocked—effortlessly.

The entity didn't even move, yet somehow, Kuragami's sword shattered.

A wave of black tendrils shot out, impaling his chest.

"GAAAH!"

He coughed up blood, but he refused to fall.

"You are still weak."

The voice echoed in his mind.

"You are still afraid."

Kuragami growled, pushing through the pain.

"I fear nothing!"

The tendrils tightened around him, squeezing his ribs until they cracked.

"Lies," the entity whispered.

Then, the void around him changed.

Kuragami was no longer in the abyss. He stood in a golden palace, the air thick with perfume and sin.

A Temptation of Lust

Beautiful women surrounded him.

They were goddesses and demons, their bodies perfect, their eyes filled with desire.

One stepped forward—a goddess with violet hair and piercing red eyes. She trailed her fingers down his chest, her lips curling into a sultry smile.

"You fight so hard, little prince," she whispered. "Why suffer? Why not surrender… and enjoy eternity with us?"

Kuragami's breath was ragged.

His body was exhausted, in pain, desperate for warmth.

The goddess pulled him close, her body pressing against his.

"Give in, Kuragami," she purred. "Let go of your pain… and let me take care of you."

For a moment, his body reacted. His fingers traced her soft skin, his mind clouded with pleasure.

Then—

A vision of his mother, screaming as Zeus took her.

His body froze.

His rage exploded.

With a snarl, he shoved the goddess away, his energy blasting through the illusion.

"I am not weak!"

The pleasure vanished. The golden palace crumbled.

The faceless entity returned.

"Good," it whispered. "But the next trial… will break you."

The Friend Who Wasn't a Friend

Kuragami landed back in the abyss, panting.

Suddenly—

A voice he knew.

"Kuragami?"

He turned.

A young man with silver hair and sharp green eyes stood before him.

"No way… Hiro?"

Hiro had been his closest friend in his past life. The only person who had ever stood by him when the world abandoned him.

"How are you here?" Kuragami asked, stunned.

Hiro smiled.

"I was reborn here, just like you. I've been searching for you."

Kuragami felt something strange in his chest. Relief? Hope?

For the first time in forever, he felt like he wasn't alone.

Hiro stepped closer, gripping Kuragami's shoulders.

"Let's escape this place together. We'll become powerful, stronger than gods, stronger than demons!"

Kuragami nodded.

"Yeah. Together."

But then—

A sharp pain in his gut.

He looked down.

Hiro had plunged a dagger into his stomach.

Betrayal and Darkness

"W-why…?"

Kuragami staggered back, blood spilling from the wound.

Hiro's smile twisted into something cruel.

"Did you really think I was your friend?"

Kuragami fell to his knees.

"Hiro… I trusted you."

Hiro knelt beside him, whispering into his ear.

"I only became friends with you because of your sister."

Kuragami's eyes widened.

The memories of his past life slammed into him. Hiro—the friend who had stood by him, laughed with him, cried with him—

Was the one who had betrayed him first.

"I was the one who told them where your sister was," Hiro whispered. "I was the one who watched as she screamed."

Kuragami's breathing stopped.

"And you know what?"

Hiro's lips curled.

"I enjoyed every second of it."

Something snapped inside Kuragami.

The Descent into Depression

Kuragami lay motionless as Hiro twisted the dagger deeper.

His body grew colder.

His mind darkened.

"This world is full of lies," the voice of the abyss whispered.

"You are alone."

His mother was gone.

His father was missing.

His best friend was his worst enemy.

What was the point of fighting anymore?

He let go.

His energy faded.

His eyes slowly closed.

And then—

A voice.

Not from the abyss. Not from the gods or demons.

But from deep within himself.

"Do you want power?"

Kuragami's eyes fluttered open.

The darkness within him stirred.

"Then take it."

The Birth of Something New

The dagger inside him shattered.

Hiro's eyes widened.

Kuragami slowly stood.

The abyss itself shook.

His golden and black aura erupted outward, a force unlike anything before.

Hiro stepped back.

"W-what are you—?"

Kuragami lifted his hand.

A black and white sword formed in his grip.

Hiro tried to run.

But Kuragami appeared behind him in an instant.

With one clean slash—

Hiro's head rolled to the ground.

Silence.

Kuragami exhaled, his body pulsing with new energy.

The faceless entity appeared once more.

It spoke in a tone filled with something close to respect.

"You have passed."

The void collapsed.

And Kuragami ascended.

To Be Continued…