Chapter 57: The Abyssal Trial
The air was **different now.**
Sai had taken a single step forward, and the Abyss had **shifted** around him. The mist thickened, the ground beneath his feet felt **less solid**, and the Keeper of the First Gate had **vanished** into the darkness. He wasn't in the same place anymore—**or maybe it was the place that had changed.**
The silence was heavy, pressing against him like a physical weight. There was no sound, no movement. Just an endless expanse of **black mist and shifting shadows.**
Then, a voice **echoed** through the void.
**"You seek control."**
Sai's body tensed. The voice wasn't like the Keeper's. It wasn't distant or layered. It was **sharp**, cutting through the silence like a blade.
**"You seek power without consequence."**
Sai clenched his fists. "I don't want power. I just want the truth."
The mist around him **moved.**
And then—**he wasn't alone anymore.**
A figure stepped forward, emerging from the swirling darkness. At first, Sai thought it was the Keeper again, but as the figure came into view, his breath caught.
It was **him.**
An exact replica—**down to the last detail.** The same black hair, the same sharp eyes, the same stance. But there was **something off.** His copy's eyes weren't just dark. They were **void-like, endless pits of abyssal energy.**
Sai's pulse quickened. "What the hell is this?"
The copy tilted its head slightly, a smirk tugging at its lips.
**"A trial."**
---
**The Rules of the Abyss**
Sai's system **flared to life.**
**[Abyssal Trial Initiated.]**
**[Defeat Your Reflection.]**
**[Failure Results in Assimilation.]**
Sai inhaled sharply. **Assimilation?** That didn't sound like just losing a fight. That sounded like being **erased.**
His copy took a slow step forward. "You wanted answers."
Sai instinctively stepped back, daggers slipping into his hands. The copy **did the same**, mirroring him perfectly.
Sai narrowed his eyes. "So, I have to kill myself to win?"
The copy grinned. "Not yourself."
Then it lunged.
---
**Fighting a Shadow**
Sai barely had time to react before the copy **was in front of him.**
He dodged to the side, his instincts screaming, and countered with a quick slash aimed at its ribs. But the copy **matched his movement perfectly,** dodging at the exact same angle and countering with the same attack.
Sai twisted away, his dagger narrowly avoiding his own throat.
**It was fighting exactly like him.**
Sai cursed under his breath, resetting his stance. "Alright, this is going to be a problem."
The copy didn't respond. It just **watched**, waiting for him to attack.
Sai exhaled. **If it fought like him, then that meant it had the same weaknesses.**
He activated **Abyssal Step**, blinking behind it in an instant. His dagger flashed, striking for its exposed back—
But the moment he reappeared, the copy was already **gone.**
Sai barely had time to move before a blade **sliced across his shoulder.**
Pain flared. He staggered back, pressing a hand to the wound. **It had used Abyssal Step too.**
Of course it did. **It was him.**
The copy flicked the blood from its dagger and smirked. "Not as easy as you thought?"
Sai gritted his teeth. If he kept fighting like normal, he'd never win. He needed to think differently.
---
**Breaking the Pattern**
Sai exhaled slowly. He couldn't outmatch his copy **in a fair fight.**
So he wouldn't fight fair.
Instead of charging, he **dropped his weapons.**
The copy blinked, momentarily confused.
Sai **lunged forward, unarmed.**
His copy instinctively moved to counter—but that was its mistake.
Sai had spent his whole life **fighting stronger enemies.** He wasn't just a dagger fighter. He knew how to brawl.
He twisted under the copy's blade, grabbed its wrist, and used **its own momentum against it.**
The copy's balance **broke.**
Sai slammed his knee into its ribs, sending it staggering back.
For the first time, it looked **off balance.**
Sai smirked. "Guess you didn't expect that."
The copy **glared.**
And then—it **changed.**
---
**The Abyss Fights Back**
The copy's form **shifted.**
Abyssal energy **poured** from its body, twisting its shape, turning it into something **more.**
Sai's system flashed another warning.
**[Opponent Evolving.]**
**[Threat Level Increasing.]**
The copy's grin widened, revealing **too many teeth.** Its eyes burned brighter, its form flickering between solid and shadow.
Sai tensed. **This wasn't a mirror match anymore.**
It was becoming **something worse.**
Then, **it attacked.**
Sai barely had time to react as the copy **vanished completely.**
A split second later, pain **exploded in his back.**
Sai gasped, stumbling forward, barely rolling away before another **strike nearly took his head.**
His vision blurred. **It was faster now.**
More than just a reflection. **It was adapting.**
Sai gritted his teeth. He needed to **end this now.**
---
**The Final Move**
Sai pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't match its speed anymore. He couldn't **outfight** it.
But maybe he could **trap it.**
He exhaled, **reaching into the Abyss.**
Not just drawing power—**commanding it.**
The ground beneath them **shifted.**
Abyssal chains **erupted from the mist, lashing out toward the copy.**
It tried to dodge—but Sai was already **moving.**
He used **Abyssal Step**, not to attack, but to **appear right where it was dodging.**
His dagger **sank into its chest.**
The copy **froze.**
A look of **shock** flickered across its face.
Then, the abyssal chains **tightened**, dragging it down.
Sai's voice was quiet. "I win."
The copy **smirked.**
Then—it **dissolved into mist.**
The trial was over.
---
**A New Path Opens**
Sai staggered, breathing heavily. His wounds ached, his energy was low, but he was **still standing.**
His system flickered.
**[Abyssal Trial Complete.]**
**[Path to the Second Gate Unlocked.]**
The mist around him **shifted once more.**
A new path stretched ahead, leading deeper into the Abyss.
Sai exhaled slowly. **He wasn't done yet.**
The truth was still waiting.
And he was ready to **face it.**