Chapter 61: The Abyss Devours
The throne **called to him.**
The Abyss wasn't just a force—it was a presence, an intelligence, something that had been waiting for **this moment** for centuries. And now, standing before the pulsing abyssal flames, Sai knew that the choice he made **would define everything.**
His fingers trembled. His body screamed for him to step away.
But the Abyss **would not allow hesitation.**
It **pulled.**
Sai gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body resisting the unseen force that tried to drag him forward. His boots scraped against the black stone as he pushed back, refusing to take another step toward the throne. But the deeper pull wasn't physical. It was in his **mind.** In his **soul.**
It whispered.
**"Take your place."**
The Betrayer stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching him in silence. He had made this choice before. He had seen the truth of the Abyss, felt its hunger, and **he had given in.**
And now, Sai was standing at the same crossroads.
His system flared.
**[Final Trial: Claim or Be Claimed.]**
His breath came sharp and fast. He didn't want to rule. He didn't want to **become** the Abyss.
But if he refused…
His vision flashed.
The city in ruins. The Abyss spilling into the real world, devouring everything. Himself, sitting on this very throne, **watching as the world burned.**
The Betrayer had warned him.
**"If you do not take the Abyss, it will take you."**
Sai clenched his fists.
**No.**
That wasn't going to happen.
With a growl, he **forced himself backward**, breaking free from the unseen force pulling him in. The weight on his chest lifted—**only for the Abyss to react violently.**
The flames of the throne **flared**, and the entire room **shuddered.** The black stone beneath his feet cracked, spreading outward like veins, glowing with abyssal fire.
The Betrayer exhaled. "So you resist."
Sai wiped the sweat from his brow. "Damn right I do."
The Betrayer tilted his head. "Then prove you are strong enough."
The shadows behind the throne **came alive.**
Something massive, **something ancient**, stirred within the darkness. A deep, guttural **rumble** echoed through the chamber, sending chills down Sai's spine.
The Abyss had **never been denied before.**
And it was **angry.**
---
### **The Abyss Strikes Back**
Sai barely had time to react before the entire throne room **collapsed inward.** The black stone walls shattered into pieces, vanishing into the swirling void, and suddenly, Sai was **falling.**
Not down. Not in any direction he could understand.
Just… **falling.**
The air rushed past him, except there was no air. His breath caught in his throat, his body weightless as the darkness swallowed him whole.
Then—**it spoke.**
Not in words. Not in whispers.
But in **pure, raw will.**
**"You will kneel."**
Sai's system flared.
**[Abyssal Anomaly Detected.]**
**[Unstable Reality Engaged.]**
**[Survive.]**
A **shockwave** of abyssal energy slammed into him, and suddenly, he wasn't falling anymore. He was **somewhere else.**
The ground beneath him was liquid yet solid, shifting with every step. The sky above was an endless swirl of golden and black mist, moving in ways that defied logic.
And in front of him, rising from the void, **was something colossal.**
A **beast.**
No. A **god.**
Sai's breath hitched as he **looked up.**
The creature was **massive**, its form shifting between a thousand shapes. **A body of shadows, a crown of horns, eyes that burned like dying stars.**
It had no true shape.
It had no name.
It was simply **the Abyss given form.**
And it was staring directly at him.
Sai's mind **screamed.**
His system flashed warnings, his body felt like it was being **crushed under the weight of the Abyss's presence.**
The entity **lowered its head.**
And then—it **laughed.**
A deep, layered sound that **rattled his bones, shook the very air around him.**
**"You resist, yet you stand before me."**
Sai forced himself to breathe. "I didn't come here to kneel."
The Abyss **shifted**, its form rippling. "Then you are a fool."
The ground beneath him **cracked.**
The trial **wasn't over.**
---
### **The Final Battle: Sai vs. the Abyss**
The entity **moved faster than it should have been possible.** One moment, it was towering above him, the next—it was **everywhere.**
A tidal wave of abyssal mist **rushed toward him.**
Sai reacted instantly, activating **Abyssal Step**, flickering out of the way just as the attack **obliterated the ground where he had stood.**
He reappeared behind the entity, daggers flashing, striking at the shadows—**only for his blades to pass straight through.**
A **clawed hand** the size of a building **descended toward him.**
Sai rolled to the side, barely avoiding it, but the shockwave sent him **flying backward.** He twisted mid-air, landing in a crouch.
**It was testing him.**
Just like the other trials.
But this time—**it wasn't holding back.**
Sai gritted his teeth. If he was going to win, he couldn't fight this like a normal battle. **He had to think bigger.**
He took a deep breath, focusing on the Abyss itself.
He didn't need to **fight** it.
He needed to **command it.**
His system flared.
**[Abyssal Authority Unlocked: Domain Control.]**
Sai's eyes **flashed.**
And the Abyss **obeyed.**
---
### **The Turning Point**
The ground **shifted beneath him**, no longer resisting his steps. The swirling mist that had been suffocating **parted at his command.**
For the first time, the Abyss wasn't just **fighting him.**
It was **listening.**
Sai straightened. "You keep telling me to kneel."
The entity **growled.**
Sai's **voice didn't waver.**
"But I'm not here to kneel."
He **raised his hand.**
And the Abyss **answered.**
Abyssal energy **exploded outward**, wrapping around the entity's form like **chains of pure will.** The god-like presence **shuddered**, its form flickering, shifting, as if caught between two realities.
Sai **stepped forward.**
And for the first time, the Abyss **stepped back.**
The laughter **stopped.**
The pressure in the air **vanished.**
And the voice that had once been so overwhelming **spoke again—quieter this time.**
**"You are not like the others."**
Sai's expression was unreadable. "No."
The entity **watched him.**
Then—it **bowed.**
The abyssal storm **stilled.** The shadows **faded.**
And Sai realized—**he had won.**
His system confirmed it.
**[Final Trial Complete.]**
**[The Abyss Recognizes You.]**
The ground beneath him **solidified.** The throne room **reappeared.**
The Betrayer stood beside the now **empty throne**, watching him carefully.
Sai exhaled, his heartbeat slowing.
He had done it.
He had defied the Abyss—**and it had accepted him anyway.**
But deep down, he knew.
**This wasn't the end.**
It was only the beginning.