Chapter 72: The Abyss Crowned
The chamber **trembled violently** as the two versions of Sai clashed.
The very air cracked with the force of their strikes. Abyssal fire and golden-black energy **detonated against the walls,** shattering ancient stone and sending jagged shards raining down around them. The palace itself **seemed to scream**—the walls shuddering and pulsing as if they were part of some **living entity** being torn apart by their battle.
Sai's dagger **clashed against the King's gauntlet,** sending a pulse of abyssal energy crackling through the chamber. His arm **strained against the force,** every muscle burning from the impact.
The King's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're still **slower.**"
Sai **vanished**, using Abyssal Step to blink behind him, slashing at his spine.
But the King was already gone.
Sai **felt the shift** in the mist before he even saw it—the older version of himself reappearing above him, golden abyssal fire **swirling around his fist.**
Before Sai could dodge, the blow **slammed into his chest,** sending him hurtling backward. His boots **scraped across the stone,** leaving a deep trench in the floor before he came to a stop.
The impact made his **ribs ache.**
But he **didn't fall.**
He staggered upright, **dagger still in hand,** blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His vision blurred slightly, but his grip was steady.
Because he **wasn't done yet.**
The King tilted his head slightly. "You're improving."
Sai smirked through the blood in his teeth. "**And you're getting slower.**"
The King's golden eyes flickered faintly with something close to **amusement.**
"Am I?"
Then, he **flickered.**
Sai barely had time to raise his dagger before **the world blurred** around him.
The King's **presence appeared everywhere at once**—shifting in and out of existence, like fragments of light reflecting in broken glass.
**Six. Seven. Eight copies.**
All of them moving at **impossible speeds.**
Sai's system **flashed warnings** as the King's clones struck from **every direction.**
A blade **cut across his shoulder,** burning with golden fire.
Another clone **slashed at his ribs,** drawing blood.
A third appeared behind him, **kicking him forward** into a fourth, who drove a gauntlet into his chest.
Sai **gasped,** staggered but still standing.
**He couldn't keep up.**
The King's voice **echoed from every direction.**
"Still holding back?"
Sai's **fingers tightened** around his dagger. His breath was ragged, his body burning. His arms ached from the repeated impacts.
But he **forced himself to keep moving.**
He flickered to the side, slashing at one of the clones, but it **dissolved into mist.** Another struck him from behind, sending him **crashing into the stone.**
Sai's head slammed into the ground, his vision briefly flashing white.
**Damn it.**
He twisted, rolling out of the way just as a golden blade **pierced the floor where his head had been.**
Then—the real **King appeared.**
Sai didn't have time to react before a **gauntleted hand closed around his throat.**
He gasped as his feet **left the ground,** his boots scraping against the stone, blood dripping from his lips.
The King's golden eyes burned.
"You're too weak."
Sai's **vision blurred.**
The edges of the throne room **flickered in and out,** the mist twisting violently. His system was flashing with red warnings, his body was broken and **on the verge of collapse.**
The King's voice was calm.
"Do you want to know why you're going to lose?"
Sai **clawed at the hand around his throat,** teeth bared, but the grip didn't loosen.
The King's smile widened faintly.
"Because I **already made the choice** you're afraid to make."
Then, he **slammed Sai into the stone.**
The ground **splintered beneath him,** cracks spreading out in jagged veins. Sai **coughed violently,** blood splattering across the black stone. His vision **dimmed for a moment.**
But he forced his eyes **open.**
**Not yet.**
He couldn't lose here.
Not now.
The King slowly stepped back, his golden eyes **cold and unforgiving.**
"Stand up," he ordered.
Sai's fingers **curled against the stone,** his knuckles scraped raw. His chest heaved with each breath. His vision was **blurring from the pain,** but his hands were still **steady.**
**And he stood.**
Slowly.
Defiantly.
Blood **dripped from his mouth** and down his arms. His knees shook slightly beneath him.
But he was **still standing.**
Sai **spat blood onto the stone** and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Then—**he smiled.**
"Yeah?" he rasped. "**You talk too much.**"
The King's golden eyes **narrowed slightly.**
And for the first time—**he looked almost amused.**
Sai exhaled sharply.
Then—he **let go.**
---
### **The Abyss Awakens**
The moment Sai **stopped holding back,** the entire chamber **shook violently.**
The black stone walls **cracked,** the swirling mist **turned violent,** and the palace **groaned under the weight of something ancient.**
The Abyss didn't **resist him anymore.**
It **obeyed.**
The black mist surged outward, **coiling around his arms and legs,** swirling into the blades of his daggers.
**And the Abyss answered him.**
Sai's golden eyes **flared with abyssal fire,** his pupils narrowing into slits. His aura **expanded violently,** swallowing the chamber in a storm of darkness.
The King's expression **shifted slightly.**
Surprise.
And then—**satisfaction.**
Because now?
Sai wasn't holding back.
The mist **exploded outward,** and Sai **moved.**
Faster than before.
**Faster than the King.**
He **flickered out of existence**, appearing behind the King, his dagger driving **straight for his heart.**
The King barely turned in time, blocking the strike with his gauntlet—but **Sai was already gone.**
He appeared to the left.
A slash.
Then **vanished again.**
Behind.
Another strike.
The King **staggered slightly,** golden ichor dripping from the slashes.
Sai didn't give him time to recover.
He **moved faster,** the mist **following him**, forming into jagged tendrils that lashed out at the King from all directions.
The King **blocked one,** but another tore into his side.
Then a third slashed across his back.
For the first time—**the King bled.**
And he **laughed.**
"Yes," he hissed, golden eyes blazing. "**Finally.**"
Then—the **King vanished.**
Sai barely had time to blink before the **world blurred.**
The King reappeared directly in front of him, gauntlet **slamming into his chest** with enough force to shatter bone.
Sai **gasped,** blood spewing from his lips, but his hand **caught the King's wrist.**
And for the first time—**he smiled through the blood.**
"Got you."
The mist around them **coiled violently,** and Sai **poured everything** into the dagger in his hand.
**Abyssal fire ignited**, black and golden veins **searing across the blade,** turning it into a weapon of pure destruction.
And then—**he drove it into the King's chest.**
The dagger **pierced through the armor,** cutting into the golden flesh beneath.
The King's eyes **widened slightly.**
A fraction of a breath.
A flash of surprise.
And then—**he smiled.**
The throne room **detonated.**
Abyssal fire **exploded outward,** engulfing them both.
And as the chamber **collapsed into darkness**, Sai realized **one thing.**
He wasn't fighting the King anymore.
He **was becoming him.**