Chapter 80: The Abyss Knows No Bounds
The **mountain pass trembled violently** beneath Sai's feet as the Abyss surged outward, **ripping through the fissure** like a storm of living darkness. The black mist **poured into the world**, spreading with every heartbeat, devouring the broken stone and **consuming the sky itself.**
But it didn't fight him.
Not anymore.
It **obeyed.**
Sai stood at the center of the storm, his golden abyssal eyes **burning with raw power**, his breath slow and steady despite the chaos. The mist **coiled around his legs**, trailing upward like dark tendrils of fire, swirling softly around his arms.
And when he **moved**, the Abyss **moved with him.**
A twisted beast—**half-shadow, half-bone**—lunged at him, its claws elongated into jagged blades of obsidian. Its eyes were hollow voids, soulless and empty.
Sai didn't blink.
He simply **lifted his hand.**
The black mist **coiled upward**, spiraling into his palm before he released it with a flick of his wrist. The darkness **lashed out violently**, a twisting tendril of abyssal fire that **sliced through the creature** in a single strike.
The beast **shattered instantly**, its form **dissolving into mist** before it could reach him.
And **Sai didn't stop.**
He **pushed forward**, his boots striking the broken ground, each step **heavy with command**, and the Abyss **rushed ahead of him**—unstoppable, unyielding.
It **swallowed the beasts** before they could strike.
It **tore through their forms** before they could reform.
Because **he willed it.**
And the Abyss **obeyed.**
---
### **The Others Fight**
Behind him, **Ezren flickered violently** through the mist, moving like a shadow. His dagger **flashed with golden fire**, slicing through the limbs of another creature. Its blackened form **twisted violently** as it dissolved into mist, but **three more emerged** from the fissure before he could draw his next breath.
Ezren's eyes narrowed faintly. **"Tch."**
Without hesitation, he **vanished again**, blinking through the mist in quick, rapid bursts, slashing through the emerging wave of beasts.
Kael, further down the path, was **holding the line alone.**
His greatsword **roared with abyssal fire**, golden and black flames **searing violently** as he swung the massive blade in a wide arc. The force of the strike **split the ground beneath his feet**, sending a jagged wave of energy **crashing through the enemy lines**, disintegrating half a dozen beasts in a single sweep.
But **more came.**
Lena fought alongside him, her **chakrams blurring violently** through the mist. She **danced between the creatures**, her movements swift and fluid, her blades **slicing through them faster** than they could regenerate.
Her eyes were **sharp**, her strikes precise—but **her hands were trembling.**
Because she wasn't just **fighting monsters.**
She was **watching Sai.**
And no matter how many beasts she cut down, no matter how hard she tried to focus on the fight—**her eyes kept drifting back to him.**
To the way the Abyss **moved with him.**
To the way the mist **clung to his limbs**, as if it were part of him now.
And she knew.
**He wasn't the same.**
The **Sai she knew** was still in there.
But the **Abyss was, too.**
And it was **getting harder to tell them apart.**
---
### **The Abyss Breaks Free**
Sai's boots **struck the stone sharply** as he advanced toward the widening fissure, his golden eyes **burning with steady, unyielding fire.**
The beasts **surged toward him**, their forms **twisting and warping**, shifting between shapes—**claws, fangs, spines, and shadows**.
But Sai didn't **slow down.**
He **pushed forward.**
And with every step, **the Abyss answered him.**
The mist **lashed outward violently**, its tendrils forming into jagged blades of shadow, **slicing through the beasts** before they could strike.
A massive creature **lunged from the side**, its serpentine form writhing through the air, jaws wide enough to swallow him whole.
Sai didn't move.
He simply **exhaled.**
And the Abyss **tore it apart.**
The mist **coiled violently**, wrapping around the beast's limbs, **ripping its form to shreds** before it could reach him. Its body **collapsed into smoke**, scattering in the air.
But **the fissure kept spreading.**
And more beasts **poured through.**
Sai's golden eyes **narrowed slightly**, the mist **curling around his fingertips**.
And this time—**he didn't hold back.**
He **stepped forward sharply**, his arm **flicking upward**, and the Abyss **rose with him**.
The black mist **swirled violently**, spiraling into a massive, jagged spear of pure abyssal fire.
And with a single motion—**he hurled it.**
The spear **ripped through the mountain pass**, carving through the stone itself.
The beasts in its path **were obliterated instantly**, their forms disintegrating into nothingness.
The spear **plunged into the fissure**, and the earth **shuddered violently**, as if reality itself was **recoiling from the impact.**
And for a brief moment—**everything was still.**
The beasts **froze.**
The mist **stilled.**
And then—**the fissure screamed.**
A massive **wave of raw abyssal energy** erupted upward, tearing into the sky, black and gold flames **colliding violently** against the clouds.
The blast **rippled outward**, consuming the creatures **in a flash of fire and shadow**, reducing them to nothingness.
The ground **shattered violently** beneath the force, the jagged mountains **splintering** as the Abyss **tore through them**, devouring the broken stone and **consuming the remains of the fissure.**
The creatures were **gone.**
The battle was over.
And **the world was silent.**
---
### **The Aftermath**
Sai stood at the center of the destruction, his boots **planted firmly** in the cracked stone. The black mist **swirled softly around him**, **coiling around his arms** like living shadows.
His golden eyes **dimmed slightly**, the burning fire within them slowly fading.
But the **Abyss didn't leave him.**
It still **clung to his limbs**, still moved with him, still **waited for his command.**
And he knew—**it always would.**
Behind him, the others slowly approached.
Ezren's eyes were sharp but calm, **watchful but unwavering**.
Kael's heavy boots **crunched over the broken stone**, his expression **grim but steady.**
Lena…
She **stared at him.**
Her eyes were **wide**, her hands trembling faintly, her breath **unsteady**.
She had seen him **fight before.**
But **never like this.**
Never with the **Abyss as his weapon.**
And she **knew**.
This was what he was now.
And he **could never walk away from it.**
Sai slowly turned toward them, his golden eyes **flickering softly**, his voice low and steady.
"…It's over."
No one answered.
Because they knew it **wasn't.**
Lena's breath **caught faintly**, her voice barely a whisper.
"…Is it?"
Sai's golden eyes **dimmed faintly**, the black mist **coiling softly** at his fingertips.
And **he didn't answer.**
Because they all **knew the truth.**
The **battle was won.**
But the **war was far from over.**
The fissure was **sealed**.
But the **Abyss was still with him.**
And **it would never let him go.**
---
### **The Abyss Follows**
As the sun dipped behind the jagged peaks, Sai slowly turned his back to the broken mountain pass.
He didn't look back.
Because **he didn't need to.**
The **Abyss followed him now.**
Not as a burden.
Not as a curse.
But as **his shadow.**
And this time—
**It would follow him forever.**