chapter 9
Chapter 9: The Fractured Crown
The sky above Arvania was bleeding.
Crimson cracks split the heavens, remnants of the failed incursion into the Abyss. Magic users across the continent dropped to their knees as chaotic energy surged from the tear, disrupting ley lines and holy artifacts alike.
Within the royal palace, chaos reigned.
Clerics screamed that the gods had abandoned them. Nobles fought amongst themselves, pointing fingers, demanding to know who authorized Takumi's descent.
And in the shadows, Selene watched.
Her armor glinted dully in the candlelight, her hands gripping a scroll sealed in black wax—the last words of the First Hero, Hikaru's ancestor.
A forgotten prophecy.
One that had been hidden… because it spoke of betrayal, not salvation.
> "When the child born of twilight falls beneath the world, the abyss shall grant him dominion, and the false sun shall burn."
She stared at the last line, one hand pressed to her heart.
> "Only the one who holds both wrath and love may reach him."
Her decision was made.
She would go down herself.
---
Meanwhile, in the Abyss…
The ritual chamber trembled with ancient power.
Hikaru stood shirtless, symbols etched in glowing red spiraling across his torso, back, and arms. Vel'nar and three other Abyssal Lords circled him in reverence as they chanted in a tongue no mortal should know.
[You are initiating the Rite of Kingsbane.]
[Warning: This ritual marks you as a direct challenger to the divine hierarchy.]
[Proceed?]
A smile touched Hikaru's lips.
"Yes."
The moment he accepted, a surge of pain lanced through his veins. Not physical—but cosmic. As if the world itself rejected his defiance. But he endured it. Embraced it.
The ground cracked.
The walls groaned.
And in the center of the chamber, a throne began to form.
Not gold.
Not steel.
But obsidian fused with stardust, pulsing like a heartbeat. The Abyss acknowledged him now not just as a commander—but as a sovereign.
[Title Acquired: Abyssal Monarch – All Domain-based skills amplified. Divine-based threats now engage you as an equal.]
From the shadows, came whispers:
"Crownless no longer…"
But Hikaru knew this was just the beginning.
He needed to breach the surface.
Not to conquer it—yet—but to expose its rot.
---
Back in Arvania…
Selene stood at the ancient gate that sealed the entrance to the Abyss—the Twilight Maw. It hadn't been opened in over 700 years. Not since the last war between surface and void.
Armed with forbidden runes and the blood of her lineage, she performed the rite.
The gate opened.
And the darkness welcomed her like an old friend.
Behind her, the royal council raged. Her disappearance would soon be declared treason. War would follow. But Selene no longer cared for crowns or laws.
Only for redemption.
Only for him.
---
Elsewhere, in a hidden city beneath the surface…
In the underground sanctuary of Veredeth, the true rulers of the world gathered—hooded figures who called themselves the Eclipsed Pantheon.
"The Abyssal King has risen," one of them growled, metallic voice echoing in the chamber. "We must awaken the Divinarchs."
Another hissed, "And risk the ancient balance?"
"He holds the blood of the Forbidden Line. If we do nothing, the world will bend to him."
A pause.
Then a whisper:
"Then we give the surface a hero greater than Takumi."
From the far corner of the room, a caged being stirred—its eyes glowing white, its body covered in runes and chains forged from godsteel.
A weapon long hidden.
A contingency.
And now… it would be unleashed.
---
Back in the Abyss…
Hikaru sat upon his throne, one hand resting on the armrest as shadows curled around him like loyal pets. The system pinged softly.
[Dimensional Pressure Rising – Surface response imminent.]
He closed his eyes.
Not in fear.
But anticipation.
He had enemies above. Traitors below. And ghosts that whispered in his dreams.
But soon, the whole world would remember—
"The Abyss is not where the fallen rot," Hikaru whispered to no one.
"It's where the forgotten learn to rise."