chapter 53:The Last Echo of Blood

In the depths of the frozen ruins of the kingdom of _Niflheim_, where the frost crept into the bones, _Shao_ stood before a massive gate etched with ancient Nordic runes, pulsing faintly like a dying heart. Behind him, the wind howled as if warning of an approaching end, and before him... destiny was knocking.

Beside him stood _Heim_, fatigue carved into his face, pressing on an open wound at his side, while _Aster_ chanted a defensive spell that wrapped the area in a layer of warm energy, trying to repel the darkness seeping through cracks in the ground.

Heim spoke in a broken voice, "We've... reached the final threshold, Shao. There's no turning back now."

Shao looked at his hand, where his unique blood—the one passed down from his sealed father—glowed in a vibrant crimson hue. He understood now: this blood wasn't a gift... it was a curse. And perhaps, the key.

Shao replied calmly, "This isn't the end of our journey... it's our true beginning. If this blood is a curse, I'll turn it into salvation."

He stepped toward the gate. Before he could touch it, Aster whispered, "Be careful... the gate only opens at a price."

"I'm ready to pay it," Shao said.

As soon as his palm touched the runes, the entire place trembled. Black energy surged from below, and shadowy figures of fallen gods emerged, staring with hollow gazes. One stepped forward... _Lucreus_, one of the ancient Pillars of Ruin, half his face deformed by time and blood.

"At last, the blood heir has come himself... You, child of hell and light—did you think you'd save them without burning?"

Shao, his eyes ablaze with resolve, responded, "I will burn, yes. But from the ashes, new worlds will be born."

Lucreus let out a ghastly laugh and lunged. And so began a battle that transcended flesh—a battle of the soul. In a blink, Shao saw memories he'd never lived, felt the weight of an old self imprisoned deep within him.

Heim shouted, "Shao! Hold on! Don't let them steal you from the inside!"

But Shao didn't respond—he had descended into the heart of the trial... within himself.

In a gray, colorless realm, he faced himself—not merely a reflection, but another being.

"I am you... the part you've feared all your life. I am the curse... and the salvation," it said.

Shao answered, "Then it's time we become one. I don't want to deny a part of me any longer."

The being trembled, then merged with him. In the next moment, Shao returned to his body, radiating both light and shadow.

He opened his eyes, stretched a hand toward Lucreus, and said, "I have chosen. And choice... is what makes us human."

With a single blow—using his blood, his soul, and his choice—he shattered Lucreus's specter into fragments that vanished into the void. The gate opened, flooding the realm with unbearable light.

Shao fell to his knees, blood pouring from his eyes, but the smile on his face was enough.

Aster whispered through tears, "He did it... he really did it."

But Shao knew something he didn't say aloud: beyond the gate... the curse hadn't ended. The final trial was just beginning.