Chapter 18 - Transformation

[Transformation: Sin Incarnation: GOETIA]

[Cooldown: 23:59:59] 

A storm of abyssal wind instantaneously birthed itself around the player, swirling with chaotic intensity as the garden itself rumbled. Pressure weighed down on the courtyard as the vortex of darkness continued its nefarious spiral, caressing something ominous within it. 

"Nhh—" Yumeko raised her arm as the unsavory winds howled, bellowing like the low roars of an indomitable beast. 

The malevolent gale disbanded, coasting off of the newborn figure once shrouded within it. Dressed in rigged, black armor that completely covered him, the player's stature had become monstrous, towering high like a demonic colossus, now presenting four arms: two abyssal greatswords were wielded, with steel dressed in a violet miasma; a shield with the face of a frowning demon was held in front of himself, with a spear in the last hand, tucked beside the shield with a jagged, saw-like edge running along its spine. 

[ATK: 125,000] [DEF: 200,000] [AGI: 99,999] [MAG: 99,999]

It was the form of the very boss he inherited his position from, yet surpassing what once was; a force of nature surpassing the boundaries given to players of Abyss Online. 

The confidence had washed away from the woman's expression as she backed away, almost stumbling over as she looked up in a mix of terror and disbelief, "What kind of ability is that…?" 

Streamed to the world, the drones showcased the never-before-seen skill, witnessing the player's ascent into a true, unbridled "Final Boss." 

It didn't take long for popular message boards to take note of the unexpected development occurring within the event of "Abyss Impact": 

["Holy shit! Didn't know Abyss Online had abilities like that. Might try it now LOL.] 

["Last I checked, it doesn't."]

["U can't even log in anymore, idiot-brain.] 

["That's my first time seeing it, and I spent over 4K hours in Abyss. I think that's something only Zero has."]

["Damn, that's brutal then."]

["RIP everyone else on that server !!! LMFAO…] 

Within a cold, vibrant facility filled with monitors that viewed Abyss Online, a pale man sat at his desk, cluttered with papers, sipping from a lukewarm cup of old coffee with a smile on his face. 

On the center monitor, a number kept track of the current viewership of "Abyss Impact", monitoring the success of the broadcasted, virtual competition. 

[CURRENT VIEWERS: 13,560,378] 

"You're a natural showman, Jonathan. Project O.I. is working wonderfully," the unknown man grinned, having his hazel eyes barely visible behind his messy, tangled up hair of black hair. 

– 

The presence of Abyss' original "Final Boss" swallowed the woman in fear; an unnatural gravity weighed down on the courtyard like a premonition of a most unsavory end. 

"How is this fair…? What the hell is that?!" Yumeko protested. 

The bitter player screamed into her microphone–["Revolt of The Cold Blue"]--allowing her voice to be carried through the sound waves that quickly turned into a nova of frosted wind. 

Bitter snow flourished into the garden, freezing the surrounding plants solid and erupting with a storm of ice. 

Large scale the merciless ice might've been, it did nothing to perturb the colossus that stood there, unmoving in the face of the desperate woman's attack. 

[DMG: -0]

[DMG: -0]

[DMG: -0] 

She might as well be healing him with the damage, or lack thereof, that was being dealt to the transformed player. 

"No…! This isn't happening! It's not fair! This is the strength they all gave me—this is the power of the Black Moons! A single player like you shouldn't—" Yumeko panicked, spieling out as she witnessed the futility of her attack. 

There was no verbal response from the four-armed colossus, who slammed his demon-faced shield down with stiffening might. The courtyard shook with the abrupt plummet of the black-steel barrier, producing a shock wave that resembled the cry of a demonic banshee. It dispelled the frost that took hold of the garden, breaking it away like a single breath to the follicles of a dandelion. 

["Tyranny of The Ultimate Sin"] 

It was just as he remembered when fighting "GOETIA" for himself: the ["Shield of The Nether"] was able to dispel any magical forces during their fight. Such a weapon would be impossibly overpowered if wielded by a player; even solely in the hands of Zero, he felt it was almost overkill. 

From across the vast courtyard, unable to see through the tall, thick veil of foliage, the warrior stood still as he felt the entire structure trembling, as if taken hold by an earthquake. 

"What the…?!" Vangrave gasped in shock. 

– 

The player who embodied the ["Final Boss"] moved slowly and methodically, raising his saw-edged spear while the lonesome woman continued her fruitless attacks. 

"...Just die already! Die! Die! Die!" Yumeko repeated, screaming into her microphone as her words manifested into explosive mouths that screamed at the four-armed colossus. 

[DMG: -0]

[DMG: -0]

[DMG: -0]

The demonic colossus, clad in magnificent, black armor, turned the enormous spear upside down before sinking it into the marble below like a seed into soil. 

["Spear of Twisted Destiny"] 

It was awoken as the silver plating along the black length of the weapon, designed like the scales of a dragon, shifting and parted: 

["Binding Chains of an Unfortunate Fate"] 

Erupting from every angle, hellish steel, bound by malevolence, penetrated the wind; the countless chains completely enveloped the woman, surrounding her entirely. 

"—No! I refuse! I refuse to go down from something so…unfair!" Yumeko yelled out. 

There was no room for discussion, however, as with a single squeeze of the colossal spear's handle, the chains coalesced to the spot of the woman all at once. 

'Unfair? That's a funny way to put it. I didn't protest it when she used an ability that relies on the death of all of her friends in order to close the gap between us. This power is my earned right; I spent the most time in this game and was the one who completed it–"fair"? What's unfair is thinking you had the right to challenge me in the first place,' Zero thought. 

The bountiful chains that reached from the abyss completely bound the woman before squeezing with relentless pressure. 

"--I can't! Not yet! I–!" Yumeko yelled desperately. 

In less than a second, the nefarious steel tore away the remnants of the player's health points. Just like that, the remnants of the Black Moon Assassins had been wiped away like dust from a shelf, scattered to the wind. The broadcast showcased it all; a climactic, albeit one-sided ending to the first, true battle for the "Final Boss" had cemented the project to the world. 

[CURRENT VIEWERS: 28,550,425]

In a world gripped by the state of technology, with gaming ruling as the prime sport and entertainment across all nations, "Abyss Online" has transcended to a new level.