Yuto stood panting heavily, his body aching from the relentless barrage of blows. Abyss, on the other hand, rose slowly, an eerie grin spread across his face, as if the fight had only just begun for him. Blood dripped from Yuto's mouth, staining the darkness beneath them, while Abyss looked almost untouched, his form radiating with the dark energy that had always lurked inside Yuto.
"I warned you," Abyss hissed, his voice a low growl that reverberated through the void. "This is my world. You're just a visitor here."
Yuto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, glaring at his shadowed reflection. "I'm not giving in. Not to you, not ever."
Abyss chuckled darkly, stepping forward with deliberate, slow strides. "You keep telling yourself that, Yuto. But how long do you think you can keep up this charade? How long before your body gives out?"
Without warning, Abyss lunged, his fist slamming into Yuto's stomach with brutal force. The air was knocked out of Yuto's lungs, and his vision blurred for a moment from the impact. He stumbled back, trying to steady himself, but Abyss was already on him again.
"You've always been weak!" Abyss spat, swinging a vicious uppercut that caught Yuto under the chin, sending him reeling. Yuto's feet barely found purchase on the ground before Abyss followed up with a savage roundhouse kick to his ribs.
Yuto felt the bones crack under the force of the kick, a sharp, searing pain shooting through his side. He gasped, doubling over as Abyss loomed above him.
"Every time you resist me, you weaken yourself more," Abyss continued, grabbing Yuto by the collar and lifting him effortlessly into the air. "Your strength is fading. Your will is crumbling. I'm going to tear you apart piece by piece."
Abyss flung Yuto across the darkened void with unnatural strength. Yuto crashed hard into the ground, rolling painfully as he tried to get back to his feet. His limbs felt heavy, his vision swimming as the pain tore through him like wildfire.
I have to keep fighting. I can't let him win. I can't… Yuto thought, but his body was betraying him. He could feel the energy draining from him with every move.
Before he could fully stand, Abyss was upon him again, his hands wrapping around Yuto's throat like a vice. Abyss slammed Yuto down into the ground, holding him there, his face twisted with sadistic delight. "Do you feel that? That's fear. That's despair. You've always been afraid of me, Yuto. Afraid of what you are."
Yuto struggled under Abyss's grip, his hands desperately clawing at the dark entity's arm, but it was like trying to move a mountain. Abyss leaned in closer, his breath cold against Yuto's ear.
"I'm stronger than you because I embrace the darkness," Abyss whispered. "You're too weak to do the same. You're terrified of what I can make you, and that's why you'll always lose."
With a snarl, Abyss lifted Yuto off the ground by his throat and slammed him into the unseen floor again, the impact cracking the darkness beneath them. Yuto groaned in agony, barely able to think through the haze of pain. His vision swirled with black spots as Abyss stood over him, laughing softly.
"Do you even understand what's happening, Yuto?" Abyss asked, his voice taunting. "You're not fighting for control anymore. You're just trying to survive."
Yuto coughed, blood splattering the ground beneath him as he glared weakly up at Abyss. "I'm… I'm not done yet…"
Abyss's grin widened. "Oh, you are done."
He raised his fist high into the air, the dark energy coiling around his arm like a serpent. Then, with terrifying speed, he brought his fist crashing down into Yuto's face. The impact reverberated through Yuto's skull, and his head snapped back, blood spilling from his mouth and nose.
Abyss didn't stop there. He grabbed Yuto by the hair, yanking him back to his feet, only to slam a knee into Yuto's chest. Yuto felt his ribs shatter under the force, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. Every movement was agony, but he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop.
Abyss threw Yuto aside like a ragdoll, his laughter echoing in the empty void. "Look at you, pathetic. Bleeding, broken… is this the great Yuto who thought he could resist me?"
Yuto tried to get up, his body trembling with the effort. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed back onto his hands and knees, coughing up more blood. The metallic taste filled his mouth, and he could feel the world spinning around him. His body was screaming at him to stop, to give in. But he couldn't. Not after everything he had been through. Not after everyone he had promised to protect.
"Still getting up?" Abyss sounded amused. "How stubborn can you be?"
Yuto's vision was hazy, his limbs numb with pain. He could barely make out Abyss's looming figure through the blood and sweat dripping down his face. But he had to keep going. He couldn't let Abyss take over. He couldn't lose.
"Get up then!" Abyss roared, grabbing Yuto by the throat once more and lifting him into the air. Yuto's feet dangled helplessly as Abyss squeezed harder, cutting off his air. "Fight me! Prove to me that you're stronger! Prove that you're worth controlling this body!"
Yuto clawed at Abyss's arm, gasping for breath, but his strength was fading. His vision darkened at the edges, and for the first time, real fear crept into his heart. I'm losing… I'm losing this fight.
Abyss's grip tightened, and he threw Yuto down with enough force to create cracks beneath them. Yuto lay there, gasping, his body broken and bloodied. Abyss looked down at him, his expression gleaming with triumph.
"You can't fight this anymore," Abyss said, his voice softer now, almost coaxing. "Let it go. Give in. You'll find peace when you stop resisting."
Yuto's eyes fluttered shut, his mind slipping further into darkness. He felt Abyss's shadow looming over him, his own voice echoing in his mind. Maybe… maybe it would be easier to just give in.
But then, in the deepest corners of his consciousness, Yuto heard a voice. Faint, but clear. Takeshi's voice.
"Don't give up, Yuto. We believe in you."
Yuto's eyes snapped open, bloodshot but burning with renewed resolve. He wasn't done yet. He still had something to fight for.
With the last of his strength, Yuto pulled himself to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he glared defiantly at Abyss. "I… will never… give in."
Abyss's grin faltered, his eyes narrowing in frustration. "Still standing? You're a fool, Yuto. But if you want to suffer more—so be it."
Abyss rushed forward, his fist raised to deliver the final blow, and Yuto braced himself. The darkness of the void swirled around them, and just as Abyss's punch descended toward Yuto, everything exploded into chaos.