"This... thing," he spat, glaring at the towering monster in the distance. "It's not invincible. I just haven't found the right way yet. Or the right technique."
He dragged his tired body and went to fight with the colossal abomination once again. Each death taught him something new. The way the abomination's movements became sluggish after a certain number of swings.
The brief vulnerability in its chest when it gathered energy for a devastating blast. The cracks in its hide become bigger with each concentrated strike.
Bit by bit, Nova adapted. He learned to dodge more efficiently, to parry its attacks using the Abyssal Devourer Blade and the Abyssal Energy.
He began using the environment to his advantage, slowly leading the monster into rocky areas that hindered its movements.
But even with these improvements, the Abomination was relentless. Its regeneration undid most of the damage he inflicted, and its strength never waned.
[Death Count: 2215.]
Nova sat on the ground, blood dripping from his wounds, as he heaved rough breaths. His body screamed in pain as he pushed himself up once more.
His gaze fell to the Abyssal Devourer Blade, its runes faintly glowing in the dark of the Abyss.
"This blade... it's not enough on its own," he muttered. His eyes narrowed as a crazy idea began to take root in his mind. "The Abyss is not merely my enemy now…It's an essential part of me. I need to take advantage of it fully, I can't keep rejecting it."
He closed his eyes, focusing on the swirling Abyssal mist around him. It was chaotic, relentless—just like the Abyss itself. But it wasn't entirely foreign.
It responded to his will, his intent. Just as usual when he used his Abyssal Manipulation to mold the mist to his will.
"What if... I let it in?"
…
Once again, he stood behind the mountains of corpses, just behind the place where the Abyssal Abomination would wake up. He didn't take a step forward, standing still, he gripped the Abyssal Blade tightly as he focused.
The mist around him thickened, coiling like serpents before seeping into his body. His body trembled as the Abyssal mist seeped into his pores, coiling and writhing like living tendrils.
A surge of power coursed throughout his body—wild, unrestrained, and almost overwhelming. He felt his skin burn as the energy reshaped his body, altering his very essence.
The once-faint glow of the Abyssal Devourer Blade now radiated brightly, all seven of the runes along its surface pulsating in sync with the dark mist that engulfed his body.
His body darkened, transforming into something more organic and sinister. Spikes of shadow jutted from his shoulders, and his head became a twisted image of the abyss itself, with two glowing azure eyes that pierced the darkness.
Nova's azure eyes snapped open, two blazing beacons of chaos cutting through the abyssal darkness. His twisted form pulsed with otherworldly power, the mist wrapping around him like an animated cloak.
His mind was a storm—unfocused, primal, and consumed by an overwhelming sense of hunger for destruction and hate for this world.
All rational thoughts slipped out of his mind, replaced by a single, maddening instinct: destroy.
The Abyssal Abomination seemed to have noticed the disturbance from Noah's side, its roar echoed from afar as it moved its grotesque body towards him.
Its countless hollow eyes narrowed as it saw the grotesque form of Noah before it. But before it could react, Nova moved—a blur of shadow filled with a strong destructive intent, the sound of his movement ripping through the air like a whip
The Abyssal Devourer Blade buzzed in excitement as it sliced through the darkness, cleaving into the Abomination's massive arm.
The blade bit deep, tearing through the flesh and bones as abyssal energy poured from the wound like black fire.
The monster howled in pain, swiping wildly with its other arm, but Nova was already gone—darting to its blind side, his movements erratic and faster than ever before.
A beastly growl escaped Nova's lips as he leaped onto the monster's back. Stabilizing his footing, he drove the Abyssal Devourer Blade into the beast's spine, twisting it violently as a surge of abyssal energy exploded outward, rupturing the flesh around the wound.
Dark blood sprayed in every direction, staining the air with the scent of decay and death.
The Abomination screeched, its massive arms flailing as it tried to throw him off. But Nova clung to its back like a living nightmare, his claws tearing into its flesh as he laughed—a guttural, unhinged sound that echoed through the abyss like a war cry.
His strikes became a relentless storm, each swing of the Abyssal Devourer Blade carving deep wounds into the monster's body, severing limbs, breaking bones, and shattering its grotesque features.
The cracks in the creature's body widened, spilling dark energy as its regeneration faltered under the onslaught.
But the power was not without a cost.
The Abyssal mist that powered up his grotesque form began to claw back at him, invading his mind and body with a force that was beyond his control.
His once-fluid movements grew staggered, his attacks losing focus as the mist consumed more of him. The azure glow in his eyes flickered, dimming as his body convulsed.
"No…" Nova growled in a low voice, which sounded distorted and unrecognizable. "Not… yet…"
He launched one final, devastating strike, the Abyssal Devourer Blade glowing like a shining star as he plunged it into the Abomination's chest.
The blade tore through the writhing mass of energy within, splitting it apart in a thunderous explosion that shook the very ground beneath them.
The Abomination's roar of agony reverberated through the darkness as it collapsed, its massive form crumbling into a pile of smoldering remains.
Nova stood amidst the carnage, his twisted form trembling as the Abyssal mist surged within him, no longer content to be played by him.
The runes on the Abyssal Devourer Blade pulsed violently, warning him of the inevitable demise.
His body shuddered as veins of black energy spread across his skin like the cracks on the shattered ground.