The air was thick with tension, a silence so deafening it threatened to suffocate all who stood within its grasp. The dimly lit chamber pulsed with an ominous energy, the flickering torches casting elongated shadows against the cold, unfeeling stone walls.
Eren stood at the center, his fingers lightly tracing the ancient markings engraved into the floor beneath him. The sigils glowed faintly, pulsating with a power long forgotten by the world—a power now awakened within him. His Grimoir of Infinite Malice floated beside him, its pages turning on their own, whispering secrets only he could hear.
A deep voice echoed within his mind.
"You have come far… but you are not yet complete."
Eren's grip on reality tightened as he took a slow, measured breath. He had been through hell—fighting, bleeding, surviving. Every step had been a battle, and every battle had carved him into the man he was becoming. But he knew… it wasn't enough. Not yet.
His gaze shifted toward the figure before him.
A man cloaked in black, face obscured beneath a mask of silver and crimson, stood unmoving. His very presence was suffocating, radiating raw, unfiltered malice.
"So this is the trial," Eren thought, his heartbeat steady, unwavering.
The masked figure finally spoke, his voice carrying an eerie calmness.
"You walk the path of darkness, yet you hesitate. You wield the Grimoir, yet you falter. Tell me, boy, do you truly understand the power in your hands?"
Eren clenched his fists. "I don't need to understand it. I just need to master it."
A slow chuckle escaped the masked man. "Bold words. Let's see if you can back them up."
With a flick of his wrist, the air around them twisted violently.
A shadowy force erupted, spiraling into tendrils of pure energy that lunged toward Eren, seeking to bind him, to crush him.
But he was ready.
With a sharp exhale, Eren activated his Grimoir. The pages glowed, sigils rearranging themselves in a chaotic dance.
"Abyssal Devourer!"
A shockwave of black mist erupted from his form, the tendrils that sought to restrain him dissolving upon contact. His power had grown—far beyond what even he had anticipated.
Yet the masked man remained unimpressed.
"Pathetic."
He moved, faster than sight, a blur of darkness and steel.
Eren barely had time to react before a blade of pure malice carved through the air, aimed straight for his throat.
At the last second, he twisted his body, the edge grazing his skin, drawing a thin line of blood. But he had no time to recover—the next strike was already upon him.
Clang!
Eren managed to summon a barrier just in time, but the sheer force of the attack sent him skidding back, his boots screeching against the stone.
The masked man was relentless.
Strike after strike, he pressed forward, each movement precise, each attack calculated to break Eren apart. It was overwhelming.
But deep within, Eren felt something stir.
A cold, relentless force. A hunger.
"More…" the voice from the Grimoir whispered. "You can be more."
Eren's vision darkened for a brief second, his veins pulsing with an otherworldly power. His Cursed Mana surged, veins of black spreading across his arms as his body adapted, evolved.
He grinned.
"Let's end this."
His power exploded outward.
The masked man faltered—just for a moment. But that moment was all Eren needed.
"Dark Severance!"
A crescent of black energy surged from Eren's outstretched palm, splitting through the air with monstrous speed.
The masked man barely dodged—yet the energy still grazed him, his cloak disintegrating into nothingness where the attack touched.
For the first time, Eren saw his opponent's face.
His own face.
No. It wasn't just a resemblance. It was him.
A version of himself, devoid of all emotion, all hesitation. A version that had completely succumbed to the Grimoir's influence.
The truth struck him like a thunderbolt.
"This… this is what I will become if I lose myself."
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
Was this his fate?
Was this the inevitable conclusion of his path?
But he wasn't done yet.
He refused to be controlled.
With a roar, Eren launched himself forward, magic swirling around his fists. The final clash ignited, a battle of wills, of futures yet to be decided.
It wasn't just a fight for survival anymore.
It was a fight for his soul.
And he would win.
No matter what.
---
Author's Thoughts:
Hey everyone! First off, I apologize for the delay in releasing this chapter. I know you all have been waiting, and I appreciate your patience!
This chapter was really intense to write. We're getting deeper into Eren's struggles, and I hope you all are enjoying the development of both his power and his inner conflict.
Things are about to get even crazier from here on out. If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment, share your thoughts, and support the novel! Your support really means a lot and keeps me motivated to bring you even better chapters every day!
Stay tuned for Chapter 67!
— bloodyking99