The Celestial Spire stood beyond mortal reach, a place where gods dictated the fate of worlds. Here, in the Grand Hall of Judgment, the Celestial Order gathered.
Twelve ethereal figures sat in a perfect circle, their faces concealed behind golden masks. Power surged in the air like a storm waiting to break.
At the center, a massive holographic projection displayed Ren Kisaragi's latest battle.
The sight of him cutting down the Abyssal Hounds, adapting, growing, and claiming the Abyssal Core had thrown the council into outrage.
One of the figures, their voice like the weight of falling stars, spoke first.
"He was supposed to die."
Another followed, their tone sharp like shattered glass.
"And yet, he grows stronger. This is unacceptable."
A third, cloaked in black celestial flames, clenched their hands into fists.
"The Forgotten One is evolving beyond his intended purpose. We must intervene."
Astaroth, leaning casually against his throne, smirked.
"Funny," he mused. "You act like he's a problem. But what if he's an opportunity?"
The council turned to him sharply.
"Astaroth," the Central Seat spoke, voice cold. "You defy us at every turn. Have you forgotten your place?"
Astaroth's golden eyes gleamed with amusement.
"My place? I'm standing exactly where I want to be."
He gestured to the projection of Ren.
"Look at him. He's learning at an impossible rate, adapting faster than any chosen warrior before him. If you're so afraid, why not let me handle him?"
The Central Seat leaned forward.
"You were given an order—to eliminate him."
Astaroth shrugged. "And I will. Eventually."
The flames around the Council blazed in anger.
"Enough."
The Central Seat turned toward the cloaked figure of the Executioner, an entity that had never been called upon in millennia.
"Deploy the Celestial Executioner. Find the Forgotten One. And erase him."
Astaroth's smirk faltered for the first time.
The Executioner?
A being that existed solely for the purpose of enforcing divine will.
Even he wasn't sure if Ren was ready for that.
Earth
Ren sat on the rooftop of a half-collapsed skyscraper, staring at the Abyssal Core floating before him.
It pulsed with a deep violet light, an orb of shifting energy that resonated with something inside him.
He had no idea what it was.
But the moment he touched it, everything changed.
Abyssal Core Integration
[Warning: You have absorbed a foreign entity – Abyssal Core]
[Effect Unknown – System Processing…]
A sudden wave of darkness engulfed Ren's vision.
His body froze, his mind spiraled into an abyss of endless black.
And then—
He saw something.
A landscape of pure destruction.
Towering monoliths of shadow, endless fields of battle, rivers of black fire.
And in the center of it all—
A throne, cracked and broken, where a figure once sat.
A voice echoed in his mind.
"You have touched the power that even the gods feared."
"You are not their puppet. You are beyond their reach."
"Do you accept the path of the Abyss?"
Ren's heart pounded.
A choice.
One that could change everything.
And then—
[Abyssal Path Unlocked – Choose an Evolutionary Trait]
Abyssal Evolution Options
1. Abyss Walker – Gain resistance to divine magic. Your existence becomes blurred, harder to detect by celestial forces.
2. Abyss Reaver – Absorb the power of fallen enemies. Grow stronger by consuming the essence of defeated foes.
3. Abyss Monarch – Gain the ability to summon and control shadow-based creatures. A fraction of the Abyss's army will follow you.
Ren stared at the choices.
Each one was dangerous. Each one was a statement against the gods.
But only one would give him the power to fight what was coming.
He made his choice.
[Selection Confirmed – Abyss Walker]
[Effect: You are now resistant to Celestial detection and divine magic.]
[Your presence is no longer fully bound to this reality.]
Ren exhaled sharply as the power surged through him.
His body felt lighter, his movements sharper.
It was like a shroud had covered him, making him unseen to the eyes of fate.
And just in time.
Because something terrible was coming.
The sky split open.
A golden rift tore through reality, spilling radiant fire onto the streets below.
Ren's breath caught in his throat.
Something was coming through.
A massive figure emerged, clad in white and gold armor, holding a celestial greatsword the size of a bus.
Its face was featureless, covered by a smooth, polished mask, devoid of emotion.
Its presence alone made Ren's instincts scream in warning.
[New Opponent Identified – Celestial Executioner]
[Threat Level: SSS-Rank]
Ren's blood ran cold.
SSS-Rank.
Something even stronger than Astaroth.
The Executioner slowly raised its sword, its voice echoing through the city like a divine decree.
"Ren Kisaragi. You have been marked for erasure."
Ren tightened his grip on his sword.
"Oh, fantastic."
The Executioner vanished.
Ren's eyes widened—
A fraction of a second later, a massive sword slammed down where he stood.
BOOOOOOOM!
The entire building collapsed under the force.
Ren blinked away at the last moment, barely avoiding instant death.
He landed on a nearby rooftop, his breath ragged.
[Warning: Hostile Presence Immune to Void Edge]
[Warning: Blink Step Distance Limited]
Ren gritted his teeth.
Even his most powerful skills wouldn't work against this thing?
The Executioner turned toward him.
"You cannot run."
Ren smirked, despite the terror creeping up his spine.
"Watch me try."
[Activating Blink Step]
Ren vanished, moving faster than ever before.
The fight had begun.