Astaroth sat on the edge of his floating throne, golden eyes locked onto the projection of the battlefield below.
He had expected Ren to die.
Even after seeing his rapid growth, even after witnessing his insane adaptability, Astaroth knew there were limits.
The Celestial Executioner was beyond him.
Or at least, it should have been.
But now…
Astaroth watched as Ren rose to his feet.
He felt it before he saw it—a shift in the very fabric of existence.
A dark aura pulsed around Ren's body, twisting the air like an abyssal vortex. The energy was raw, uncontrolled, and most concerning of all… it was something entirely new.
The Celestial Council had also noticed.
The projection screen flickered, capturing the phenomenon in real time.
Astaroth's smirk vanished.
That power… it isn't just defiance.
It was something worse.
The Abyss.
The Council's reaction was instant.
"He should not exist!"
"This is impossible!"
"Destroy him now!"
The Council Elders stood, divine flames crackling around them.
The Central Seat spoke, voice cold and commanding. "Astaroth, what is this?"
Astaroth leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.
"...A problem."
He had miscalculated.
He had assumed Ren's growth was impressive but predictable—a mortal adapting through sheer willpower and battle instinct.
But this?
This was something beyond evolution.
This was reconstruction.
The Abyss had changed Ren.
But even as the realization sank in, Astaroth knew the truth.
It still won't be enough.
No matter how terrifying Ren's new power felt, the Executioner was not a normal opponent.
And if Ren thought he could win just because he'd been reborn with some abyssal energy—
He was dead wrong.
Ren stood in the ruins of the city, his body screaming in protest, but his power roaring in exhilaration.
His hands clenched, energy crackling along his veins like liquid void.
Something inside him had changed.
His heartbeat was heavier. His breathing sharper.
He felt stronger, but also… unstable.
The System was adjusting, trying to keep up.
[NEW TRAIT: VOID ASCENDANT]
Your body is now partially synchronized with the Abyss.
Celestial detection is greatly reduced.
Resistance to divine energy increased.
Warning: Prolonged use may lead to irreversible changes.
Ren barely had time to process it before the Executioner moved.
The celestial warrior appeared before him in an instant, swinging its massive greatsword in a devastating arc.
Ren moved without thinking.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Blink]
His body dissolved into darkness, shifting through space—not teleporting, but slipping between reality itself.
He reappeared behind the Executioner.
A new notification flashed across his vision.
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: VOID SHIFT]
You no longer teleport.
You move through the space between existence.
Detecting your movement is significantly harder for those bound by fate.
Ren didn't hesitate.
He struck.
His blade, now humming with pure void energy, cut through the air—
And for the first time, he felt resistance.
The Executioner's armor groaned.
Not breaking. Not shattering.
But it felt it.
Ren landed, sliding back, his breath ragged.
The Executioner turned, golden eyes narrowing.
"…Unnatural."
Ren grinned.
"Yeah? I get that a lot."
The celestial warrior vanished again, blade descending at light speed.
Ren didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
The blade passed through him—
Or at least, where he had been.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Phase]
Ren's body flickered, momentarily becoming part of the void. The Executioner's sword phased through him like cutting through a mirage.
For the first time—
The Executioner hesitated.
"…"
Ren took advantage of it.
He launched forward, sword igniting with abyssal fire.
[Skill Activated: VOID RAZE]
His blade swung—
The Executioner raised its arm to block.
And—
CRACK!
A thin fracture split the golden armor.
It wasn't much.
But it was something.
The Executioner took a single step back.
Ren smirked.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
The Executioner's golden aura flared violently.
"You… are a corruption."
Ren exhaled sharply.
"Maybe."
He moved again.
This time, he wasn't just fighting back.
He was pressuring it.
The battle accelerated.
Ren moved with unpredictable speed, warping between spaces, attacking from angles that shouldn't exist.
He struck with Phantom Blade—the Executioner blocked, but the delayed afterimage strike forced it to reposition.
He used Void Edge, slicing at the armor over and over, finding weak points.
He phased through attacks that should have killed him.
But—
[WARNING: ENERGY LEVELS DROPPING]
Ren gritted his teeth.
He was burning through too much power.
The Abyss gave him strength—but it wasn't infinite.
And the Executioner was adapting.
It moved faster. It adjusted its swings.
It started attacking with shockwaves instead of direct strikes, forcing Ren to dodge preemptively.
This wasn't like before.
The Executioner was acknowledging him as a threat.
That should've felt like a victory.
But it wasn't.
Because despite everything—he still wasn't winning.
Ren panted, sweat dripping down his face.
His body felt heavier.
The void energy flickering around him wavered.
And the Executioner was still standing.
Untouched? No.
But unshaken.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
Even with all this power—I'm still not strong enough.
His hands shook.
The realization hit him hard.
This wasn't enough.
Even with the Abyss, even with Void Shift, Void Raze, and all the abilities he had awakened—he was still losing.
The Executioner slowly raised its sword again.
Ren exhaled.
This was it.
One last attack.
If this didn't work—he would die.
He tightened his grip on his blade.
The Abyss whispered in his mind.
"Break the chains."
Ren's eyes flashed.
"Rewrite the rules."
The Executioner moved.
Ren moved.
Their blades clashed—
And the city erupted in a shockwave of abyssal and divine energy.