Ash exhaled slowly, his senses sharpening as the battlefield around him shifted. The cavern was no longer just a dark, eerie underground—it was a hunting ground.
And right now, he wasn't the hunter.
Yet.
The Phantom Wraiths circled the group of Awakened, their ghostly forms flickering in and out of existence. They were fast, almost impossible to track with the naked eye.
But Ash wasn't relying on sight alone.
His Observation Haki pulsed outward, expanding beyond his normal limits. Every flicker of movement, every shift in the air, fed into his instincts.
The wraiths weren't attacking all at once. They were testing their prey.
Waiting for weakness.
Ash clenched his fists.
"Let's change that."
He moved.
---
Unleashing the Abyss
The closest wraith flickered just behind another Awakened—a spear user. The man had his back turned, unaware of the death creeping toward him.
Not on my watch.
Ash vanished.
To the others, he seemed to blur out of existence, reappearing behind the wraith just as it struck.
Phantom Rend.
A single, lightning-fast slash carved through the wraith's form. Its ghostly body distorted, then collapsed into black mist.
> [Enemy Defeated: Phantom Wraith]
+2 Dexterity, +2 Perception
The spear user gasped, whirling around.
"You—!"
No time to respond.
Another wraith lunged.
Ash caught its claw mid-swipe, his enhanced reflexes kicking in. With a sharp twist, he broke its arm before tearing into its core with a brutal palm strike.
The wraith shattered.
> [Enemy Defeated: Phantom Wraith]
+1 Strength, +1 Agility
A rush of power flooded through him. The stats weren't overwhelming, but they were accumulating.
The wraiths must have sensed the shift. They screeched in unison, their ghostly bodies pulsing with eerie light.
Then—they attacked.
---
The Battle Turns
The cavern exploded into chaos.
Wraiths descended from the shadows, striking from impossible angles. The remaining Awakened fought back, but they were already at a disadvantage. Some screamed as they were cut down instantly, their bodies vanishing as the Nightmare claimed them.
Ash weaved through the onslaught, his body adjusting to the increasing stats.
His footwork sharpened.
His reaction time accelerated.
A wraith materialized to his left—Abyss Fang.
The delayed slash struck before the creature even realized it had been cut.
> [Enemy Defeated: Phantom Wraith]
+1 Dexterity, +1 Strength
Another lunged. Ash shifted, dodging by a hair's breadth before driving his elbow straight through its skull.
> [Enemy Defeated: Phantom Wraith]
+2 Strength, +1 Perception
The fight wasn't just a test of survival anymore.
It was an opportunity.
Ash had long understood that power accumulation in the Nightmare Realm was slow, requiring strategic growth. But here—he was absorbing stats at an accelerated rate.
His Abyssal Tyrant ability was working perfectly.
And that meant one thing.
This battlefield was the key to his next evolution.
---
A Turning Point
Ash wasn't the only one adapting.
Some of the stronger Awakened regrouped, realizing they couldn't win by fighting alone. A bulky man with metal-coated fists roared, smashing a wraith into the ground. A woman wielding twin daggers flickered through the battlefield, carving through enemies in quick bursts.
The tide was shifting.
But then—
The cavern shook.
The wraiths stopped. Their glowing eyes flickered as if something else had taken control.
Then, the walls split open.
A deeper darkness spilled forth, and from it stepped something new.
Not a wraith. Not a mere assassin.
But a Phantom Lord.
---
The Phantom Lord Appears
The presence alone was suffocating.
The creature stood twice as tall as the wraiths, its form a shifting mass of dark energy shaped into a humanoid knight. A long, curved blade rested in its clawed hands, pulsating with an eerie glow.
Its hollow gaze swept across the battlefield, and for the first time—
The wraiths kneeled.
The meaning was clear.
This wasn't just a strong enemy.
This was their leader.
Ash's grip on his sword tightened.
A new challenge had arrived.
And he was ready. The cavern seemed to pulse with a malevolent force as the Phantom Lord took its first step forward. The oppressive energy it emitted made even the air feel heavier, pressing down on Ash's body like an invisible weight.
The remaining Awakened instinctively stepped back, their confidence from earlier vanishing. Some still clutched their weapons, but hesitation flickered in their eyes.
Ash, however, didn't move.
Instead, his grip on his sword tightened.
A challenge like this? He welcomed it.
The Phantom Lord's empty gaze locked onto him.
Then, it vanished.
---
Clash of Speed and Power
Abyssal Tyrant activated.
Ash's perception expanded, his instincts screaming at him to react.
The Phantom Lord reappeared behind him, its massive blade already descending.
Too late to dodge.
Phantom Rend.
Ash's blade met the incoming strike, sparks erupting from the collision. The impact was monstrous—a shockwave blasted outward, sending nearby Awakened sprawling.
But Ash held his ground.
For a brief moment, he locked eyes with the Phantom Lord through its hollow, glowing sockets.
It was testing him.
Then, the creature pressed harder.
Ash's feet dug into the stone, cracks forming beneath him as raw strength pushed him back. His muscles screamed, but he gritted his teeth and pushed back harder.
Then—he twisted.
Using the enemy's own force against it, he sidestepped at the last second, letting the blade crash into the ground. The impact shattered the cavern floor, sending debris flying.
Ash countered instantly.
A diagonal slash aimed at its core.
The Phantom Lord flickered.
Instead of dodging, it let the attack hit.
Ash's blade sliced through its form—but there was no resistance.
It was like cutting through mist.
---
A Battle of Skill
Ash barely had time to process before the Phantom Lord moved again.
This time, it was everywhere.
Its form flickered in and out of existence, attacking from multiple angles at once. Its blade curved like a shadow, striking from impossible directions.
A normal warrior would have been cut down instantly.
But Ash's Observation Haki had already adjusted.
He saw it.
Each flicker, each subtle distortion—they told him exactly where the next attack would come from.
Ash twisted, ducked, parried—his sword a blur as he countered the Phantom Lord's every move.
A thrust aimed at his chest? Redirected.
A slash meant to take his head? Dodged by a hair's breadth.
A sudden feint leading into a brutal downstrike? Blocked—barely.
The Phantom Lord finally pulled back.
It was the first time the monster had been forced to reset.
Ash exhaled, his breath steady. His arms burned from the relentless defense, but his blood was singing.
This wasn't just a monster.
It was a swordsman.
And that meant one thing.
It could be beaten.
---
Abyss Fang: Perfected Execution
Ash didn't wait for the Phantom Lord to attack again.
He went on the offensive.
He lunged forward, blade flashing. His strikes were faster, sharper—relentless. Each attack chained into the next, forming an unpredictable rhythm that forced the Phantom Lord on the defensive.
But the creature was fast.
Each time his blade should have landed a decisive blow, it flickered out of reach.
Almost like it could sense the danger.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
Then let's see how you handle this.
He feinted an overhead slash. The Phantom Lord flickered to evade—right into his trap.
"Abyss Fang."
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then—
A delayed, invisible slash carved through the Phantom Lord's torso.
The monster froze.
A dark mist spilled from its wound.
The first real damage.
Ash smirked.
"Got you."
---
The Final Strike
The Phantom Lord let out a low, distorted screech. Its form shifted, becoming more unstable. The eerie glow in its eyes brightened, and the air around it shivered.
It wasn't going to retreat.
It was going all out.
The monster vanished.
Ash's instincts flared.
Behind!
He barely managed to block, but the force of the strike sent him skidding backward, nearly crashing into the cavern wall.
The Phantom Lord was faster now. Stronger.
But so was he.
Ash could feel it.
The battle had pushed him past another limit. His body was moving faster, his strikes were sharper—his Abyssal Tyrant power was adapting in real-time.
One more exchange.
That's all he needed.
The Phantom Lord rushed forward.
Ash exhaled.
Then, he did something unexpected.
He sheathed his sword.
The monster's glowing eyes narrowed.
Too late.
Phantom Rend: Perfected Draw.
Ash's blade flashed out in a single, devastating arc.
The Phantom Lord never even had time to react.
Its body froze.
Then—it split in two.
Dark mist exploded outward as the monster's body dissolved.
> [Boss Defeated: Phantom Lord]
+5 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +3 Perception, +5 Agility
Ash stood still, sword held at his side, breathing evenly.
Then, as the final echoes of the battle faded, he smirked.
Victory.
---
Aftermath
The remaining wraiths vanished, their connection to the Phantom Lord severed.
The other Awakened slowly rose to their feet, disbelief in their eyes. Some looked at Ash with awe. Others with fear.
But he ignored them.
Instead, he opened his status window.
[Ash's Status]
Name: Ash
Rank: Dormant
Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant (Divine)
Strength: 29 (Dormant)
Agility: 31 (Dormant)
Dexterity: 30 (Dormant)
Perception: 28 (Dormant)
Vitality: 26 (Dormant)
Abilities:
Sovereign of the Abyss (Stat Absorption)
Abyssal Dominion (Territory Suppression)
Predator's Conquest (Technique Copy)
Tyrant's Form (Temporary Enhancement)
Devourer's Rebirth (Healing)
Observation Haki (Perception Boost)
Ash's gaze lingered on Observation Haki.
The battle had pushed him closer to something new.
He could feel it.
Something was changing.
And whatever was coming next...
He would be ready.