Master Jian's instincts screamed.
His sword had passed through Asher—as if he wasn't even there.
That wasn't Qi manipulation. That wasn't speed. That was something else. Something unnatural.
His body twisted, blade flashing as he turned—
But Asher was already behind him.
The shroud of darkness around him pulsed, alive, shifting. It wasn't just a cloak. It was part of him.
And then—he moved.
Abyssal Phantom Step.
Not speed. Not teleportation. Something in between.
A ripple in space. A flicker of shadows. And then he was gone.
Master Jian barely had time to react before—
BOOM!
A fist wreathed in abyssal energy slammed into his gut.
The impact rippled through his entire body, his Qi defenses shattering like fragile glass.
His feet left the ground.
His ribs cracked.
The air was knocked from his lungs as he soared backward, crashing through wooden pillars, slamming into the stone walls.
THUD.
Silence.
Dust settled. Blood dripped.
Asher slowly straightened, rolling his shoulders. His voice was casual.
"Well. That worked."
Kaede stared.
Master Jian, the Blade Phantom, one of the deadliest assassins in Ironcrest—was on the ground. Coughing blood.
That shouldn't have been possible.
That wasn't possible.
Kaede whispered, "What… what did you just do?"
Asher flexed his fingers, watching the abyssal energy flicker around his arms. His shadow wasn't just an ability anymore.
It was a force. A presence. A living extension of his will.
He exhaled slowly. "I adapted."
Kaede gulped. "…That's not normal."
Asher grinned. "I'm not normal."
Master Jian struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. His fingers trembled, but his grip on his sword remained firm.
His eyes were no longer arrogant. No longer amused.
Now?
They were cold. Calculated.
"You… are an anomaly." His voice was quiet.
Asher smirked. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Master Jian exhaled, adjusting his stance.
"…No more holding back."
His sword hummed.
The air around it distorted.
Then—it shattered.
Not broken—reformed.
The pieces of the blade floated in midair, spinning, vibrating, each one wreathed in razor-sharp Qi.
Kaede took a sharp breath. "That's—"
Master Jian's eyes flashed.
"Phantom Severing Blade—One Hundred Cuts."
Then—
The shards moved.
A hundred slashes. A hundred strikes.
Each one moving faster than sound, cutting toward Asher from every direction at once.
A storm of blades.
Impossible to dodge. Impossible to block.
Kaede screamed, "ASHER!"
But Asher didn't move.
He didn't need to.
Because the abyss moved for him.
The shadows erupted.
Abyssal Wall.
A wall of pure darkness rose around him, twisting, shifting.
The first wave of blades struck.
And vanished.
Master Jian's eyes widened. "What?!"
His technique—his ultimate killing move—was being consumed.
The shadow barrier wasn't blocking the attack.
It was devouring it.
Every blade that touched the abyss was swallowed, erased, turned into nothing.
Asher slowly raised his head, his voice amused.
"You're strong."
His eyes glowed—a deep, abyssal black.
"But I am inevitable."
The shadow collapsed inward.
Then—it exploded outward.
Abyssal Surge.
A wave of darkness engulfed Master Jian.
For a moment, he felt nothing.
No pain. No sound. No air.
Just endless, devouring void.
Then—
Pain.
Searing, mind-breaking pain.
His very Qi was being consumed.
He screamed.
And then—the shadows spat him out.
He collapsed to the ground, his body trembling violently. His Qi—his very foundation—was damaged.
For the first time in years—he was afraid.
Asher stepped toward him, his expression unreadable.
Master Jian looked up, his breathing ragged.
"What… are you?" he whispered.
Asher knelt, his shadow curling around him like a living creature.
His voice was quiet.
"I am the abyss."
The Aftermath.
Master Jian was defeated.
Not just beaten—broken.
His Qi pathways were unstable. His strength—crippled.
Kaede could barely believe it.
A Qi Gathering cultivator had defeated an elite assassin.
No.
Not a Qi Gathering cultivator.
Asher Damien.
She exhaled sharply. "We need to leave. The sects—"
"I know," Asher said, rolling his shoulders. "They'll send more."
Kaede shook her head. "More? They'll send an army."
Asher chuckled. "Good. I need more training dummies."
She stared at him. "…You are actually insane."
Asher smirked. "Maybe."
But inside, he was calculating.
Master Jian was strong. But the sect elders would be stronger.
If he wanted to survive—he needed to ascend.
His eyes flickered to the black scroll he had stolen.
The Path of the Abyss.
He had only touched the surface of his power.
It was time to go deeper.
Time to become something this world had never seen before.
And when the sects came?
They would kneel before the darkness.
Or they would be swallowed whole.