The frozen sea beneath the Hall Beneath the Moon cracked like glass under divine judgement.
A single black fissure spread across the silver ice, slow at first—then violently fast, splitting the underground sea from one end of the chamber to the other.
The abyss beast was waking.
Again.
Because apparently ancient nightmares also believed in dramatic timing.
I stood beside Yue Xiang at the centre platform, watching the ice shatter beneath us while Jian tightened his grip on his sword like a man trying very hard not to blame me personally for reality.
Reasonable.
The lunar heart pulsed above us.
Silver moonlight flowed downward like a blessing and a warning.
The black corruption beneath the ice answered with something much uglier.
A roar echoed from below.
Deep.
Ancient.
Hungry.
The kind of sound that made instincts older than language start panicking.
ARINA's panel flashed immediately.
Final Purification Mission Target: Abyss Beast Core Seal Method: Sovereign Resonance + Phoenix Flame Success Reward: Moon Fragment Authority Moon Sovereign Favourability Gate Path Unlock Failure: Moonwater Realm Collapse
Straightforward.
I distrusted it immediately.
Yue Xiang stepped forward.
Her crescent blade formed in her hand, moonlight gathering along its edge until it looked like she was holding a piece of the night sky itself.
"This creature was once the guardian of the Lunar Heart."
I blinked.
"Of course it was."
She glanced at me.
"Your disappointment is noted."
I pointed at the cracking ice.
"Every monster here used to be something noble. It's becoming a theme."
She did not disagree.
Because I was right.
That was somehow worse.
The ice exploded.
The abyss beast burst upward in a storm of black moonwater and shattered crystal, its massive serpent body twisting through the chamber like a living catastrophe.
Its silver-black scales were still beautiful beneath the corruption.
Its glowing moon-eyes were no longer empty.
Now they were furious.
Personal growth.
Terrible direction.
It roared directly at us.
The shockwave nearly threw me off the platform.
Jian planted his sword into the stone to keep balance.
"Please tell me we have a real plan."
Yue Xiang answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Good.
I waited.
She pointed at the beast.
"We kill it."
I stared.
Jian closed his eyes.
Apparently, disappointment was a group activity now.
I sighed.
"Excellent. I appreciate strategy with emotional clarity."
The beast lunged.
Conversation over.
Yue Xiang moved first.
Moonlight erupted around her as she launched herself upward, silver-blue robes cutting through the darkness like a falling star.
Her crescent blade struck across the serpent's neck.
A deep line of silver fire opened across corrupted scales.
The beast screamed.
Good start.
Jian followed from the left, leaping from shattered ice to broken chain, driving his sword into the exposed wound.
Precise.
Disciplined.
Extremely angry.
I respected it.
Meanwhile, I was standing on a platform reconsidering my profession.
The beast's tail came for me like divine punishment.
I triggered Flame Step.
Crimson light exploded beneath my feet as I barely escaped being flattened into a tragic life lesson.
The tail smashed through half the platform instead.
Stone rained into the frozen sea.
I pointed at the serpent while running.
"Rude!"
It did not apologise.
Unprofessional.
I reached the broken chains hanging from the ceiling and climbed onto one like a very stressed monkey with poor long-term planning.
Above me, the Lunar Heart pulsed.
Below me, the beast twisted around the chamber, trying to kill Yue Xiang, Jian, and possibly architecture itself.
Then I saw it.
At the centre of its chest.
Beneath cracked scales.
A glowing black crystal.
The Abyss Core.
There you are.
ARINA answered immediately.
Weak Point Located: Target Abyss Core Requirement: Direct Phoenix Flame Contact
Of course.
So naturally, I had to climb onto the giant corrupted moon serpent and punch evil directly in the chest.
Again.
Honestly, at least the system was consistent.
I took a breath.
Then jumped.
Midair regret happened instantly.
I landed on the beast's back hard enough to lose all remaining dignity.
Its scales were freezing and unstable, black corruption crawling like veins beneath my hands.
The beast noticed.
It was really noticed.
It thrashed violently.
I held on with the kind of faith normally reserved for bad decisions.
"ARINA," I shouted over the chaos.
"Yes."
"If I survive this, remind me to choose easier hobbies."
"Reminder scheduled."
Helpful.
Ahead of me, Yue Xiang was still fighting near the beast's head, moonlight colliding against corruption with every strike.
She looked back and saw me.
For the first time since meeting her—
She looked genuinely alarmed.
"Ishaan!"
I waved while clinging to an ancient nightmare.
"Bad time to mention I found the weak point!"
Her expression suggested several opinions.
Most of them violent.
Good.
That meant she cared.
I reached the Abyss Core.
The black crystal pulsed like a second heart, spreading corruption through the beast's body.
I raised my hand.
Phoenix fire gathered.
Golden.
Hot enough to burn fear itself.
The beast screamed before I even touched it.
It knew.
It knew exactly what I was about to do.
And it was absolutely against the idea.
Reasonable.
The serpent twisted upward.
I nearly lost my balance.
Below me, Jian shouted something that sounded like "Don't be stupid!"
Too late.
Centuries too late.
I slammed my hand into the Abyss Core.
Phoenix fire exploded.
Golden flames spread across the black crystal like judgement written by the sun itself.
The beast roared so loudly that the Hall Beneath the Moon shook apart.
Pain hit instantly.
Not physical.
Memory.
Rage.
Loneliness.
Endless imprisonment.
The guardian had not become a monster by choice.
It had been chained.
Fed corruption.
Forced into madness.
Like Lian.
Like Yue Xiang.
Like every broken sovereign story.
I understood.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
The beast's voice echoed inside my mind.
Not words.
Emotion.
Please.
Not death.
Release.
My chest tightened.
I looked toward Yue Xiang.
She understood, too.
Of course she did.
Her expression was quiet.
Sad.
She raised her crescent blade.
Not execution.
Mercy.
I nodded once.
Together.
Moonlight and Phoenix fire collided.
Silver and gold.
Sovereign authority and chosen flame.
The final strike descended.
The Abyss Core shattered.
The black crystal broke apart into light.
The beast gave one final cry—
not of rage.
Of relief.
Then silence.
Its massive body dissolved into silver moonwater, falling like rain across the chamber.
The corruption vanished.
The frozen sea melted.
The Lunar Heart above us shone brighter than ever before.
And for the first time—
The Moonwater Realm breathed freely.
ARINA's panel appeared.
Mission Complete: Abyss Core Purified Moonwater Realm Stabilised Rewards Granted: Moon Fragment Authority Favorability Updated: Gate Path Unlocked
I dropped off the collapsing remains of the beast and hit the ground like a sack of heroic mistakes.
Worth it.
Probably.
Yue Xiang landed beside me.
Jian shortly after.
For a moment, none of us spoke.
Only moonlight.
Only silence.
Only peace.
Then Yue Xiang looked at me and said the most terrifying words yet.
"We need to talk."
I stared at her.
Jian quietly walked away.
Coward.
Absolute coward.
I sat up slowly.
"…that sounds worse than the monster."
For the first time—
The Moon Sovereign laughed.
And somehow—
That felt like the real victory.