The sky was still screaming.
Dark clouds churned violently above the shattered arena, as if the world itself rejected what I had become.
Below
Chaos.
Soldiers scattered. Nobles fled. The once-glorious arena had turned into a graveyard of broken stone and shattered pride.
And at the center of it all…
I stood.
Breathing slowly.
The mark on my chest pulsed, steady now.
Controlled.
For the first time since it awakened… it felt like it belonged to me.
Not the other way around.
*"Good…"*
The voice whispered, quieter now.
"You're learning."
I ignored it.
My gaze remained fixed on the throne.
On him.
But before I could take another step
BOOM.
The ground in front of me exploded.
Dust and stone burst outward as something...no, someone landed between me and the throne.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
Unshaken.
The dust cleared slowly.
And then I saw him.
Massive.
Armored in dark steel that looked fused to his skin. Veins pulsed beneath the metal like molten iron, glowing faintly with each breath he took.
His presence alone made the air feel… dense.
Like it was pressing down on everything.
"…So this is the abomination."
His voice was deep. Calm.
Unimpressed.
Behind him, the remaining soldiers froze.
Relief flooded their faces.
"G-General…!"
So this was one of them.
One of the kingdom's pillars.
One of the monsters they trusted to stop me.
I tilted my head slightly.
"…You're stronger than the others."
He didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't kneel.
"My name," he said, taking a slow step forward, "is irrelevant to something that will die here."
Each step cracked the ground beneath him.
"I am the shield of this kingdom."
Another step.
"The wall that does not fall."
And then
He stopped.
Right in front of me.
Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
His eyes locked onto mine.
"And you…"
A pause.
"…are something that should have never been born."
Silence fell between us.
The chaos faded.
The screams vanished.
For a moment
It felt like the entire world had narrowed down to just the two of us.
I exhaled slowly.
"…They all say that."
My fingers flexed at my side.
The shadows around my feet stirred slightly.
"But none of them could stop me."
A faint smile touched my lips.
"Let's see if you can."
For a brief second
Nothing happened.
Then
"KNEEL."
👁️ SOVEREIGN'S DECREE
The air collapsed.
Pressure surged outward like an invisible wave, slamming into everything in its path.
Stone cracked.
Bodies dropped.
Even the remnants of the arena groaned under the weight of it.
But him
The general didn't move.
Not even slightly.
His gaze remained steady.
Cold.
Unyielding.
"…Pathetic."
He stepped forward.
And the pressure
broke.
Like glass under his foot.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Dominion… resisted?
*"Of course,"* the voice murmured.
*"He's already stepped into Dominion."*
So that was it.
Not just strength.
Not just armor.
This man…
Was something else entirely.
Good.
I smiled.
"Then let's skip the warm-up."
🌑 ABYSSAL STEP
🌑 ABYSSAL STEP
My body dissolved into shadow—
—and reformed behind him.
⚡ RIFT BREAKER: WORLD FRACTURE
My arm moved.
Space cracked.
The strike should have split him in half.
But
CLANG.
His hand caught my wrist.
Effortlessly.
The fracture in space trembled…
Then shattered.
"…Too slow."
My eyes widened
And then his fist came down.
BOOM.
The world exploded.
I felt my body lift off the ground before I even understood what had happened.
Air vanished from my lungs as I crashed through stone, tearing across the arena until I slammed into the far wall.
Everything went quiet.
For a second
I couldn't breathe.
Pain flooded every nerve.
My arms trembled as I forced myself up.
Blood dripped from my mouth.
"…He's stronger than anything so far."
*"Then stop fighting like prey."*
The voice again.
Calm.
Amused.
*"You have more."*
I clenched my teeth.
More…
Right.
The mark flared.
Hotter.
Deeper.
🩸 DEVOUR — THRONE OF RUIN
The battlefield responded.
Energy faint, scattered, lingering, rose from the fallen.
Threads of dark-red light surged toward me, weaving into my body.
My breathing steadied.
My wounds… began to close.
Power filled the empty spaces inside me.
The general watched.
Unmoving.
"…Absorption."
He tilted his head slightly.
"…Dangerous."
I stepped forward.
Slowly.
The ground cracked beneath my feet.
This time…
I didn't feel unstable.
I felt——
Focused.
Controlled.
"Let's try that again."
My voice was quieter now.
But heavier.
"Kneel."
👁️ SOVEREIGN'S DECREE
The pressure returned.
But this time
It wasn't explosive.
It wasn't wild.
It was precise.
Condensed.
Focused entirely on him.
For the first time
The general's body paused.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
His brow twitched.
"…Hmph."
That was all I needed.
🌑 ABYSSAL STEP
Darkness swallowed me.
I reappeared
Closer.
Faster.
Deadlier.
⚔️ ABYSSAL EXECUTION: NIGHTFALL CLEAVE
The world dimmed.
A single line cut through the air.
Silence.
Complete.
Absolute.
For a moment
Nothing happened.
Then
A thin crack appeared across the general's chest.
His eyes widened… just slightly.
"…So you've learned."
The crack deepened.
"…Good."
A pause.
Then
"…But not enough."
The ground beneath him exploded.
His body surged forward
Faster.
Stronger.
His fist pulled back
Power condensing into a single point.
"…This ends now."
My eyes narrowed.
The mark pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
And for the first time
Something older.
Something that didn't belong in this world.
Something deeper stirred.
Not light.
Not darkness.
Something else.
Something older.
The air around me warped.
The shadows bent unnaturally.
And the voice—
For the first time—
Fell silent.