"This arena… it reeks of betrayal."
—Ishi Crush
---
The tournament had reached its zenith.
Above the arena, the sun loomed like a spotlight from the heavens. The crowd roared, a tide of excitement crashing against the edge of anticipation. Yet the name on every tongue was whispered, not shouted.
> Kael.
The hooded warrior who had dismantled his foes with frightening precision.
No scratches.
No wasted movement.
No mercy.
Every match ended before the audience could blink. The last opponent hadn't even managed to scream.
And now, the final judgment was upon them.
The cheers turned to uneasy murmurs.
A breath held by tens of thousands.
The victor stood at the center, hood pulled low. The referee raised his hand.
"The Champion of the Seylmar Tournament… KAEL!"
Applause thundered—but not for joy.
For fear.
Up high, seated on a throne of polished obsidian and gold, was Lord Calwyn, Hero of the Realm, face carved in an amused mask. He stood.
> "Come forward, warrior. Remove your hood. Let the kingdom see the face of its new hope."
Footsteps echoed like war drums.
One by one, they shattered the tension.
Kael pulled back his hood.
Silence.
Time froze.
That face…
> "No… no. It can't be…" Calwyn whispered.
Crimson eyes locked with his.
From Kael's—no—Ishi's body, shadows leaked like oil, coiling around his feet like serpents.
> "My name," he said, voice ice,
"is Ishi Crush. The man you left to die."
A woman screamed.
Guards flinched.
Some nobles bolted from their seats.
Ishi took one step forward.
> "Today, this arena will become a grave.
And this throne…"
He raised a hand.
"It's mine."
---
[System Update]
> Humanity Remaining: 11%
Access to Abyssal State — Phase Two…
UNLOCKED.
---
A general bellowed, "Seize him!"
Dozens of fighters surged.
Too slow.
> "Technique Unleashed — Abyss Spiral"
A maelstrom of black energy erupted.
The first wave was torn to ribbons.
Blood rained from the heavens.
> "He's… he's not human…"
"He's a demon…!"
Swords clashed. Ishi didn't dodge—he erased.
One warrior's head exploded mid-strike.
Another melted under a single palm strike.
He vanished.
Reappeared.
> "Spectral Strike — Triple Impact"
Three went down, their necks slashed in unison.
> "No… This is a massacre…"
And then—
> "Judgment Eye"
A lone survivor fled. Ishi snapped his fingers.
The man exploded into mist.
---
He stood alone now.
Unmoving.
In the center of a crimson arena, strewn with limbs and steel.
He looked up.
> "Calwyn. Come."
The Hero descended.
Golden armor. A holy blade humming with divinity.
> "Ishi… we were brothers once…"
> "You were the knife in my back."
> "Then come, betrayer.
Face judgment."
---
[Clash Initiated] — Boss Battle: Calwyn, Hero of the Realm
---
> "Blade of Truth — Divine Slash"
A blinding arc carved the earth.
Ishi ducked, countered—
> "Shadow Dance — Celestial Cycle"
Ten clones launched forward.
Calwyn roared, light detonating around him.
The arena walls cracked.
> "You're strong, Ishi. But this…
This is the power of light!"
> "And this—" Ishi hissed—
"is the price of darkness."
---
"Abyssal Form — Phase Two"
> ACTIVATED
Black veins pulsed beneath his skin.
A crystal split his forehead.
A third eye opened—bleeding darkness.
Time slowed.
Even Calwyn froze, steps faltering.
> "That… that's a cursed form!"
> "No," Ishi whispered,
"It's evolution."
---
He vanished.
Then reappeared.
Calwyn's shoulder shattered.
> "You'll never win…"
> "I already have."
---
"Abyssal Strike — Final Judgment"
His blade pierced Calwyn's heart.
The hero gasped. Light left his eyes.
> "We… were… friends…"
> "No. You were a lesson."
Calwyn's body turned to ash.
---
[Boss Defeated]
> Loot: Hero's Core.
Crown Authority: 100%.
Title Gained: King of the Abyss.
---
The crowd screamed.
Ishi turned.
> "Everyone who stood by.
Everyone who watched me fall.
You die next."
He raised one hand.
> "Ultimate Art — Absolute Massacre"
A wave of black fire swept the stands.
Nobles. Warriors. Aristocrats.
Gone.
Ash.
Silence.
And then—
A voice in the distance.
> "My king…"
Lysa.
Behind a hidden barrier, she stared—eyes wide with terror and awe.
---
Ishi walked to the obsidian throne.
Sat.
And in a voice heard across the continent, whispered:
> "The king is dead.
Long live the Cursed king".