The first clash shattered the mist.Steel screamed against steel — a raw, pure song of power, pride, and inevitability. Mihawk pressed forward, relentless. Each swing of Yoru carved the very air, every blow aimed not at killing, but at testing. Testing whether I deserved the throne the world had begun to fear.
I matched him — barely at first. Every parry rattled my bones, every counterstrike strained my suppressed strength. Outside the Abyss, I was weaker. I could feel it — the chains of the outside world clinging to my limbs like iron shackles. But weakness was not defeat. It was fuel.
Mihawk's strikes grew sharper, faster, the mist around us churning violently. At the edge of the ruined courtyard, Velra watched silently, her crimson eyes tracking every movement, ready — but trusting me completely. I smiled grimly. Good. I needed this. I needed to bleed. To fight. To adapt.
Steel clashed again — and in that instant, the Abyss inside me stirred. A whisper. A hunger. A reminder: "You are not bound by their laws."
The System chimed sharply in my mind:
[System Alert!][Sword Proficiency Evolution Detected!][Congratulations! Host has transcended Greatsword Mastery!][New Sword Skills Unlocked:]→ Abyssal Sword Sovereignty (Passive): Instinctive, absolute mastery of all sword forms. No style unknown.→ Void Edge Manifestation (Active): Summon a strike that tears through physical and spiritual defenses.→ Sovereign Blade's Law (Domain): Within 100 meters, Host's strikes cannot be parried or blocked by weaker foes.
Power flooded me. Not wild. Not chaotic. Absolute.
I moved before Mihawk could react — a subtle shift, a new rhythm. Not the rigid stances of masters or the calculated footwork of veterans. Something deeper. Something sovereign.
I stepped into Mihawk's next strike — not avoiding it, but overriding it. Yoru, the black sword that had split mountains, quivered under the pressure of my will. My blade — reforged by the Abyss itself — shimmered with dark light, every swing tearing at the very fabric of space.
Mihawk's golden eyes widened slightly — the first crack in his calm. He retreated a step. The first retreat.
I pressed forward. Faster. Sharper. Inevitable. We clashed again — and this time, his defenses broke. I disarmed him with a clean flick of my wrist. Yoru spun from his grasp, embedding itself blade-first into the stone.
The mist fell still. The world seemed to hold its breath.
Mihawk remained standing for a long moment. Then — slowly, deliberately — he dropped to one knee. Not out of humiliation. Not out of fear. Out of recognition.
"I have fought many," Mihawk said, voice low but steady. "I have seen kings, tyrants, legends rise and fall." He lifted his gaze to mine — sharp, unflinching. "But you," he said, "you are not merely a swordsman."
He touched a fist to his heart — the salute of ancient warriors. "You are a Sovereign."
The System chimed again, triumphantly:
[Quest Completed: Conquer the Black Blade — Dracule Mihawk!][Rewards Unlocked:]→ [Abyss World Expansion: Sea of Shadows Accessed.]→ [Mythborn Sword Art: Sovereign Rift Slash Unlocked.]→ [Unlock: New Abyss Knight Spot — Rank [A] Available.]
I stepped closer, standing over him, the Abyss burning quietly inside me. I extended my hand — not to raise him as a servant, but as a king raising a trusted blade.
"You are not a tool," I said quietly. "You are a sword. A will. And I forge only legends."
Mihawk smiled faintly — a rare, raw smile. He took my hand. And with that, the pact was sealed.
Velra approached silently, her spear still humming with latent energy. She did not speak, but her eyes burned with fierce, silent pride. She had seen it all. She had believed before the world had even known to fear me.
And now — the first true legend of the seas knelt at my side. Not as a slave. As the first sword of a rising empire.
Above us, the broken skies stirred. The first tendrils of the Abyss whispered into the seas of this world.
The war for the future had begun. And at its heart — a king crowned in shadow. A king no storm could drown. A king no blade could break.