The night air stank of smoke, rain, and blood.
Perfect.
Kai Arashi moved like a phantom between crumbling buildings, the stolen healing Sigil thrumming softly under his skin.
Above him, the Abyss System flickered, cold and ruthless.
[Quest Update: Hunt and Harvest Sigil Users.]
[Progress: 1/10 Targets Eliminated.]
One kill wasn't enough.
Not for him.
Not for the Abyss.
It hungered.
And Kai… Kai was more than willing to feed it.
He had chosen his next prey carefully.
Kenji Nakamura.
A second-year Academy student.
Minor water Sigil.
Cocky. Reckless. Vulnerable.
The perfect victim.
Kai found him swaggering through the old industrial zone, a pack of rich Sigil kids trailing behind him, laughing as they vandalized abandoned storefronts.
Weak.
Arrogant.
Soft.
Just like the rest.
Kai melted into the shadows, watching.
Waiting.
Kenji spun on his heel, drunkenly waving a glowing blue hand.
A blast of water shattered a nearby shop window.
"Pathetic!" Kenji roared. "This whole city's a joke!"
His friends cackled.
Kai smiled behind the darkness.
Pathetic?
He'd show them pathetic.
He struck without warning.
One heartbeat, Kenji was boasting.
The next, he was screaming.
Black tendrils of shadow exploded from the ground, snaring Kenji's arms and legs.
The other students bolted, screaming into the night.
Cowards.
Kenji struggled, thrashing, his Sigil sputtering weakly in his hands.
"WHO— WHO ARE YOU?!"
Kai stepped into the light.
For a moment, Kenji's eyes widened in recognition.
Then terror.
"You… you're that powerless trash!"
Kai said nothing.
Words were for the living.
Kenji unleashed a desperate blast of water —
but it splashed harmlessly against Kai's Abyss-infused armor.
Kai moved faster than thought.
A hand to Kenji's throat.
A pulse of pure darkness.
Kenji gurgled.
Twitched.
Fell silent.
[SIGIL ABSORBED: Minor Water Manipulation (Level 1).]
[Abyss Copy Successful.]
A rush of cold, smooth power slid into Kai's veins.
He flexed his hand experimentally.
Water droplets hovered obediently in the air, quivering at his will.
Another tool.
Another weapon.
Another step toward the throne.
The System chimed:
[Progress: 2/10 Targets Eliminated.]
Kai looked down at Kenji's broken body.
No pity.
No guilt.
Only hunger.
The Abyss inside him throbbed hungrily.
And Kai smiled.
Tonight, Kenji.
Tomorrow…
the world.