Abyss (3)
A cavern the size of a soccer stadium. Lava churned like a river far below the cliff, casting an eerie glow that kept the darkness at bay... but it did nothing to dispel the oppressive gloom.
"Guweeeeh!"
Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of wraiths reached upward from the molten depths, their agonized screams echoing endlessly.
Thud.
Yun-seok pulled his senses to a razor edge and stepped forward cautiously. There was no need to wander blindly. Dead center in the cavern hung a crimson-black portal, and a clear path—narrow but unmistakable—led straight to it.
"......"
The bridge stretched to the portal at the heart of the abyss. Or rather, it was less a bridge and more a jagged scar carved into the cliffside. Dinosaur bones had been jammed haphazardly into the rock like makeshift railings, which might have given it a touch of safety if not for the sheer recklessness of it all.
Did someone decorate this on purpose?
It felt less like a safeguard against plummeting into the lava and more like the owner's twisted sense of style bleeding through.
Reaching the end at last, Yun-seok peered into the portal. It opened onto a grand hall radiating the polar opposite of the heavenly realm's sanctity. A long red carpet unfurled toward a solitary throne at the far end... which sat empty. Had the occupant stepped out?
Yun-seok summoned his Blood Demon Qi anyway, drew his sword, and stepped through.
And in that instant...
"I've been waiting for you, you damned human!"
A black orb plummeted from above.
Force Shield
He threw up a defensive barrier on reflex, but the impact drained a hefty chunk of his Blood Demon Qi. As the orb shattered into dissipating wisps, Yun-seok sized up the figure that emerged.
Two horns jutting from its head, razor fangs bared in a snarl. A massive greatsword dangled effortlessly from one hand. Standing around four meters tall, it looked like a vampire and demon had been mashed together in some unholy forge.
Is this the Duke of the Abyss?
The question answered itself moments later.
Slay the Duke of the Abyss.
Yun-seok looked up. The duke hovered overhead, hidden from outside view, poised for ambush. Despite the title, it came off as sneaky and vile—though that might just be Yun-seok's bias.
"You're the coward for attacking mid-conversation!"
Did it read minds, like that heavenly being? Yun-seok hadn't said a word, yet it spat back in outrage. But something else nagged at him.
"......?"
Honestly, it made no sense. Sure, Yun-seok had a habit of swinging first and talking later... but this was their first meeting. Why speak like they were old acquaintances? It felt off.
Twelve swords in use. Mana stat increased by +1.
No time for chit-chat. The duke had ambushed him on entry. Yun-seok activated King of Ten Thousand Swords first.
But...
Boom!
Twelve black orbs erupted from the duke's hand, colliding with the Blood Demon Swords and vanishing them. Yun-seok resummoned them instantly—same result.
What the hell?
It wasn't just neutralizing his attacks. It targeted the swords themselves, as if nullifying King of Ten Thousand Swords was the goal. No one could counter like that without knowing the ability. Suspicious, but Yun-seok pressed the assault instead of retreating.
Whatever it is... kill it fast.
He closed in.
Shaman's Law
All beings within the domain cannot exit the domain boundaries. (Range: 15m radius)
Simple reason for the setup: Judgment of the Destruction Lord. This condition made evasion impossible.
A beam of ruinous light lanced down from above.
His Possession trait nullified any backlash, but the duke...
Boom!
...vanished without a trace in the light.
Or so he thought. A sword struck from a perfect blind spot.
Stab!
Straight to the heart. Wound-aggravation gear? Restoring it guzzled Blood Demon Qi. He'd burned half his reserves on the shield and beam earlier; now only a quarter remained.
But Yun-seok fixated elsewhere.
"......"
What the hell? How did it survive that? He'd seen it take the hit dead-on.
"Kuhahaha! Foolish human! That was merely a prepared clone!"
"......?"
It read his mind again. If it could do that consistently, blocking King of Ten Thousand Swords or predicting moves made sense. But prepping a clone? Unless...
It foresaw the future.
Not impossible—El's powers included foresight. This could be similar.
The unease deepened through exchanges of blows.
Whoosh! Boom!
It dodged as if anticipating every swing. Mind-reading explained it, until...
'Head.'
'Heart on the dodge.'
Yun-seok split his thoughts with Yang's Art, dual-wielding accordingly.
But...
"Think I'll fall for that again?!"
Parried one with its sword, the other with a black orb.
'Again'?
The word jarred, but Yun-seok shelved it.
Shaman's Law
All beings within the domain cannot peer into others' thoughts.
Not the exact name, so uncertainty lingered. But...
"......!"
Its panicked face confirmed it worked. No foresight of this law; dismay etched its features.
Whoosh!
Yun-seok slashed. It blocked clumsily. More strikes followed, drawing blood. Was it nothing without foresight?
Then its lips curled slyly.
Acting...
The law held, but the panic was feigned.
"Now it's truly over, tiresome human!"
An impossibly massive black orb formed in its palm. Just one—blockable. Yun-seok gathered his dregs of Blood Demon Qi for Cheonma Sword.
Whoosh!
A crimson tsunami surged from his blade. As it engulfed the orb...
"......?"
A translucent barrier appeared between them, swallowing both wave and orb.
Reminded him of the 'Eternal Gate' that Earth demon used... but different. This reflected attacks too, like a mirror shield.
Damn.
The energies reemerged behind him. He leaped with Diamond Naham Protection.
Temporarily ignore all damage.
The wave and orb dissipated harmlessly on contact.
Thud.
Feet hit ground, triggering the reflection...
...but it had positioned out of range long ago. And anticipated his landing spot too, pre-casting there.
"Vanish into the abyss!"
A rift cracked open beneath him, swirling like a black hole.
But...
The soul of the ancient hunter protects the user from undetected dangers.
Blue light flared from his gloves, anchoring him against the pull.
"That damned glove! It blocks this too?!"
Genuine fury from the duke—but Yun-seok was more shocked. It knew about his Arc Hunter gloves? Mind-reading didn't explain that.
"But you're done anyway! No mana left!"
Fair point. Blood Demon Qi was spent. No more mana hogs like Judgment or Shaman's Law.
Half-true, though.
Doesn't mean I can't fight.
Did it think him helpless? It charged, orb in one hand, sword in the other.
Yun-seok circulated Purple Haze Divine Art and Dragon Soaring Qi—third energies accumulated in his body, independent of mana-converted Blood Demon Qi. Enough to win.
The law lifted; it read his intent and hesitated, backpedaling.
No mercy. He infused one sword with Purple Haze, the other with Dragon Soaring, and lunged.
"Damn monster!"
Distance closed in a blink. Yun-seok swung on pure instinct, denying it mind-reading cues. Daily millions of practice swings in the waiting room paid off.
Bang! Boom!
It faltered badly now. Yun-seok stabbed an opening.
But...
Why the nagging doubt?
Its eyes—staring down death at its throat—held no fear. Defiance? Understandable. But glee?
Whoosh!
Yun-seok twisted his wrist mid-thrust, blade grazing aside.
"......?"
Panic flickered—real this time. Relief at surviving? No, shock at not dying.
Pieces clicked.
"Resurrect on death?" Yun-seok met its gaze.
"......"
Head shook furiously, but mouth flapped silently.
Executioner's Eye
Lies blocked outright.
It really revives.
Its face blanched. Yun-seok eyed its gear: an antique pocket watch at its neck. Oddly out of place.
Ah, that's it.
Intuition hit. Its expression shifted as it read him.
Yun-seok snatched it. It reached to block—severed cleanly.
Slash!
No scream. Yun-seok didn't care. He appraised the watch.
◈ Rewinds time to 10 minutes before death upon dying.
What a broken item.
"How many times have I died because of you...?!"
It cut off mid-rant.
Possession duration ends. Stat boosts removed.
"N-No... already...?!"
It knew this too. Died to Yun-seok plenty without him knowing.
No more.
* * *
Duke of the Abyss slain.
Ruinous light flashed. Gear and corpse pulverized—even the watch in Yun-seok's hand, by system fiat, not the light.
"Ah......"
A pang of regret escaped him. Unavoidable, though. The Tower wouldn't hand out such a cheat freely. Still, having held it made the loss sting unfairly.
Shaking it off, Yun-seok approached the chest that materialized. No fanfare like before—dull, ominous, creaking eerily as it opened.
His eyes widened.
There lay the duke's pocket watch, on black velvet.
◈ Rewinds time to 5 minutes before death upon dying.
◈ Cooldown: 720 hours.
Rank and effect downgraded, plus a cooldown penalty... but still absurdly overpowered. He'd scored the impossible.