Bang! Bang! Bang!
From the two portals summoned above, [Abyssal Obliteration] fired off dozens upon dozens of shadow bullets.
They whistled through the air, aimed straight at the [Abyssal King], relentless and rapid.
But instead of dodging or bracing for impact, the king calmly raised the arm holding his weapon, the [Abyssal Sword Spear], and began spinning it.
The rotation was fast, precise, and powerful.
A wave of force pushed outward as the spear spun, intercepting every single bullet. Each dark projectile that reached him was shredded and erased as if it had never existed.
And the king didn't just defend, he advanced.
With every step forward, the pressure in the room thickened, like the very air itself was responding to his movement.
"Abyssal Step..." the king murmured, and in the blink of an eye, his form melted into the shadows.
Sam's eyes narrowed. The portals stopped firing.
He turned his head sharply, scanning the room, but he couldn't see anything, not a shadow out of place, not a single movement.
And then—
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The king emerged right behind him, striking five times in rapid succession, and before Sam could retaliate, the king had already vanished again.
"I can sense that barrier of yours," the king's voice echoed from nowhere. "But it cannot last forever."
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Five more attacks came from another angle, just as fast, just as clean, and then disappeared again.
'So this is how you want to fight?' Sam gritted his teeth, his crimson eyes flaring brighter, a storm of power swirling around them. 'Fine. Have it your way.'
Tendrils of Oblivion!
With that command, dozens of tendrils burst from his [Primordial Sword], slithering outward and curling into the air like living shadows.
This time, when the king emerged from the darkness for another surprise attack—
Snap!
The tendrils were waiting.
They wrapped tightly around the king's arm, chest, and legs, locking him in place mid-swing.
"You..." the king's voice dropped, his eyes narrowing as the pressure from the tendrils increased. His movements stalled.
Slash!
Sam didn't waste time. He struck without hesitation, cutting deep into the king's side with a clean slash.
"Argh—!" the [Abyssal King] let out a twisted, guttural groan as dark blood trickled from his mouth. "Your kind... is truly relentless..."
Sam wasn't sure what he meant by "your kind." Was he talking about humans? Or was it something deeper?
Either way, it didn't matter.
Sam gripped his sword tighter and prepared to finish it.
But before he could move—
BOOM!
A violent explosion of darkness erupted from the king's body. The surge of power was enough to break every tendril instantly, scattering their remnants into the air like black mist.
The king's aura spiked. Purple light surged in every direction, slamming into the walls of the chamber. The air trembled.
"I am... so tired of waiting," the king roared, his voice filled with something Sam couldn't quite place, rage, grief, and maybe... fear. "Let us end this."
He raised his weapon.
Sam stepped forward, doing the same.
[Eternal Barrier: 12/50]
Just twelve more hits and his only line of defense would shatter. But that didn't stop him.
This was the kind of fight he had trained for. The reason he had evolved all his skills. This was why he pushed so hard.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: The Abyssal King is ready to start the final clash. You simply need to overwhelm him with your sword technique.]
Sam nodded silently. The king moved first.
Fwish!
A blur of black and violet energy closed the distance, and Sam reacted just in time.
Clash! Slash!
Their weapons struck each other with a thunderous force that echoed through the entire sub-layer.
The shockwave spread outward. Even above them, in the forests of the surface first layer and the ruined halls of the [Novice Ruins], awakeners paused and looked around, confused by the deep rumbling sound beneath their feet.
Clash! Clash! Slash!
Each swing shook the chamber. Sam's arms ached from the force of the Abyssal King's blows, but he refused to let up.
Slash!
He took a hit.
Slash!
And another.
But even so—
Slash!
He returned each strike with one of his own, breaking through the king's defense more and more with each clash.
[The flames are closing in. Finish the job.]
Sam quickly glanced left. The wall of purple flames, the same that had encircled the battlefield, was now closing in. It moved steadily, unrelenting, and it was almost at his back.
He didn't know how [Eternal Barrier] would hold up against that kind of pressure. Maybe each second inside those flames would count as a hit. Maybe it would burn right through his soul.
It didn't matter. He couldn't let this fight drag on any longer.
Slash!
The king landed a strike across Sam's chest.
Slash!
Sam hit back, cutting deep into the king's ribs.
And then, he saw it.
The cracks. Not in the armor, but in the king himself.
His swings were getting faster, yes, but sloppier.
His movements had a desperation to them. The calm, regal presence from before was fading, replaced by the frantic fury of someone who realized they were losing.
Sam's eyes flared. He understood what this was.
The king wasn't just angry, he was afraid. Afraid because Sam wouldn't die.
Because he kept moving. Because he wouldn't stop.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Each swing from Sam now carried more than just strength, it carried his will. His determination.
And it was breaking the Abyssal King down.
"Why... won't... you... DIE?!" the king roared.
SLASH!
[Your "Eternal Barrier" has been broken.]
But even as his last defense fell, Sam stood tall.
The crimson light in his eyes intensified.
[Kill him.]
He didn't even blink.
"Because I don't want to," Sam said.
And with one final move, he knocked the king's next blow aside and stepped forward.
"Goodbye."
SLASH!
With one powerful strike, Sam's sword cleaved clean through the king's neck. The head flew, black mist pouring from the body as the king collapsed.
The purple flames surged forward for one final moment, then fizzled out into nothing. They were gone.
Across the arena, Lily and Alicia stood in shock. Sweat rolled down their faces from the heat of the flames. When they saw Sam still standing... they both let out quiet sighs of relief.
Sam turned, gazing down at the body of the fallen king.
[Hell-Mode Analysis: One out of six. Good job.]
"Hm."
He didn't pause. He slashed into the king's body and pulled out the core.
As always, he placed it near the [Primordial Sword] and watched as the weapon absorbed it.
Then his eyes turned to the three items left behind by the king's body.
---
[Abyssal Sword Spear]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: A weapon that can be used both as a sword and a spear, huh.]
---
[Abyssal King Armor]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: An armor capable of tanking many hits. Extremely durable.]
---
And the final item, it shimmered brighter than the rest, filled with power and presence.
---
[Abyssal Crown]
[Rank: Forsaken]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: An item that proves someone has beaten the "Abyssal King". Keep it as an artifact. It's the first of the six.]
---
Sam placed the armor and weapon into his [Spatial Inventory], deciding he'd sell them later.
But the crown? He kept that. It felt important.
He didn't know why yet, but something told him that collecting these Forsaken artifacts would matter later.
"You're so strong..." Lily said as she and Alicia finally joined him, her eyes wide, full of admiration. "I think even a peak Apprentice rank couldn't have killed that thing."
Maybe she was right.
But Sam didn't say anything back. For him, it wasn't about being stronger than others, it was about becoming what he HAD to become.
And then they noticed the portal.
It had appeared exactly where the Abyssal King's throne once stood. The way out. They'd completed the sub-layer.
Once they left this place, they will have officially completed their advancement task.
But just as the three of them took a step toward the exit—
Ding!
A global announcement rang out.
Not just through the ruins. Not just the layer. But across every layer, and even the real world.
[Congratulations to Sam Walker for being the first human in history to complete the "First Layer" and killing the Layer Boss: Abyssal King.]
"Holy shit," Sam's eyes widened.