Key's voice carried a weight of finality, laced with an unspoken warning. His purple eyes narrowed, his stance unwavering.
"There's nothing we need to talk about. Step aside so I can get back to my friends."
The Artifact, merely chuckled, its form shifting slightly in the dim glow of the Abyss.
"I'mafraidIcan'tdothat," it said, amusement laced in its voice. "Yousee, youarenotwhoyouthinkyouare… butfirst, Iwanttotestyou. To—"
[SSSSkillDivineAscension: Wrath of the Ascended hasactivated!]
Key's patience snapped like a frayed thread. A surge of purple Abyssal Energy erupted from his form, crackling with violent intensity.
"Listen—" he started, voice sharp, before exhaling and shaking his head. "I'mnotthetypetosithereandtalkaboutshitI'veheardathousandtimes. Ifyouwannathrowhands, let'sdothatandbedonewithit. Igotshittodo."
The Artifact seemed delighted by that response. It let out another low chuckle before its tone shifted into something darker.
"Straighttothepoint. Finethen."
And then, suddenly—
ROOOAARR
The world split open with a sound so loud it felt like the air itself was shattering. The roar wasn't just heard—it was felt, tearing through reality like a blade through flesh. The very surroundings cracked under the sheer force of it, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
Key had to reinforce himself with Abyssal Energy just to withstand the noise. The vibration alone threatened to tear his body apart.
And then—silence.
An eerie, suffocating quiet followed, as if reality itself had momentarily ceased to exist.
Then came the final words—low, yet resounding.
"Don'tdisappointme, Ascended…"
Key's eyes narrowed as the presence of The Artifact vanished without a trace. His senses stretched outward, seeking any lingering traces of its energy.
Nothing.
Too quiet.
Way too quiet.
Then—
[Quest has been upgraded!]
[Special Quest Engaged.]
[Kill the Abyssal Beasts.]
[Abyssal Beasts LV. 1-??] (1mil+)
A cold scoff escaped him as he read the details.
"A million enemies? Levels unknown?"
He rolled his shoulders, exhaling sharply. The silence pressed down like a living thing, warping the air around him.
"This must be some kind of Bloody Palace bullshit.."
BOOM
The ground beneath him ruptured.
Massive fissures tore through the landscape as grotesque, ever-shifting creatures clawed their way out of the abyss. Their forms were unstable—constantly shifting between solid and liquid, as if existence itself refused to define them.
Hundreds of glowing, abyssal eyes opened across their bodies, each radiating an unnatural, malevolent energy. The very air distorted around them, bending reality at odd angles, making them appear larger and smaller at the same time.
Key let out a slow breath, then cracked his neck.
"Ight, bet… But y'all must've forgot." His voice was calm, almost amused, as he flexed his fingers. "I created the Abyss."
He smirked.
"Just for you, though, I don't mind beating some ass for a couple of minutes."
[TranscendentVelocity LV.1 hasactivated.]
"And minutes it will be…"
BOOM
Key vanished.
Then reappeared inside the horde—his fists already in motion.
His first punch didn't just hit. It erased.
The skull of an Abyssal Beast the size of a skyscraper simply ceased to exist. The sheer force of his strike rippled outward, annihilating the next hundred in a single instant.
He didn't stop moving.
A claw as large as a house swiped at him from the side—he dodged without looking, grabbed the creature's arm—
And ripped it off.
ROOOAARR
It screamed in agony.
Key didn't give a damn.
He swung the severed limb like a club, battering through dozens of others in one sweep. Their bodies cracked, twisted, and shattered upon impact—jagged limbs impaling their own kind like grotesque spears.
"This all?" Key laughed, watching the destruction unfold. "Beating Super Meat Boy was harder than this shit."
Above, a monstrous centipede-like creature lunged down, its rows of serrated fangs glistening with dark energy.
Too slow.
Key flipped mid-air, twisting—then drove his foot straight through its skull, using it as a springboard to launch even higher.
Hundreds of Abyssal Beasts swarmed him from all sides—dozens of limbs, fangs, and attacks coming at once.
Didn't matter.
Key spun—and punched in every direction at once.
The force of his bare fists alone annihilated an entire kilometer of enemies. The shockwave split the battlefield apart, sending cracks miles deep into the ground.
More.
A colossal, six-armed behemoth let out a guttural roar, rearing back a fist that could level a mountain.
Key met it head-on.
Their fists collided.
And the behemoth's entire arm vaporized.
Key gripped its remaining wrist, twisted—
And flung the entire thing over his shoulder, slamming it into the battlefield with a force that shattered The Abyss.
More enemies.
More chaos.
Key didn't stop.
He tore through them like a walking catastrophe.
A beast tried to ambush him from behind—he didn't even turn, just backhanded it so hard its entire body distorted into nothingness.
Another lunged, fangs bared—Key ripped its jaw off and crushed another monster with it.
A massive serpent attempted to coil around him—Key grabbed its tail mid-air, swung it like a whip, and obliterated everything in his path.
Blood. Gore. Limbs.
Abyssal Beasts crumbled before him.
And still—Key kept going.
No more powers.
No fancy abilities.
Just hands.
Just pure, raw, absolute strength.
By the time he stopped moving, the battlefield was silent.
Nothing remained.
He rolled his shoulders. "Y'all done?"
[Abyssal Beasts Remaining: 0.]
He smirked.
"Preciatethewarmup."
Then—
A red crystalline claw shot towards him.
Key casually sidestepped, eyeing the source.
"Wow, that's some pussy behavior," he snorted. "I actually expected better from you, Artifact."
"IrefusetogiveupTheAbysstoonethatisasevilasyo—"
Suddenly—
Reality warped.
The Artifact froze mid-sentence, its form flickering.
"Wait—as evil as me? What do you me—"
Before it could finish, a tiny red crystal shot from its core—
And pierced Key's chest.
Key let it happen.
Something told him to letithappen.
It didn't hurt.
It simply… absorbed into him.
Then—
BOOM
The Artifact exploded into countless shards.
Key stared. "…What the fuck?"
A ding echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations! Special Quest has been completed!]
[View Rewards?] [Yes] or [No]
Key exhaled, narrowing his eyes.
"Not now. I need to see the others."
But his mind lingered.
Someoneasevilasyou..
His fingers clenched.
Could this be connected to… his Future Self?
[RealityRend LV.1 hasactivated.]
Key shook his head.
Damn.
Things just got way more complicated.
He stepped toward the portal—
And disappeared.