The Forgotten Citadel trembled as Ashen stood his ground, golden flames licking the air around him. The obelisk still pulsed, but the corruption no longer held dominion over his soul. The Harbinger observed him in silence, its hollow gaze no longer amused.
The two stood across from each other like opposing forces of the universe—one embodying the endless void, the other a flickering but unyielding light.
Ashen tightened his grip on his sword. "Your illusions won't work on me anymore."
The Harbinger tilted its head, then chuckled—a deep, resonant sound that reverberated through the ruins.
"So you believe."
Then it moved.
Faster than before. Faster than thought.
One moment, the Harbinger stood at a distance. The next, it was in front of Ashen, its massive clawed hand descending toward him like an executioner's blade.
Ashen reacted on instinct. He raised his sword just in time to meet the strike. The impact sent out a shockwave that cracked the stone beneath them, but this time, Ashen held his ground.
Golden light clashed against abyssal darkness, the forces colliding in a blinding storm of energy.
The Harbinger's voice rumbled through the air. "You persist. But willpower alone is not enough."
It pressed harder, forcing Ashen back inch by inch. The weight of its power was staggering, like the entire abyss was bearing down upon him.
But Ashen did not waver.
His golden aura flared brighter, the divine energy within him pushing back against the overwhelming force.
With a roar, he twisted his sword and redirected the Harbinger's attack, sending the entity staggering back.
A moment of silence hung between them.
Then, for the first time, the Harbinger frowned.
Ashen exhaled, his breath steady. His arms ached from the clash, but his spirit burned fiercer than ever.
"I told you," he said, stepping forward. "The will to defy you is eternal."
The Harbinger did not respond immediately. It simply watched him, as if re-evaluating something it had once been certain of.
Then, it spoke.
"Perhaps… I was mistaken."
The Abyss Stirs
Without another word, the Harbinger lifted both arms, and the entire Citadel came alive.
The sky darkened further, swirling with black tendrils of energy. The ruins shook as shadowy forms rose from the ground—not mere illusions, but manifestations of abyssal will.
Seren and the others reappeared, struggling against the overwhelming force of the summoned creatures.
Seren's voice rang out. "Ashen! It's trying to—"
A pillar of darkness erupted from the earth, cutting her off.
Ashen clenched his jaw. He could see what was happening—the Harbinger was no longer toying with them. It was summoning the full might of the abyss to end this battle once and for all.
He had no choice.
He had to finish this now.
Ignoring the chaos around him, Ashen focused on the obelisk. The Harbinger was tethered to it—its power drawn from the abyssal core within. Destroying it completely would sever that connection.
His golden energy burned brighter as he prepared for his final strike.
But the Harbinger anticipated it.
With a wave of its hand, the abyss itself lashed out, forming a massive barrier of writhing darkness between Ashen and the obelisk.
"You will not sever my tether."
The voice was no longer mocking. It was absolute.
Ashen gritted his teeth. He could feel the weight of the abyss pressing down, trying to smother his resolve.
And yet, deep within him, something answered.
A spark. A warmth unlike anything he had felt before.
Not just light. Not just defiance.
Something greater.
The fire of all those who had stood against the abyss before him. The will of those who had refused to be consumed.
Ashen's golden aura changed.
It was no longer just a radiance against the dark—it was a force of creation, of defiance, of something beyond mere resistance.
The Harbinger noticed.
Its expression darkened. "What… is this?"
Ashen did not answer.
He simply moved.
Faster than before. Faster than thought.
One moment, he stood before the Harbinger. The next, he was past the wall of darkness, his sword raised high, divine flames trailing in his wake.
The obelisk loomed before him, pulsing with abyssal might.
And then, with all the strength of his soul, he struck.
The golden light consumed the obelisk.
A soundless explosion erupted from its core. The entire Citadel trembled as cracks splintered across the ancient structure.
The Harbinger screamed.
Not in pain.
In rage.
The obelisk shattered.
The darkness recoiled, writhing as if in agony. The manifestations of the abyss disintegrated, their forms unable to sustain themselves without the core's power.
For the first time, the abyss retreated.
And the Harbinger—once an all-powerful force of the void—stood frozen, watching as the last remnants of its tether vanished.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ashen stood amidst the ruins, his sword still glowing, his breaths ragged but steady.
The Harbinger did not attack.
It did not move.
It simply stared at him.
Then, in a voice softer than before, it spoke.
"You… truly are different."
The weight of those words settled over Ashen, but he did not falter.
He met the Harbinger's gaze, unyielding.
And in that moment, for the first time in its existence…
The Harbinger stepped back.