Chapter 18: Abyss Devourer

The surge of dark energy within Ren felt like a wildfire, burning through his body with an intensity he had never known. Every nerve screamed in protest, yet beneath the agony, there was something else—power.

The Abyssal Guardian charged again, its blade cutting through the air like a black crescent of death. But this time, Ren didn’t move.

Instead, he absorbed.

As the strike descended, the energy wrapped around the Guardian’s weapon flowed into him, tendrils of darkness coiling around his form. The system responded instantly:

[Abyss Devourer Activated.]
[Abyssal Energy Absorbed: 12%...]
[Physical Reinforcement Achieved.]

The ground beneath Ren cracked as he lifted his arm and caught the Guardian’s sword with his bare hand.

A moment of silence.

Then—

CRACK!

The colossal blade shattered in Ren’s grasp, Abyssal fragments scattering like shards of night.

The Guardian reeled back. For the first time, its glowing crimson eyes flickered—not with rage, but something far more satisfying.

Fear.

Ren exhaled, a slow smirk playing on his lips. “You’re not so tough after all.”

Oris watched from the sidelines, eyes wide. “He… broke the Guardian’s weapon?”

But the fight was far from over.

With a deafening roar, the Abyssal Guardian abandoned its broken weapon and lunged with its claws.

Ren’s body moved on instinct. He sidestepped the attack and clenched his fist, dark energy crackling around it.

[Void Impact—Enhanced.]

With a single strike, he drove his fist into the Guardian’s chest—

BOOM!

The force of the blow sent shockwaves through the cavern, and the Guardian was blasted backward, crashing into the abyssal walls with an earth-shaking impact.

Ren straightened, flexing his fingers as Abyssal energy coursed through his veins.

He could feel it. The power. The hunger. The dominance.

And he wanted more.

[Abyssal Guardian Defeated.]
[Absorbing Core...]
[New Skill Acquired: Abyss King’s Authority.]

Ren’s smirk deepened.

This was just the beginning.