Chapter 20: The Abyss Awakens

A chilling wind howled through the cavern as the shadows at the far end of the abyss twisted.

Then, something moved.

A presence—vast, ancient, and suffocating—began to rise from the darkness. The Abyss itself trembled, the once-still atmosphere now vibrating with something primal.

Ren’s instincts screamed at him to move. His hands clenched into fists as his newfound power surged, but even that felt insignificant before the presence unfurling before him.

BOOM.

A massive claw—jagged, black, and pulsating with abyssal energy—slammed down into the stone floor, shattering it. A second claw followed. Then, from the darkness, two glowing, slitted crimson eyes opened.

A voice, deep and guttural, rumbled through the abyss.

“You… are not one of them.”

Ren’s heart pounded. “And you are?”

The monstrous figure fully emerged—a being that looked both beast and king, adorned with jagged, bone-like armor that pulsed with abyssal energy. Its presence alone felt heavier than death.

Oris’s voice was tight. “Ren… that’s not just any Overlord.”

[System Alert!]
[Abyssal Monarch Detected: Lord Nyx, The Devourer.]

Ren exhaled sharply. “Great. First a Guardian, now a Monarch.”

Lord Nyx’s gaze locked onto him. “I sense the Void within you… but you are neither bound nor broken. What are you, mortal?”

A system notification flashed:

[Warning: Entity of Abyssal Monarch Rank Cannot Be Influenced.]
[Abyss King’s Authority – Ineffective.]

Ren’s smirk faded. So much for making them bow.

Nyx raised a clawed hand—and the abyss roared.

Darkness itself took shape. A surge of abyssal tendrils erupted, lashing toward Ren with terrifying speed. Faster than anything he’d ever faced.

His body reacted before his mind could—

[Void Step: Activated.]

He vanished in a flicker of shadows, reappearing just outside the attack’s radius. But Nyx was already moving.

A massive tail swung toward him like a battering ram—

Ren barely had time to cross his arms before the impact sent him soaring backward, crashing through rock formations. The pain was instant and brutal.

[Health Reduced: - 42%]

Oris blurred in, swords flashing, but Nyx laughed. “Pitiful.”

With a single wave of his hand, Oris was sent flying into the abyssal mist.

Ren spat blood, pushing himself up. His vision swam, but he grinned through the pain.

“I see how it is,” he muttered. “You think you’re the king down here?”

The system flickered.

[Void Monarch System Activated.]
[Title Effect: Successor of the Abyss - Partial Authority Unlocked.]

A dark aura ignited around Ren. The very air around him began to twist.

Nyx’s eyes narrowed. “You… what are you doing?”

Ren grinned.

“Taking my throne.”