The beats of the heart grew faster, and Kael felt the ground beneath him quake. He could hear the shrieks of distant creatures, the dying cries of those who were caught in the cavern’s death throes. The entire system was in chaos as the heart absorbed the ogre’s essence, its power growing to new heights. The once stable, ancient walls of the cavern began to fracture, cracks running along their length, spilling dust and stone into the air.

In the distance, the giant tendrils that had been attacking him before started to writhe more aggressively, their reach extending further, searching for any sign of life, any offering. Kael gritted his teeth, every fibre of his being alive with the anticipation of what was to come. This place, this cursed cavern, was on the verge of breaking open, and it was clear the heart’s power was what was driving it all.

Kael raised his scythe, its blade still crackling with the power of the Blood of the Abyss. He felt the blood in his veins surge with the energy from the heart, as if both he and the heart were in sync, connected by the violent pulse that echoed through the cavern.

“Come then,” Kael muttered to himself, his voice a low growl of anticipation. “Show me what you have.”

The cavern trembled harder, the walls beginning to crumble in larger chunks, as though the very core of the mountain was starting to collapse. The cocoon around the ogre's body began to split open, and from within, the body began to shift. Tendrils of energy wrapped themselves around the ogre’s flesh, pulling and distorting its form as its features warped and twisted into something far darker, far more powerful than anything Kael had seen before. The ogre’s body grew, its skin darkening, veins glowing with unnatural light, and its size doubled, tripled, until it was a hulking mass of darkness and raw power.

The heart’s beats, now almost deafening in their intensity, sent a shockwave through the cavern, causing the entire space to shake violently. The creature that had once been an ogre roared, a terrible, bone-rattling scream that echoed through the caverns as it tore free from the cocoon. The ogre-turned-monster’s eyes burned with an unnatural fire, its limbs massive, and its mouth gaped open to reveal rows of jagged teeth.

Kael’s eyes narrowed as the creature advanced, its every step sending tremors through the ground. He could feel its overwhelming presence, the weight of its energy threatening to suffocate him. But Kael stood firm. His body burned with the heat of his new strength, his blood thrumming with power. This was what he had been waiting for—a true challenge, a test of his newfound abilities.

The ogre-turned-beast lunged at Kael, its massive fist swinging toward him with blinding speed. But Kael was faster now. He moved with a grace that belied his monstrous strength, sidestepping the blow and countering with a devastating swing of his scythe. However, that isn’t what happened he ogre was far faster than he himself was and ended up reading his movements launching a fist of pure power straight into Kael’s face causing many of his bones to completely shatter, he could no longer move his jaw and breathing felt like a struggle, he was on the hard stone floor while the ogre was walking towards him, it pounced clawing at him with his right arm, the blow would’ve sliced through his head if he hadn’t of moved but not he felt like a piece of him was missing and when he looked to his left he noticed his arm was on the floor separate from his body, it has been sliced off by the ogres claws.

The pain was unbearable, a searing shock of agony that ripped through Kael’s entire body. His left arm lay useless and severed on the ground however there was no blood coming out any of his wounds. His chest tightened, each breath shallow and ragged as he tried to regain his bearings, but the world around him was spinning. He could feel the weight of the creature’s monstrous presence, the ground shaking with each of its steps as it advanced toward him, its eyes glowing with a malevolent hunger.

Kael’s body refused to move. The pain was too intense, his bones shattered, and his arm a lifeless stump. But as the ogre-turned-beast loomed over him, its claws poised for the killing blow but then it was as if the divine had intervened, a very large piece of rubble came down from the sky, revealing sunlight but not only that it was falling towards the corrupted ogre he just needed it to stay in place and he might have a way out of this hell.

He stones decent held true Kael knew he would also be affected by its descent but not as much as the ogre, Kael summoned the very last drop of strength he could manage to muster if not for the chance of victory he wouldn’t have been able to muster this much.

Kael moved just in time for the rock to collide with the ground, it was titanic in size and nothing could stop its descent, the ogre looked up in the last second knowing its fate, the force was so great the ogres once large and impenetrable body simply exploded.

Then disappeared underneath the large mass of stone never to be seen again. Kael wasn’t the one who had killed the ogre, so he didn’t receive any form of regeneration leaving him stuck almost waiting for death.

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Kael was waiting there for what seemed forever, until he saw it, it was the same creature he had seen many times in he ventures throughout the cave as well as being the first creature he had faced in this hell, a bat was flying around the open cavern, it was a shame that Kael couldn’t move currently, he started to whistle trying to catch its attention.

The faint whistle echoed through the cavern, weak and wavering, but persistent. Kael's body screamed in protest, his battered frame barely able to sit upright as he mustered all the strength he had left. The bat fluttered erratically in the open space above, its wings slicing through the dank air. At first, it seemed uninterested, a mere flicker in the overwhelming darkness. But then, it paused mid-flight, its ears twitching in the direction of Kael's strained sound.

The bat swooped down cautiously, drawn by the noise but hesitant, as though sensing the danger inherent in this broken figure before it. Kael’s heart pounded as the creature hovered closer, its leathery wings flapping with an unnerving rhythm. He could see its beady black eyes now, glittering with curiosity—or hunger.

"Come on..." Kael whispered, his voice barely audible. "Just a little closer."

The bat descended, its small body insignificant compared to the cavern’s vastness. It was the smallest creature he’d encountered here, but right now, it was his lifeline, If he could just land a single blow, his regeneration would activate, and he’d be restored.

The bat finally landed on the ground a few feet from him, its head cocked to the side as it inspected this strange, broken being. Kael’s hand, trembling with pain, inched toward the scythe lying beside him. The weapon pulsed weakly, sensing his intent, but it too seemed drained from the battle with the ogre.

The bat crept closer, emboldened by Kael’s apparent helplessness. Its wings folded back as it crawled forward, its sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. Kael’s fingers brushed against the hilt of the scythe, his grip tightening as the creature prepared to lunge.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Kael swung the weapon upward in a wide arc. The blade connected with the bat mid-leap, splitting its fragile body in two with a wet, crunching sound. Blood sprayed across the cavern floor, and the small creature's death was instantaneous.

The effects were immediate. Kael’s body jolted as the Blood of the Abyss surged to life, his inheritance drinking deeply of the bat’s essence. Warmth spread through him like wildfire, his shattered bones snapping back into place, his torn muscles knitting themselves together. The stump where his arm had been sliced off moments ago pulsed with an unbearable heat, and then, miraculously, a new arm began to grow—fresh, powerful, and alive with the same dark energy coursing through him.

Kael gasped as he felt his strength returning, his lungs filling with air as if he’d been drowning moments before. The pain ebbed away, replaced by an intoxicating sense of vitality. The cavern around him seemed brighter, his senses sharper, his mind clearer.

He stood slowly, flexing his regenerated arm and testing the strength in his legs. He could feel the power thrumming beneath his skin, a reminder of the price of survival. The bat’s life had been insignificant, a mere speck in the abyss, but it had given him the strength to continue.

Kael realised that he was still weak, still didn’t have the strength to be in control of his destiny, he knew that his current enemies weren’t at all the pinnacles of this world from what Salvador had told him but still he ended up almost dead. And his greatest adversary was still in front of him and greatly weakened he was going to take this opportunity to grow stronger, and he would do so with his strongest ability.

Kael walked over towards the still beating heart, its rhythmic pulse not felt uncoordinated and shallow, weak. He reached out into his soul using all the power he could muster then willed the heart and all its power to go into his scythe.

The heart couldn’t even try to resist his power was true, he felt them combine and the result was a ghastly scythe that almost looked eroded:

[Blood of the abyss(corrupted)]

[weapon]

[Gold (evolving)]

[abilities]

Corrupted power: this weapon can be bolstered to the next rank (platinum) for as long as its fed blood

Sentience: this weapon has a mind of its own

Evolving power: after killing an enemy this weapon can use their power

[description]

A scythe born from a vulgar soul and pure flames and a corrupted heart

The heart didn’t seem to boost the rank to the next level or change his weapon completely which he appreciated he didn’t want his weapon to change, he liked its abilities, and the new ability was especially powerful, being able to boost the weapons rank was invaluable, he couldn’t image the power the weapon would have at the platinum rank and it still manages to grow along with the weapon aswell.

"Well, isn’t this a twist?" Salvador’s voice echoed in his mind, dripping with bitter amusement. "I thought you’d die like the pathetic worm you are, but look at you, devouring the heart’s power. I wonder if you even know what you've just done."

Ignoring the voice in his head Kael tightened his grip on the scythe and activated Corrupted Power.

A surge of black and red energy exploded from the weapon, its glow intensifying until it became almost blinding. The oppressive aura expanded, filling the cavern like a tide of malevolence. The weapon felt alive in his hands, vibrating with an almost uncontrollable energy. Kael’s entire body trembled as the power coursed through him, the scythe's temporary ascension to Platinum making him feel invincible.

He swung the scythe experimentally, its edge cutting through the air with a force that seemed to distort reality itself. The strike unleashed a wave of energy that carved deep scars into the stone walls, the force shaking the entire cavern. Even at its temporary peak, the weapon retained its blood-hungry nature, demanding more essence to sustain its elevated state he felt the weapon start to drink his own blood, so Kael quickly deactivated the enhancement.

A grin now adorned his face.