The words hit me harder than any blow ever could. A mistake? Reign, this being of overwhelming power, wasn’t just defying the rules of the gods—he was beyond them. His presence, his sheer force, everything about him screamed defiance. And now, he was turning it all on me.

I barely had time to react as Reign raised his hand, the air around him rippling like a shattered mirror. With a simple gesture, he summoned a massive tsunami, its crest towering above us like the sky itself. The roar of the water was deafening, drowning out everything else. It wasn’t just a wave; it was a force of nature, a punishment delivered with surgical precision.

Now how about we see how much you have improved? His voice echoed in my mind, calm and mocking, as if he already knew the answer.

Instinctively, I dug my feet into the ground, summoning every ounce of fire within me. The flames roared to life, encircling my body in a desperate attempt to hold back the onslaught. My mind screamed at me to move, to counter, to survive—but my body felt like lead, weighed down by the sheer scale of the attack.

The tsunami crashed toward me, its force tearing the earth apart as it advanced. I thrust my arms forward, releasing a torrent of flames to meet it head-on. The fire roared brighter, hotter, consuming everything in its path as it collided with the water.

For a moment, the two forces battled—a wall of fire against a wall of water. Steam erupted in massive plumes, hissing and sizzling as the two elements clashed. My flames managed to slow the tsunami, but only just. The water pressed forward, relentless, overwhelming, and I could feel my strength beginning to falter.

Reign watched from a distance, his expression unreadable. “Is that it?” he called out, his voice cutting through the chaos. “That’s all your precious ascension has given you? You’re just another pawn, playing with fire in a game you don’t understand.”

His words ignited something deeper inside me—anger, determination, a refusal to lose. “I’m not a pawn!” I shouted, my voice raw but resolute. “Not to the gods, and not to you!”

Summoning everything I had left, I pushed harder, pulling on the mana coursing through me. The flames shifted, transforming from a chaotic blaze into something more focused, more intense. Crimson streaks mixed with golden light, spiraling together like a living entity.

The tsunami bore down on me, but this time, I didn’t just defend—I attacked. With a guttural roar, I thrust my arms forward again, unleashing a concentrated beam of fire and light directly into the heart of the wave. The impact was immediate and explosive, splitting the tsunami apart with a deafening crack. Water surged past me on either side, crashing harmlessly into the ground beyond.

Steam enveloped the battlefield, cloaking everything in a thick, blinding fog. My chest heaved as I struggled to stay upright, my body trembling from the effort.

And then, through the haze, Reign’s silhouette emerged, unbothered and utterly calm. He clapped slowly, his expression as composed as ever. “Not bad,” he said, almost as if he were genuinely impressed. “You’ve learned to harness it. But tell me, Karlos…”

He stepped closer, his eyes like storms brewing on a distant horizon. “Do you really think that’s enough? Fire burns, but it also consumes. How long can you keep this up before it destroys you from within?”

I clenched my fists, refusing to back down. “I’ll last as long as I have to. Longer, if that’s what it takes.”

Reign smirked, the faintest hint of amusement in his otherwise cold demeanor. “Good. Then let’s see just how far you can go before you break.”

Reign’s oppressive aura suddenly dissipated, like a storm breaking apart to reveal the sun. The shift was so sudden it left me momentarily stunned, my knees almost buckling from the absence of that crushing weight. His hair, which moments ago had been dark as midnight, shifted back to its brighter, golden tone, shimmering faintly in the mist.

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“Oh, looks like our testing time has been cut short,” Reign said casually, as if the deadly tsunami and our clash had been nothing more than a light sparring session. He adjusted his coat, his demeanor now calm but no less unnerving. “The gods are about to move us.”

“What do you mean, ‘move us’?” I asked, still catching my breath, my voice raspy from the strain.

Reign shot me a glance, his lips curving into a faint, almost taunting smile. “You’ll see soon enough. They’re sending us into a dungeon.”

Godfrey’s eyes narrowed as he sheathed his blade, his expression hardening. “What dungeon?” he asked, his tone wary but resigned, as though he already knew the answer.

Kallus let out a low chuckle, his arms crossed and his molten eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “Oh, you know where we’re going. Everyone does.”

I turned to Godfrey, who sighed heavily, the golden glow of his armor dimming slightly. “The Abyss Dungeon,” he said grimly. “And at the end of it… the Abyss Dragon.”

The words hit me like a hammer. The Abyss Dungeon. Before I could stew in my musing. The plane around us shifted the data taking the form of a swirling vortex. The vortex pulled away everything making it clear we don't have a choice in the matter.

“ Remember turn back on your mana sense. You have an extremely potent one to be able to hear the god’s so it will be your most strategic weapon. Use it wisely Rain said before making a top hat appear out of nowhere. I see you on the other side as he took a bow and stepped through the portal.”

The words Abyss Dungeon echoed in my mind like a death knell. Before I could fully process the gravity of the situation, the very fabric of the world around us began to warp. The ground cracked, data-like streams of energy unraveling into a swirling vortex, a maelstrom of light and shadow that seemed to devour everything in its path. My stomach churned as the vortex’s pull intensified, making it painfully clear that we had no choice in the matter.

I glanced at Godfrey, his usual stoic expression now tinged with grim acceptance. Kallus, on the other hand, looked almost amused, the faintest smirk playing on his lips as if he relished the chaos.

Reign, standing off to the side, seemed completely unfazed. His silver hair shimmered like a beacon as he conjured another top hat from thin air, casually placing it on his head. “Remember,” he said, his voice calm but cutting through the roar of the vortex like a knife, “turn back on your mana sense. You’ve got an extraordinary one, Karlos—strong enough to hear the gods themselves. That’s no small feat. It’ll be your most valuable weapon in the Abyss. Use it wisely.”

I barely managed a nod, the words sinking in like a stone. My mana sense… I hadn’t thought of it as a weapon before, but if Reign thought it was important, I wasn’t about to dismiss it.

With a theatrical flourish, Reign tipped his hat and gave a deep bow, his movements smooth and deliberate, as if the vortex wasn’t about to swallow us whole. “I’ll see you on the other side,” he said, his tone almost playful. Then, without a hint of hesitation, he stepped through the portal and vanished into the swirling void.

The air around us grew heavier, the pull of the vortex now irresistible. Kallus stretched lazily, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for a casual stroll. “Well, kid,” he said, his molten eyes locking onto mine. “Guess we’re about to see what you’re really made of.”

Godfrey clapped a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring despite the storm raging around us. “Stay close,” he said, his voice steady. “This isn’t just about fighting—it’s about strategy, survival, and knowing when to trust your instincts. Don’t hesitate to rely on us.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Got it.”

Without another word, the vortex pulled us in. It was like being yanked through a thousand dimensions at once, the world spinning and shifting in ways that defied comprehension. My senses screamed in protest, my mana fluctuating wildly as I struggled to anchor myself.

And then, with a bone-jarring thud, we landed.

The air was thick, almost suffocating, carrying a stench of ash, bone, and something far more ancient. The world around us was a large chamber filled with lava. In Front of us was the strangest thing. A wooden bridge.

The landing knocked the breath out of me. The air in this place wasn’t just heavy—it was oppressive, filled with the acrid stench of ash and charred bone. Heat radiated from the jagged obsidian walls, the chamber illuminated by the molten rivers of lava that cut through the floor in erratic patterns. My boots crunched on what I realized, with a sick twist in my stomach, were charred remains—bone fragments reduced to brittle ash.

Ahead of us stretched the most surreal sight: a wooden bridge, narrow and rotting, spanning the river of magma like some cruel joke. The planks creaked ominously even from a distance, and the ropes holding it together were singed, barely clinging to the supports.

Reign appeared beside us, his presence as sudden as it was unnerving. “We need to move,” he said, his tone brisk and uncharacteristically serious. “If we stay here too long, we’ll be buried under the magma.”

As if to underscore his point, the lava below us began to bubble violently, sending up plumes of sulfuric steam. The ground trembled, cracks forming in the already fractured terrain. A low, guttural rumble echoed through the chamber, more felt than heard, as if the dungeon itself was warning us that time was running out.