CHAPTER 138: OVERWHELMING ABYSS, SLASH STORM

Slash! Slash!

Sam couldn’t see a thing.

The abyss around him swallowed all light, and the darkness was too deep to pierce.

But even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel the [Forsaken Clone] fighting.

It was his only line of defense against the dozens of [Forsaken]-rank beasts that surrounded them.

And the only way he could keep his focus entirely on the [Forsaken Lord] was by letting the clone take care of them.

Slash!

The sound echoed again.

And Sam could feel it, his clone was doing well.

It was holding its own thanks to its bloodlust. That was more than enough.

Sam turned his attention back to the figure ahead. The [Forsaken Lord].

"You won’t be able to see anything," the shadowy lord said, stepping forward slowly. Its voice was calm, almost amused, "We both know your vision is already extremely reduced in the abyss."

Sam clenched his fists. The Forsaken Lord was right. The most he could make out were faint outlines.

The vague shadow of the lord’s body, distorted in the thick dark.

"And..." the Lord’s grin widened, a twisted curve that Sam could barely make out, "Watch this."

Suddenly, the crimson glow that radiated from the lord’s face vanished.

"Huh?"

In a blink, the Forsaken Lord disappeared. Completely.

Sam’s breath hitched. He couldn’t sense a thing, no footsteps, no aura, not even the pressure from before.

Then—

Fwish!

Sam felt something coming.

His body reacted faster than his mind, and he backed away just in time to avoid a strike that would’ve sliced through his chest.

He spun around. Nothing.

The lord had already vanished again.

It was fast, and silent. And every strike was lethal.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. The lord had only shown one ability so far.

He likely had more, many more.

Slash! Clash!

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 3 of the Master Rank!]

Sam’s eyes darted toward the far-off battle.

The clone was doing its job.

It was slaying peak [Forsaken]-rank monsters one after another, earning Sam experience even from afar.1

Fwish!

Another strike. Sam dodged again, barely avoiding death.

At this point, his eyes were useless. He relied on instinct, reflex, and raw awareness.

The lord continued to circle him. Waiting for an opening.

"And yet you keep trying."

Fwish! Dodge!

"Over, and over, and over..."

Fwish! Dodge again.

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 4 of the Master Rank!]

Sam blinked in shock. The clone was exceeding all expectations.

And not only that, he could feel it growing stronger.

Even through the darkness, the power of its affinities was rising.

"AND OVER!"

The lord’s voice exploded with fury.

And at that moment, Sam sensed it. Danger.

The silhouette of the lord shot up into the air above him.

Then came crashing down.

ABYSS WAVE!

Sam dove forward, narrowly avoiding the strike.

But the shockwave alone was enough to launch him into the air. Wind howled in his ears.

Then—

Fwish!

The Forsaken Lord appeared again, spiraling upward like a missile.

He was coming. He was going to smash Sam out of the sky.

"Oh," Sam muttered, eyes widening as he saw the blur of motion hurtling toward him.

But at that moment, time slowed.

Everything around him decelerated, as if the world had gone silent.

[The passive of your "Time" affinity has activated: "Death Stop."]

’Passive...?’

Sam had never seen this before. Not once.

None of his other affinities had ever triggered something like this.

’Do they all have this?’

[Death Stop: When the Primordial is on the verge of death, time will slow down immensely around them, allowing them to think about what to do.]

Sam looked up. The Forsaken Lord was barely moving now, frozen in midair.

His pupils flicked downward.

He could still see the faint light of the clone’s battle continuing somewhere in the abyss.

And for a moment... He simply breathed.

This was a losing fight. The environment was crushing. The enemy was stronger. Death felt certain.

But even then... He couldn’t give up.

That fire inside him, the one made of pure [Determination], burned brighter than ever.

He clenched his teeth.

’No.’

He wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t let it end here.

Power began to swell within him. His aura surged outward. His affinities wrapped around him, stronger than before.

Then—

Time snapped back into motion.

Sam raised his primordial sword in front of him, positioning it to block the incoming blow.

The blade burst with light.

It glowed so powerfully that it began to push back the darkness around him.

"I won’t let that happen," Sam said through clenched teeth.

His eyes glowed crimson with sheer will.

Ding!

[You have summoned a "Star of Hatred."]

"You..." the Forsaken Lord muttered, his voice low as his eyes widened slightly in the air, "...No matter."

Fwish! SMASH!

The impact sent Sam flying downward.

Even with his sword raised, the sheer force of the attack was overwhelming.

But Sam wasn’t done.

Tendrils of Oblivion!

He summoned them below him.

They twisted out from the ground, cushioning his fall and keeping him from being crushed on impact.

As he rose to his feet, he looked around.

"Wow..."

The glow from his sword and body was still there.

It lit up a small area, revealing gray, lifeless earth around him.

Not much, but enough to see where he was standing.

ABYSS BEAMS!

His senses flared, and he leapt to the side just in time as dark beams shot toward him from multiple directions.

’One [Star of Hatred] isn’t enough,’ he thought to himself, ’I need more. I should wait.’

But right as the thought crossed his mind.

"Well, you lost."

The voice came from above. Sam’s eyes widened.

"Oh."

ABYSS METEOR!

A colossal sphere of darkness, nearly fifty meters wide, came crashing down from above.

It pulsed with abyssal energy. There was no dodging it.

But even then—

’Here goes.’

Sam narrowed his eyes and focused all his strength into his sword.

He channeled everything he had into one of the three abilities he’d learned during his training all those months.

He only had a second. He made it count.

SLASH STORM!

He swung. Again. And again.

His sword moved faster than the eye could follow.

Each swing sent a slash upward, colliding with the meteor. Dozens of slashes tore into it.

Crack! Crack!

The surface of the meteor began to split, but he didn’t stop.

And finally—

Boom!

The [Abyss Meteor] shattered completely, crumbling into nothing before it could ever reach the ground.

"I did it—" Sam began to exhale in relief.

But...

"Did you though?"

The voice came from the side. Sam barely had time to turn his head.

BOOM!

The Forsaken Lord struck him with a massive blow.

Sam was thrown across the battlefield, his body twisting as pain exploded through him.

He hit the ground, vision blurry, limbs screaming.

"...Fuck..." he thought, groaning, trying to get up.

Fwish!

He looked up.

The Forsaken Lord was already above him again, charging another strike.

"It’s already a miracle you survived a direct hit from me," the lord said coldly, "Nobody in this world would be able to handle even one."

"...You..."

Sam’s eyes trembled. His pupils shook, filled with swirling aura.

"See you in hell."

Fwish! BOOM!

The lord’s fist landed directly on Sam’s chest. Crushing him.

Blood exploded out as Sam’s body was reduced to a pulped mess.

"And... just like that, the journey of the last Primordial ended," the Forsaken Lord said with a twisted grin, "I didn’t even get to show my real power either."

Sam’s body lay broken and lifeless. And as his vision faded completely into black...

Ding!

[You have died.]

[But it’s not over, is it =)?]

Do note that the [Forsaken Clone] can use its primordial sword to absorb cores as well, thus giving the experience to Sam, though doing that results in him not getting the passive of absorbing which is to heal him.Do note that the [Forsaken Clone] can use its primordial sword to absorb cores as well, thus giving the experience to Sam, though doing that results in him not getting the passive of absorbing which is to heal him.