Darkness.
It pressed in from all sides, thick and suffocating, stretching into an abyss with no end. Shin Noragetsu drifted through the void, his body weightless, his senses dulled. Time held no meaning here. Had he been falling for seconds? Minutes? Hours? He couldn't tell.
Then, a voice.
Faint, yet undeniable.
"Shin."
His eyelids fluttered. The voice—was it real, or another trick of the void? He forced his mind to focus, to remember.
The battle. The collapsing temple. Tenka.
And then—nothing.
A sudden pulse rippled through the darkness, sending chills down his spine. Something was here.
Shin's eyes snapped open. He wasn't falling anymore. He stood on an unseen surface, an expanse of black stretching infinitely in every direction. Yet, he felt something shifting beneath him, as if the void itself was alive.
Then, it spoke.
"You are not like the others."
The voice rumbled from all directions, deep and ancient. Shin's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't Tenka. This was something else. Something older.
He steadied himself, hands clenching into fists. "Who are you?"
The void stirred.
"A fragment of what once was. A remnant of the true Abyss."
Shin's heartbeat quickened. The true Abyss? Was this where Tenka's power originated?
The voice continued. "You wield the power of the void, yet you resist its embrace. Why?"
Shin exhaled sharply. "Because I refuse to let it control me."
A low chuckle echoed through the abyss. "Control? You misunderstand. The Void is not a chain. It is freedom."
Shin's mind flashed to Tenka's words during their battle. The Void is not a power to be fought—it is the truth of all existence.
"No," Shin said firmly. "Freedom is choice. The Void takes that away. It consumes."
A pause. Then, the darkness moved.
From the blackness, something emerged. A towering figure, featureless yet imposing, formed from pure void. Its very presence sent waves of pressure through Shin's body.
"Then prove it."
Without warning, the entity struck.
Shin barely had time to react before a tendril of darkness lashed toward him. He twisted his body, narrowly dodging as it carved a gash into the unseen surface below. He landed in a crouch, sweat beading on his forehead. This wasn't just a test.
It was a battle.
The entity surged forward, shifting like liquid shadow. Another strike—this time from above. Shin leaped back, his katana flashing into his grip. With a sharp inhale, he swung, the steel slicing clean through the void-born limb.
For a moment, the severed tendril dissolved into nothingness. But then, it reformed.
Shin's stomach clenched. So it regenerates.
Before he could plan his next move, the entity raised both arms. The void trembled. Then it collapsed inward.
Shin barely had time to react before he was dragged forward, his body pulled toward the center of the abyss. He slammed his sword into the unseen ground, using it as an anchor, his muscles straining against the force.
"You resist," the entity mused. "But for how long?"
Shin gritted his teeth. He had no intention of losing.
Summoning his chakra, he willed his Abyss Eye to flare to life. A surge of power coursed through his veins. He focused—this place, this entity, they were all connected to the void. Which meant—
He could sever it.
With a sharp exhale, Shin slashed through the space between them.
A pulse of energy erupted from his blade, cutting through the abyss itself. The pulling force shattered, and Shin lunged forward. In a blur of motion, he struck the entity directly. His katana pierced through its chest, void matter dissolving upon contact.
For the first time, the entity staggered.
"You are..." it whispered, voice distorting. "Different."
The abyss trembled. Cracks of light split through the darkness. Shin's vision blurred. The world collapsed.
Then—
—He awoke.
Shin gasped as consciousness returned, his body jerking upright. Cold sweat clung to his skin, his breaths ragged. His surroundings came into focus—stone walls, dim candlelight, the scent of old parchment.
A temple.
Not the one that had collapsed—but another.
Pain flared through his body. He groaned, forcing himself to sit up. His katana rested beside him, cleaned but untouched. His Abyss Eye flickered, then dimmed.
"You're finally awake."
Shin's head snapped toward the voice.
Hana stood near the entrance, arms crossed, concern hidden behind her usual tough demeanor. Behind her, Renjiro and a few other allies sat in quiet discussion. The tension in the air was thick.
Shin swallowed. "What happened?"
Hana exhaled. "You tell us. One second, you were fighting Tenka. The next, the entire temple collapsed."
Renjiro stepped forward. "We barely made it out. You... weren't breathing when we found you."
Shin's pulse quickened. If that was true, then—
The abyss. The entity.
Was it real? Or had he come face-to-face with something beyond his understanding?
"You've been out for three days," Hana continued, watching him closely. "We thought we lost you."
Shin met her gaze. He saw it then—just for a moment. The raw emotion she tried to hide.
He exhaled. "Sorry to worry you."
She looked away. "Idiot."
Renjiro cleared his throat. "We don't have much time. Tenka's next move is unknown, but we do know this—"
He gestured to the temple around them. "This place is a sanctuary against the Void. If we're going to plan our next step, it starts here."
Shin nodded. He wasn't sure what had happened in the abyss, but one thing was clear.
The war against Tenka was far from over.
And Shin had only begun to uncover the true depths of the void.
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