Day 5 – Trial of the Abyss
The Frozen Lake of Usurrei Keji
A bitter wind screamed across the desolate ice fields of northern Akasai, sweeping snow like razors through the gaps in the trainees' uniforms. The sky above was a choked gray, the sun nothing more than a dying ember behind thick clouds. One hundred and twelve Kageshiki hopefuls stood in formation before the steel-shuttered lake, silent and braced against the cold that clawed at their bones.
"Yesterday," the instructor began, his voice slicing through the stillness like a drawn blade, "eighteen of you died in the Shinjuku Forest."
No hesitation. No mourning. Just facts.He let that sink in. A few trainees flinched. Others stood motionless, their gazes hollow.
"That leaves one hundred and twelve of you," he continued. "And trust me... far fewer will walk away from today."
Ishigo's jaw tensed, his breath puffing white clouds in the cold. He didn't flinch. Death wasn't new. In the world they aimed to enter, survival was earned, not gifted.
"In every session, five minimum die. That's the baseline."Reika's voice was barely a whisper, but in that icy silence, her words cut deeper than any blade.
"Pathetic," Daigo muttered beside them, voice laced with amusement rather than concern. His grin was crooked, hands buried in his jacket pockets. "I wonder when it'll be my turn."
Ishigo shot him a look. He couldn't tell if Daigo was joking, or if he really didn't care. Probably both.
The instructor gestured toward the sealed structure behind him—a massive circular vault embedded into the ice. The metal groaned as it opened, revealing a vast body of pitch-black water beneath the surface.
"This is Usurrei Keji," the instructor said, voice low and flat. "A former Shikiban feeding ground. Now, your trial."
A few gasps slipped out.
"You will survive three hours beneath this lake. No surfacing. No crying for help. No quitting."He held up a vial of pills. "Each one lets you breathe underwater—for two hours."
A wave of unrest rippled through the group. Someone from the back shouted, "What about the third hour?!"
The instructor smirked, cold and merciless. "That's up to you."
As they stared into the abyss, tension gripped the group like a vice. The water wasn't still—it pulsed. Alive. Breathing.
"Beneath the surface live Shikibans," he continued. "Humanoid, fish-like predators. Weak alone. Deadly in groups. You will each be given a standard-grade katana. Thin steel. No special enhancements. Don't complain."
One by one, the trainees stepped forward and grabbed their gear.
Reika took her pill first, no hesitation. She grimaced as it hit her tongue. "Ugh. Tastes like raw fish."
"You saying we're fish now?" Daigo gagged, half-joking. "This whole system's a damn joke."
"Quiet," Ishigo said softly. He didn't look at Daigo, but his voice was sharp. Not angry—numb.
Then Reika moved—swift, silent—and leapt into the water.
Splash.
No scream. No hesitation. She vanished into the black.
"She's actually nuts," someone muttered.
Daigo grinned wider. "I like her."
Trainees began jumping in, some brave, some reluctant, all terrified.
Ishigo stood frozen at the edge. The wind cut across his face like knives. His fingers trembled—not from fear, but from adrenaline. From knowing too much.
Then Daigo clapped a hand on his shoulder. "No time for overthinking, bro."
"Wait—"
"Later."
And they were gone.
Beneath the Abyss
The cold hit Ishigo like a sledgehammer. Every nerve screamed in protest as the dark water wrapped around him like a coffin. But the pill worked. He could breathe—barely. Each inhale felt like pulling ice into his lungs.
Above them, the light faded until only darkness remained.
He looked around. Reika was ahead, gliding like a phantom through the gloom. Her blade gleamed faintly in the dark. Others moved too—some clumsy, some trained. All on edge.
Then a flicker. A shadow darting too fast. A trainee panicked and swam forward—
SNAP.
A flash of teeth.Blood exploded into the water.
Ishigo's eyes went wide. A Shikiban, its long limbs slithering through the water, dragged the trainee into the depths. It had a face. A face. Human-like—almost—but the grin was wrong. Too wide. Too sharp.
Reika moved. Fast.
Steel flashed.A clean slice—one of the creature's arms floated free. Black blood clouded the water.
"You want more?" she hissed, katana ready. The creature's grin widened, its kin emerging behind it. Dozens. Maybe more.
"Tch." Reika adjusted her stance. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."
She vanished into the fray.
Daigo's Bloodbath
Elsewhere, Daigo was laughing like he'd just won the lottery.
A Shikiban lunged—he caught it by the throat and slammed it into another. Skulls cracked. Blood fountained.
"You guys are weak as hell!" he bellowed. Another came at him from behind—he twisted, blade flashing, and removed its head cleanly.
He caught another by the hair. "Where you going, ugly?"
SHINK.
The head floated off, red mist trailing behind it.
"Hah!" Daigo howled. "I could do this all day!"
The Shikibans began to hesitate. A mistake.
Then, the deep rumbled. A vibration that shook the entire lake. Like thunder in water.
Ishigo felt it before he saw it. A pressure. A presence.
Something enormous stirred in the abyss.
"What the hell is that…" Ishigo whispered.
From the bottom of the lake, something rose. Something massive.
Its eyes glowed like lanterns. Its jaws were packed with teeth like spears. It moved like a god, sending waves through the water with every motion. The other Shikibans fled like insects.
Daigo stopped grinning.
"Oh... this one's different."
A single swing of the beast's tail tore through three trainees like they were paper.
Ishigo barely dodged the shockwave. Blood and limbs floated past him. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst through his ribs.
Daigo floated there, motionless.
The monster stared him down.
Then charged.
Ishigo screamed. "Daigo, MOVE!"
But he didn't.
He let it eat him.
Silence.
Ishigo froze.
"...Daigo."
Reika swam over, eyes wide.
But then—BOOM.
The beast exploded from the inside.
Blood and viscera sprayed out in a horrifying blossom. From within the wreckage, a figure emerged—dripping in black gore, katana in hand, eyes lit with madness.
Daigo.
He stood on what remained of the creature's insides, breathing hard, bloodied and triumphant.
"Tastes like shit," he muttered, then spat. "But it'll do."
The monster flailed one last time—but Daigo didn't wait. He charged again.
Behind him, Reika gritted her teeth and followed.
Ishigo blinked, stunned. Then his training kicked in.
Katana raised, he joined them.
The Final Trial Had Truly Begun.
Three hours in the abyss. No one would leave the same.Some wouldn't leave at all.
But they weren't trainees anymore.
They were survivors.
And the Abyss was watching.