The battlefield fell silent.
Bolt's final attack—an explosive convergence of lightning and raw force—sent Kairos crashing into the shattered ground. Dust and fragments of broken terrain spiraled into the air as Bolt landed, his boots skidding against the earth.
Kairos lay on his back, armor cracked, abyssal markings flickering weakly across his skin like dying embers.
The Abyssal Warborn had finally reached his limit.
Bolt approached cautiously, muscles tense, waiting for Kairos to rise for yet another impossible comeback. But this time, Kairos didn't. His breaths were ragged, shallow. His fingers twitched, but his weapon didn't rise.
"…You're… strong," Kairos muttered, his voice strained but strangely calm. "Stronger than I expected."
Bolt's eyes narrowed. "Stay down. This is over."
Kairos chuckled weakly. "Over? No… this is only the part where he watches."
Bolt frowned. "He?"
Kairos didn't answer.
Instead, the ground trembled.
A deep rumble—like the growl of a beast beneath the earth—shook the battlefield. Dark cracks crawled across the ground, leaking thick shadows that pulsed with malevolent life.
Bolt stepped back instinctively."What… is this?"
Kairos' dim eyes opened slightly."He's here."
The sky above them tore open.
A colossal rift formed, stretching wide enough to swallow mountains. From within, darkness poured like liquid night, twisting into impossible shapes before settling into a throne forged of obsidian bones and swirling void.
And on that throne sat a figure.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Bolt's breath turned cold.
The Abyssal Monarch finally revealed himself.
He was massive—easily three times the size of a normal man—wrapped in a cloak of shifting black flames that whispered like tormented voices. His horns swept backward like a crown of shadows, and his eyes… his eyes were two dying stars, watching Bolt with predatory amusement.
A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.
Bolt couldn't move.Every instinct told him he was staring at something far beyond mortal understanding.
The Monarch rested his chin on his hand, elbows on the throne's armrests.
"So this is the one who pushed my Warborn to defeat," he said, voice deep enough to vibrate the ground. "Interesting."
Bolt swallowed hard, fists clenched even though he knew he stood no chance.
The Monarch's gaze briefly flicked to Kairos, who lay unconscious.
"You fought well," he said to his fallen servant. "Rest now."
Then those star-like eyes locked back onto Bolt.
"And you… you have caught my attention."
Bolt stepped back slowly, lightning crackling along his arms in response to the overwhelming pressure.
"What do you want?" Bolt demanded.
The Monarch grinned wider."Nothing… yet."
Shadows rose around the throne like a storm.
"You will see me again, Bolt," the Monarch said, voice sinking into the ground like a curse. "And on that day… we will see what you truly are."
The rift snapped shut.
The throne vanished.
The darkness faded.
Leaving only silence… and Bolt standing alone over the fallen Kairos, realizing just how small he truly was compared to the monster watching from the Abyss.