The moment the armored man finished speaking, the entire abyssal chamber descended into a suffocating silence so oppressive that even the swirling currents of darkness surrounding the obelisk appeared to freeze in place, while the twelve radiant swords hovering behind him emitted low resonances that resembled the mournful cries of imprisoned stars.
Kael instinctively stepped backward.
Not from cowardice—
but because every instinct within his body screamed that the being standing before him existed on an entirely different level from anything he had encountered before.
The stranger slowly descended onto the fractured stone platform, his white armor gleaming brilliantly amidst the abyssal darkness as though the laws of shadow themselves refused to approach him.
Each step he took caused silver runes to spread across the ground beneath his feet.
The Abyssal Sentinels immediately shifted into defensive stances.
For the first time since their awakening, hostility emerged from the colossal guardians.
One Sentinel raised its gigantic black spear toward the intruder.
"Enemy… of the Sovereign…"
The armored man did not even glance toward it.
"Silence."
One word.
That single word alone exploded outward with overwhelming force.
BOOOOM.
The Sentinel's spear shattered instantly.
Massive cracks spread across its enormous body before the entire giant collapsed into countless fragments of black stone and dissipating darkness.
Kael's eyes widened.
The creature capable of radiating enough pressure to suffocate him had been destroyed effortlessly.
Seraphine immediately moved in front of Kael.
"Do not engage him directly," she warned in a low voice filled with tension. "You'll die instantly."
The stranger's golden eyes shifted toward her.
"A surviving Blood Oracle?" he said calmly. "Interesting. I thought your lineage disappeared centuries ago."
Seraphine remained silent.
Yet Kael noticed her hand subtly tightening around the crimson dagger concealed beneath her sleeve.
The man then looked back toward Kael.
For several long moments, neither of them spoke.
Finally—
"So the Eclipse truly left behind a vessel," the armored figure murmured quietly, almost to himself. "How troublesome."
Kael clenched his fists.
"I'm getting tired of everyone talking like I'm some monster without explaining anything."
A faint smile appeared on the stranger's face.
Not amusement.
Disappointment.
"You still possess human emotions," he said. "That means the awakening has not fully completed yet."
Behind him, the twelve floating swords slowly rotated into a circular formation.
The surrounding air immediately became unbearably heavy.
"Listen carefully, child," the armored man continued coldly. "The existence sleeping inside you once slaughtered billions across countless worlds. Entire civilizations vanished merely because he considered them obstacles."
Each word felt like a blade piercing into Kael's mind.
"He betrayed the Celestial Sovereigns, consumed forbidden power beyond reality itself, and nearly collapsed the structure of existence."
The swords began radiating brighter.
"The fact that you breathe is already a catastrophic risk."
Kael's heartbeat thundered violently.
Part of him wanted to reject those words completely.
But another part—
A terrifying hidden part buried deep within his soul—
recognized them.
Fragments of impossible memories continued flickering behind his eyes.
Black stars.
Shattered heavens.
Screaming gods.
Then suddenly—
Kael heard a voice.
Not the armored man.
Not Seraphine.
Something else.
Something inside him.
"They fear you…"
The whisper echoed gently through his mind like silk gliding across steel.
"They always feared what stood above them."
Kael froze.
The voice continued.
"Break the chains."
A violent pulse of black energy erupted from Kael's body instinctively.
BOOOOM.
The chamber trembled violently as darkness exploded outward in enormous spiraling waves, forcing even Seraphine backward several steps.
The armored man's expression changed for the first time.
Surprise.
Then immediately—
One of the twelve swords vanished.
Kael barely perceived movement before instinct screamed at him.
He twisted sideways instantly.
SCHHHK.
A radiant blade of silver light pierced directly through the space where his heart had been standing less than a second earlier, continuing forward until it embedded itself deep within the distant cavern wall with an explosion powerful enough to shatter an entire section of stone.
Kael stared at the destruction in shock.
That attack would have killed him instantly.
The armored man raised one hand calmly.
"You dodged?"
Even he sounded mildly astonished.
Seraphine's eyes narrowed sharply.
"He reacted using Sovereign Instinct…"
The stranger's expression darkened.
"So it's progressing faster than expected."
The remaining eleven swords slowly rose higher behind him, each one radiating increasingly terrifying pressure.
"I can no longer allow this vessel to mature."
Kael felt the air around him distort violently.
Death approached.
Absolute death.
Yet strangely—
The fear inside him began fading.
In its place came something colder.
Something ancient.
The darkness around Kael's arm spread further upward across his skin like black flames, while his silver eyes slowly developed faint crimson rings within their centers.
Then, for the very first time—
Kael smiled.
Not warmly.
Not confidently.
But with a calmness so unnatural that even Seraphine's expression shifted slightly upon seeing it.
The armored man noticed it too.
And for the first time since entering the abyss—
his eyes narrowed with genuine caution.