The Abyss trembled.
Kael felt it first—a shift in the very fabric of the void, a crackle in the air that burned his lungs when he tried to breathe. His battered body stiffened, blood still on his lips. Through the darkness, a light cut across the endless void, descending like a spear of judgment.
From it stepped a figure clad in gold. His presence alone bent reality, his aura collapsing the space around him into silence.
The Gilded Steward had arrived.
Kael staggered back, his eyes wide. What… is that pressure? It's not like the beast… this is different. Higher. He… he's not a man. He's something above it.
And then, another presence moved.
From the abyss, molten light unfurled. A massive form shifted in the dark, its golden eyes burning like suns. The Rank 2 Divine Beast, Dragon Lord Dreadfang, stirred, its wings unfurling with a sound like cracking mountains.
"You dare step into my place?" Dreadfang's voice shook the void, rolling like thunder through Kael's bones.
The Gilded Steward's eyes narrowed, red light flickering within them. His voice was cold, cutting. "You dare presume to stop me?"
The two powers clashed without moving, their wills colliding like storms. Space bent, light warped, cracks splitting across the abyss. Even at a distance—miles away—Kael dropped to one knee, gasping for air under the crushing pressure.
---
The Revelation
The Steward's gaze shifted, his divine sense sweeping the void like a net. His eyes landed upon Kael instantly.
In a single flash, he moved. What should have taken Kael days to traverse was crossed in an instant. One heartbeat, and the Steward stood before him, the abyss trembling at his arrival.
Kael froze.
The god's eyes pierced him like a blade. "Ahhh…" The Steward's lips curved faintly, though his eyes remained sharp. "So it was you. No wonder you could defeat Rank Four beasts. The Immortal Book rests in you."
Kael staggered back, his fists clenching, though every instinct screamed he was standing before something untouchable.
The Steward turned, looking at the looming beast in the distance. His voice rang like steel. "Dragon Lord Dreadfang. I want this boy. I am not here to fight you—only to claim him."
The name echoed, and Kael's breath caught. Dragon Lord…? This monster has a name?
The dragon's massive head lowered, molten laughter shaking the abyss. "You dare speak my name, little godling? You think yourself worthy?"
The Steward's eyes blazed with killing intent. "Do not mistake me. I call you by name because I do not fear you. Step aside. The boy belongs to me."
Dreadfang's laughter deepened, filling the void. "You cannot have him. He is marked. Important to me… and to the Supreme Lord. You, gilded pawn, cannot comprehend his value."
The Steward's jaw tightened, his hand rising to his blade. "Then I have no choice but to fight you."
The dragon's eyes narrowed. "So be it."
---
Transformation
The abyss convulsed.
Dreadfang's form rippled, golden scales glowing as he shrank, condensed, reshaped. In moments, the towering beast became a figure—tall, broad-shouldered, with molten eyes and hair like flowing fire. A greatsword of obsidian flame appeared in his grasp. His aura, once bestial, now condensed into terrifying precision.
Kael's chest tightened. So he can take human form too…
The Gilded Steward drew his blade, a golden longsword humming with divine resonance. Its edge shimmered faintly, every swing threatening to tear reality itself.
Their eyes met.
The abyss fell silent.
Then they moved.
---
The First Exchange
The Steward struck first.
His sword carved downward, a line of golden light erupting as it fell. The cut didn't just tear the air—it split reality. The void cracked, jagged edges of nothingness spilling out as space itself was undone.
Dreadfang raised his greatsword in one hand. The obsidian edge met gold, and the abyss howled. The collision rippled outward like an explosion, entire sections of the void collapsing inward.
Kael was hurled back, slamming into jagged stone, blood spilling from his lips. His vision blurred, his ears ringing from the soundless impact.
That strike… it could destroy a world. And he stopped it with one hand…
---
The Battle Unleashed
The Steward pressed forward, his movements a blur. Every strike of his golden blade left trails that carved stars into existence before burning out. He fought like inevitability itself, each motion pure precision.
Dreadfang countered, his greatsword whistling through the void. Each swing shattered planets that weren't there, collapsing phantom galaxies into nothingness. He fought like chaos, raw and unstoppable.
Golden arcs clashed against obsidian flame. Sparks like suns exploded. The abyss convulsed, folding and unfolding in on itself.
Kael could not move. He could barely breathe.
This is power… true power. I… I thought I was growing strong. I thought fighting Rank Four beasts meant something. But this… this is beyond strength. This is creation and destruction.
---
The Steward's Power
The Steward's aura flared. He whispered words Kael did not understand, and the sword in his hands split into seven. Each blade shone with golden fire, darting like meteors toward Dreadfang.
Dreadfang spun his greatsword, each swing creating walls of obsidian flame. The flames devoured the blades, yet each time they met, the void shook, galaxies bursting into dust.
The Steward appeared behind him in a flash, his strike falling toward Dreadfang's back.
The dragon lord laughed, twisting, his sword meeting the blow. The impact tore a chasm across the abyss so vast Kael could not see its end.
"You are fast, godling," Dreadfang mocked. "But speed is not enough."
---
Dreadfang's Power
With a roar, Dreadfang stomped the ground. Waves of molten energy erupted, swallowing everything in sight. Kael's scream was lost as the wave tore past him—but at the last instant, Dreadfang's will diverted it, leaving Kael gasping in a bubble of untouched space.
The Steward cut through the molten sea, golden light pushing against the tide. He emerged, his sword raised, his aura burning brighter.
"You hide behind destruction, beast. But destruction bows before law."
He raised his hand, golden runes spinning into being. Laws of fire, earth, and death themselves bent before his command. His sword fell again, cutting not the beast, but the laws that sustained him.
Dreadfang staggered, molten blood spilling. His grin widened. "So you do have fangs, little god."
He lifted his hand. The greatsword vanished. Instead, he clenched his fist. Power condensed so tightly Kael could not breathe.
Dreadfang swung.
The Steward blocked.
Reality broke.
---
Kael's Realization
Kael clung to shattered stone, blood streaming from his ears and nose, his vision swimming. Every clash was tearing the abyss apart, and he was nothing but dust in the storm.
Yet as he watched, something burned in his chest.
Not despair.
Not fear.
Resolve.
This is what stands above us. This is what it means to walk the path beyond mortals. If the Immortal Book chose me… then one day, I must stand here too. One day, I must not just watch—I must fight.
The abyss thundered again, light and flame clashing endlessly, and Kael forced himself to stand, to watch, to remember every detail.