The storm hadn't stopped.
Even after the temple collapsed behind them, its ruins swallowed by the red lightning and black fog, Hayate and Selene kept walking. The road ahead was nothing but cracked marble leading into a ravine so deep it looked like the world itself had been split open.
Each step echoed like a heartbeat. The rain burned on Hayate's skin, sizzling where it touched the divine sigils still etched into his arm.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Soul Synchronization unstable – 42% corruption threshold reached.]
He ignored it. Again.
Selene glanced at him from under her hood, voice trembling. "You shouldn't push yourself. The corruption… it's spreading faster."
"I've been dying since the day she threw me into that dungeon," Hayate said, his tone calm, but the fury in his eyes said otherwise. "This is nothing new."
They finally reached the edge of the chasm. Before them, the world seemed to end—a spiral of darkness swirling like liquid night, where stars and shadows blended into a single, hungry void. Ancient runes floated across the pit, glowing faintly gold and red, forming a massive ring.
Selene fell to her knees. "The Abyss Gate," she whispered. "The bridge between mortal life and divine death…"
Hayate stared at it, the faint crimson reflection of the abyss glinting in his eyes. "So this is where gods fall."
She turned toward him, fear and awe mixing in her gaze. "If you go through that gate, there's no coming back. Your soul will be marked forever. The Goddess will feel every breath you take."
"Good," Hayate said simply. "Let her feel my wrath."
He stepped forward—but the moment his boot touched the runic edge, the world screamed. A violent gust erupted from the gate, forcing Selene back. The sigils flared brighter than ever, forming spirals of gold and shadow that wrapped around Hayate's body like chains.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Unauthorized Access Detected.]
[Verifying Bloodline Signature… Unknown Entity Found.]
The wind howled as the abyss answered in a thousand whispers. The ground beneath them cracked, and a glowing silhouette appeared above the gate—a colossal phantom of the Goddess, her form fragmented like broken glass.
"So," she said, her voice echoing across the rift, "you came after all, my defiant little mistake."
Hayate glared upward. "Mistake? You made me what I am."
She smiled faintly, her hair flowing like liquid fire. "No, child. You made yourself this way. I gave you a chance—to ascend among the chosen. Instead, you let envy consume you."
He scoffed. "You mean I refused to kneel."
"Same thing," she said sweetly. "You mortals always call your rebellion 'justice.' But every defiance has a price."
Her eyes glowed brighter, and the chains of light around Hayate tightened. He gritted his teeth as pain shot through his veins.
Selene cried out, trying to run toward him—but the Goddess's gaze turned cold.
"Ah. My traitorous acolyte. Still breathing?"
Selene froze, her chains glowing with divine light. The marks on her wrists burned as she fell to the ground, writhing. "I—I'm sorry… I couldn't—"
"Silence."
The Goddess's finger twitched, and the chains constricted around Selene's throat. Her scream cut through the roar of the storm.
"Stop it!" Hayate shouted. "This fight is between you and me!"
The Goddess's laughter rolled through the air, melodic and cruel. "You're adorable when you think you matter."
Hayate's eyes turned crimson. His body glowed with dark energy as the corrupted system inside him began to react violently. The mark on his arm expanded, wrapping across his torso like veins of molten metal.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Core synchronization at 80%. Host in critical overload state.]
He roared, breaking the divine chains one by one. Lightning exploded around him as his aura burst outward—black flames mixing with red and gold light. The Goddess's smile finally faltered.
"You shouldn't be able to—"
"Didn't you say I was a mistake?" Hayate said, his voice echoing unnaturally, half-human, half-something else. "Then watch your mistake devour you."
He thrust his hand toward the abyss. The runes on the gate began to shift, rearranging themselves into new patterns—corrupted ones. The darkness responded like a living thing, stretching upward to meet his call.
Selene, clutching her chest, stared in disbelief. "You're—rewriting the Gate…!"
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Pathway Override – Abyss Gate Recalibrated.]
[New Access Granted: Revenant Entry Sequence Initiated.]
The Goddess's illusion shattered with a thunderous crack. Her form broke apart into golden shards, which scattered into the storm. But even as she faded, her voice lingered, whispering like silk.
"You think opening that gate will save you? Every step you take only leads you deeper into my design…"
Hayate raised his sword, now glowing with abyssal fire. "Then I'll break your design."
The Gate responded.
The circle of runes collapsed inward, and the abyss opened like a maw. A massive gust of wind sucked everything toward it—rocks, dust, fragments of the temple—and even light itself.
Selene screamed as her feet began to slide toward the edge. "Hayate!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her close. "Hold on to me!"
"I—I can't!" she cried. "You'll be dragged in!"
He smiled faintly, eyes burning with resolve. "That's the point."
And before she could speak, he jumped.
The world blurred into streaks of red and black. They fell through the void, surrounded by whispers and faces that flickered through the dark—souls, memories, fragments of forgotten gods. Time stopped. Or maybe it simply no longer existed here.
Selene clung to his arm, trembling. "Hayate… where are we going?"
"To where it all began," he said quietly. "To where I'll end this."
Below them, a massive structure emerged from the darkness—a floating fortress carved from bones and starlight. At its center burned a colossal flame shaped like a crown.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Welcome to the Abyss Gate Realm.]
[Quest Updated: Confront the Revenant Queen.]
They landed on a cracked obsidian bridge leading toward the fortress gates. The air was heavy, thick with echoes of sorrow. Hayate looked up, and for the first time, he saw her—A woman seated upon a throne of shadows, her face veiled, her aura ancient. But she was not the Goddess.
"Who… is that?" Selene whispered.
The woman's voice was like wind over ashes. "I am the one your Goddess feared. The one she sealed in her rebellion."Her eyes—cold, gray, infinite—met Hayate's."And you, child, carry the scent of her divinity. You are the vessel… aren't you?"
Hayate's grip tightened on his sword. "I don't know what I am anymore."
The woman smiled faintly. "Then allow me to remind you."
A sudden pressure filled the air—crushing, suffocating. Hayate staggered, his system flashing warnings.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Unknown Entity Accessing Core Files…]
[Error: Power Source Identification – "Revenant Origin" detected.]
The woman rose from her throne, her shadow stretching across the entire bridge. "You seek revenge on the Goddess, yes? Then you'll need more than hatred. You'll need truth."
"Truth?" he spat. "All I need is her blood."
"Then you'll die before you ever touch her," she said softly.Her hand lifted, and the abyss itself began to quake. "Show me your resolve, Hayate. Show me if you're worthy of vengeance."
The shadows around her twisted into monstrous forms—beasts made of bones, flame, and despair. Hayate took a step forward, summoning the Oblivion Fang. His eyes glowed like twin suns.
"Fine," he said, his voice calm and deadly. "Let's see if your abyss can outlast mine."
The beasts roared, charging at him from every side. The bridge shook as Selene screamed his name—but Hayate only smiled.
[QUEST UPDATED: Survive the Trial of the Revenant Queen]
And as his blade met the first beast, the abyss lit up in a storm of black fire.