Chapter 6 - Abyss Mandate

Riven plunged into the maelstrom, tendrils propelling him through churning voids where realities collided in silent screams. [Abyss Interface: Synchronization 37%]. Coherence stabilized at 45%, the plunge granting clarity: the abyss wasn't destruction, but the weave's underbelly—a forge for fractures like him. Eyes manifested in the dark, judging, inviting.Deeper, platforms of solidified madness emerged: islands of fused puppets, moaning litanies of ascension. One loomed—a coliseum of bone, ringed by chained entities with too many mouths. At its heart, the Abyss Weaver: not Sovereign, but progenitor, a colossal spider of infinite threads, spinning new spires from devoured worlds. "Eighth," it pulsed, voice a psychic flay. "Prove supremacy. Fuse the remnants... or feed mine."Remnants swirled: the Sovereign's core—orbs of compressed insanity, each a potential upgrade. Riven seized one, crushing it into his chest. [Sovereign Essence Absorbed: Limb Augment + Void Pull]. A new arm erupted, tipped with a maw that inhaled threads like vacuum. Puppets lunged from the coliseum shadows—abyss spawn, forms inverting mid-leap.He carved through them, void-pull dragging viscera into fuel. One latched, burrowing into his side; host flared briefly: Pain—reject it! Riven embraced, twisting the invader into an extension of self. The Weaver watched, amused. "Your transmigrated madness intrigues. But eternity devours the curious." It spun a web-wall, hurling it like a tidal wave.Riven countered with mass-pull, collapsing the wave into a singularity that imploded half the coliseum. Dust settled; Weaver recoiled fractionally. Whispers intensified: "Claim the Mandate... rule the fractures." A pedestal rose from the platform's core, bearing the Abyss Crown—thorns of pure delirium.But strings from above tugged—the spire city resisting. Weaver struck again, mandibles dripping unraveling venom. Riven charged, crown within grasp.