Volume 2: The Surface of Fate Rising above the abyss left behind by the light.
Author's Note:
What happens if the abyss you were staring at was actually you?
We all know that answer. But what happens if that abyss was your only way to win, yet you still end up hurting your own reflection?
Chapter Two:
[Soul Realm Arc]
In the heart of an expanding galaxy stretching further than the human eye could hope to see, stood four massive, stone-like creatures. Their faces were carved from pebble-like rock, yet they possessed a natural beauty that made them look almost angelic.
Their sheer presence was enough to terrify the most powerful cultivators in existence.
Yet, surprisingly, they chose to look beyond the surrounding ruins.
Their bodies were heavily damaged; some parts were missing entirely.
This was especially true for their leader, who possessed the largest wings in the whole army.
He looked directly at Odin Shin, who stood frozen, utterly flabbergasted by Mingyin's grand declaration to his future self.
Suddenly, their attention was snapped away as millions of meteorites began raining down upon them.
Everything could be explained with a single concept. This time, the Danse Macabre was not just dancing alongside the Enlightened One;
it was becoming one with him.
They seemed to have found a true cultivator who embodied a brand-new concept
one that transcended space, time, death, reality, and fate.Mingyin...Everything had a cause.
Death, fate, reality, the heavens themselves, and even the entirety of humanity. All of it led up to that single, dancing skeleton waiting at the door—sadly and greedily consuming everything that dared to exist.
...….
"Kiruma..."
"
Kiruma!"
"
Kiruma,
wake up!"
Suddenly, a loud, heavy sound shattered the silence.
THUD!
Kiruma woke up with a jolt, looking around in a blind panic as she scrambled to her feet. She couldn't even process what had happened to her.
Where was she? There were no answers to be found.
SLASH!
An instinctual reflex kicked in. She ducked down, spun mid-air, and channeled a massive amount of soul force energy into her legs, causing her veins to bulge.
CRASH!
Her feet slammed into a hard surface, and a piercing shriek echoed from beneath her.
As her eyes flared with a terrifying, silver moon-like light, she saw what she had hit. It was a monstrous, lizard-like creature with feathered scales and sharp, venomous fangs. Its head was brutally crushed, its bones shattered beneath her weight.
Blood spilled rapidly from the torn, open wound she had just inflicted
BAM!
A titanic explosion accompanied the impact. The creature's head smashed directly into the dirt, its entire body going numb and rigid as its flesh tore apart.
Quickly pulling her leg back, Kiruma jolted backward to create some distance. As she scanned her surroundings, a streak of joy shot through her.
A pink arrow, cutting through a vile and disgusting stench, pierced the air.
BOOM!
Kiruma spun around instantly. The arrow erupted into sparks, and a woman suddenly materialized, landing gracefully on the ground."
Morning Star!"
Kiruma smiled, her excitement genuine.Morning Star was her childhood best friend, and the only person she truly trusted in this lifetime.
She appeared wearing a sleeping sack wrapped around her waist, secured by a bronze-piece sash.
Turning around with a smile, Morning Star teased, "Isn't this a little busy?"Kiruma smiled happily, feeling an immense wave of relief at the sight of her friend.
Without another word, Morning Star pressed her back against Kiruma's. She conjured another pink arrow alongside a large bow enveloped in thick mist.
Gripping the string, she locked the arrow in place, drew it back with immense force, and aimed.
BAMMM!
She released the string so violently that the resulting gust of wind made both her and Kiruma's hair dance beautifully in the air.The arrow launched toward another huge, monstrous lizard—the exact same species Kiruma had just slain
.BOOM! BAM!
Instead of merely being pierced, the monster exploded from the impact. Several severed pieces of its head flew through the air, landing right at Kiruma's feet.
She looked down in disgust but quickly shifted her focus back to their surroundings.
They were standing in a vast desert of pitch-black sand dunes, with patches of strange grass spreading across the terrain. Nearby, she noticed large bushes covered in black, metallic thorns that reached a staggering height of seven feet.
A toxic liquid spewed from the tips of the thorns. As the drops hit the ground, the black sand scarily began to melt and bubble.
Kiruma carefully took a few steps back to keep her distance.She attempted to look up into the sky, but a sudden, ominous warning in her mind screamed at her to stop at all costs. Shaken, she turned back to Morning Star, who was already looking ahead.
"Where are we?" Kiruma asked.Morning Star pointed toward the horizon. "
Isn't it rude to not help those in need?
"Kiruma followed her gaze and saw a large group of Peak Artists and Sage Artists fighting off a massive horde of the lizard creatures.
Elements clashed everywhere—fire, lightning, and water styles erupted alongside rising earth spikes, forming an unavoidable web of attacks that slaughtered the desperate monsters.Chaos.
That was the only word for it.
But at the next moment kiruma turn around
"
Hey, Kiruma, you still alive?"
Morning Star asked.
Kiruma smiled and nodded, nervously scratching her head.
After regrouping with the rest of the survivors, an overwhelming anxiety hung over the crowd."So,
you're saying we all experienced the exact same thing?""Yeah.
It's incredibly strange.
It's almost as if some immortal from a dark cultivation path dragged us all here together.""That has to be it.
But what exactly brought us here?"
Morning Star offered her opinion, but someone nearby quickly shook their head, outright rejecting the idea with a deeply concerned expression. Not wanting to argue, Morning Star fell silent, looking down at the sand.
Kiruma spoke up next, trying to piece together a better theory.
As the survivors checked on one another, they began discussing their remaining soul force energy. Kiruma suddenly gasped, covering her mouth in shock.Out of ninety-nine people, almost everyone only possessed six soul cores. Only she and Morning Star possessed seven.
It was a decent team, but against a hostile environment like this, a group of this caliber could easily be brutally wiped out within a month. A heavy silence fell over the men and women.
Suddenly, a faint sound echoed from a short distance away.
At first, nobody paid attention; a small group was currently walking away from the crowd to scout for more monsters, while the rest returned to treating their injuries.But then, a horrifying scream pierced the air.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT IS THAT?!
"Kiruma and Morning Star whipped around, the color instantly draining from their faces.
Standing in the distance was a shadowy figure wearing a wide, terrifying smile.
"Trillions of eons have already passed... I stand in the mortal world, no longer staring back at the abyss while forgetting the light high above. I dare not... for I dare not become the abyss forever."
It was no ordinary creature. It was something entirely unnatural—a living nightmare.