There were no stairs leading to the "Abyss of Eternal Ice".
The moment Guy Crimson waved his hand, the icy floor of the throne room split open, revealing a bottomless, pitch-black darkness. Akira didn't hesitate; he took a deep breath and threw himself into the abyss.
During his fall, light faded, sound vanished, and even the sensation of gravity began to disappear. The place was colder than the blizzard outside, but he didn't feel the cold biting his skin; rather, he felt it freezing his thoughts. This was a place where time stood still—a prison for forgotten souls.
Suddenly, the dark red sphere caught up with him—a drop of Guy Crimson's "Origin".
It didn't collide with his body; it pierced straight through his chest and settled in the very center of his soul.
In that moment, Akira's fall stopped.
He no longer felt his physical body at all. It was as if he were floating in a pure spiritual space. But the agony that washed over him was not of this world. Guy's demonic energy was boiling like magma inside his fragile human soul, attempting to expand the soul's vessel through brute force.
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
Akira screamed in the darkness, a scream that didn't come from his throat, but from the core of his existence. He felt as if thousands of hooks were tearing his soul from the inside, pulling it in opposite directions.
And amidst this cosmic torment, a final voice echoed in his mind. It wasn't the familiar voice of the blue system; it was deeper, neutral, and cold as the frost of the abyss. It sounded like the "Voice of the World".
[Conditions verified and fulfilled.]
[Catalyst: Drop of Demonic Origin (Red). Accepted.]
[Seal Status: 100%. Broken.]
[Commencing Harvest Festival. Reconstructing the soul...]
With that final word, everything collapsed.
The darkness around Akira exploded, and he found his consciousness violently pulled into his inner world.
When he opened his spiritual eyes, he didn't find himself on a battlefield or in a palace. He was standing on a calm, black water surface stretching endlessly beneath a starless gray sky.
And in the center of this absolute void... lay the "Throne of the Void".
It wasn't a king's chair made of gold or skulls. The throne was a "black hole" materialized in the form of a physical seat. It absorbed light, sound, and even emotions from its surroundings. Just looking at it made Akira feel as though his memories and his very being were slowly being erased.
From above the throne, a terrifying shadow materialized. It had no face or features; it was the embodiment of pure nothingness.
"Finally..." the shadow whispered, its voice like the rustling of dead leaves. "The vessel has shattered. Give up, Akira Yuzuki. Let me swallow your pain, your fears, and your existence. In the void, there is no suffering... there is no fate... there is nothing."
Akira felt a massive gravitational pull dragging him toward the throne. It was a very tempting pull. His body was shattered, his soul was burning with Guy Crimson's fire, and surrendering to this nothingness would mean eternal rest. His feet wanted to step forward voluntarily, to surrender his body to the shadow.
But... the image of the capital, Tempest, crossed his mind. Hakurou's harsh training that made him stronger, Shion's childish anger and jealousy over him, Shuna's warm care and tending to his wounds, and the strictness of Benimaru, who had placed his trust in him and considered him an ally. He remembered Guy's words: "We shall see whether you awaken as an entity capable of erasing Fate, or if you fade into oblivion."
Akira stopped. He planted his spiritual feet onto the black water's surface, refusing to move.
"You are suffering," the shadow said, extending its shapeless hand toward Akira. "Fate toys with you, and systems control you. Hand the reins over to me, and I will erase everyone who stands in our way."
"Shut up," Akira whispered, raising his head.
He used the pain caused by Guy Crimson's red energy—which was actively burning his soul—as an "anchor" to maintain his consciousness and prevent himself from fading. His left eye glowed with a ferocious blue light, and a red and black aura began to merge around his body.
"I am not a tool in the hands of Fate, and I am not an empty vessel for you!" Akira roared. He began to step forward—not being dragged by the gravity, but defying it. Every step required enough willpower to shatter a mountain.
Akira reached the base of the throne. The shadow recoiled slightly, surprised by the sheer strength of human willpower mixed with borrowed demonic pride.
"This throne..." Akira said, reaching out his right hand to grasp the throne's armrest, which was made of dense darkness. "...is not the one that sits on me."
With brute force, Akira dragged the shadow off the throne and threw it into the black waters below.
"What are you doing?!" the shadow screamed as it dissipated. "You cannot absorb me! You will be torn apart!"
"I am the king of my own void!"
Akira turned around and sat forcefully upon the "Throne of the Void".
In that exact moment, his inner world shook violently. The roar of a cosmic explosion echoed in the depths of his soul. Guy's red energy merged completely with the black void, forming a new kind of energy the Central World had never witnessed before.
Outside, deep within the icy abyss, Akira's physical body began to change. Muscles, bones, and even cells were being destroyed and rebuilt into a structure that combined demonic durability with the transcendent properties of the void.
The Voice of the World echoed once more, this time not just in Akira's mind, but across the entirety of the Frozen Continent:
[Harvest Festival completed.]
[Entity: Akira Yuzuki. Ascension successful.]
[Acquired Ultimate Skill: Lord of the Void, Azathoth.]