novelblue
Chapter 238 – The Abyssal Duel (Part Two)
Chapter 238 – The Abyssal Duel (Part Two)
The Battlefield of Ruin
The once-mighty fortress was nothing more than a broken skeleton, its bones shattered, its halls drowned in blood and shadow.
The very air burned with the lingering echoes of battle—the scent of charred flesh, shattered stone, and the raw metallic tang of blood. Smoke curled from fallen torches, their light flickering against the endless darkness that spread from Malagar’s form.
Amidst this chaos, two warriors stood alone.
Veylan, his twin blades humming with the energy of the slain. His stance was low, precise—his eyes locked onto his enemy with the intensity of a predator waiting to strike.
And Malagar, robed in black, his face partially hidden beneath the shadows of his hood. His golden eyes gleamed like twin suns behind the veil of darkness that surrounded him. Unshaken. Unbothered. As if the battle that had already lasted hours was nothing more than an amusement.
Neither would retreat.
Neither would surrender.
Only one would walk away.
The First Strike – A Dance of Death
Veylan moved first.
A breath—a flicker—then an explosion of speed.
His right blade was a silver blur, cutting through the air with deadly precision, aimed directly at Malagar’s heart.
Malagar’s shadows surged forth, black tendrils snapping to intercept.
But Veylan had anticipated it.
His left blade flashed upward—
A feint.
A single twist of his wrist—the right blade reversed direction.
Instead of Malagar’s chest, it went for his throat.
A direct kill strike.
Malagar reacted with inhuman speed.
His left hand shot up, fingers curling into a sharp, unnatural claw. A dark pulse erupted from his palm—not a block, but a concentrated wave of pure abyssal energy.
The force slammed into Veylan like a falling mountain.
He barely twisted his body in time to avoid a direct impact, but the sheer pressure threw him back, sending him skidding across the blood-soaked stone floor.
Veylan’s boots scraped against the ruined ground, kicking up dust and debris.
He barely had time to recover before Malagar was upon him.
A shadow descended.
A hand—cloaked in darkness—reaching for his skull.
Veylan didn’t think.
He rolled left—
Malagar’s attack missed by a hair’s breadth, his fingers grazing the air where Veylan’s head had been a split second ago.
Before Malagar could reposition—
Veylan struck again.
A rapid three-slash combo, each faster than the last.
Left blade—low sweep.
Right blade—reverse arc.
Left again—straight for the ribs.
A relentless onslaught.
Malagar flowed around the attacks, his movements eerily fluid, inhuman—as if his body did not follow the normal laws of motion.
But Veylan was relentless.
He pushed forward, forcing Malagar onto the defensive.
Their weapons clashed, sparks flashing in the darkness.
One step.
Two steps.
Malagar yielded ground.
For the first time in the battle, he was forced to retreat.
A small victory.
But Veylan knew it wouldn’t last.
Malagar was toying with him.
The Abyss Awakens
"You fight well, assassin," Malagar said, his voice almost bored.
Then he raised his hand.
The very air shuddered.
Reality itself bent and twisted.
A fissure tore open behind Malagar—a gaping wound in the fabric of existence.
Black tendrils slithered out of the abyss, writhing like living nightmares.
Veylan’s breath caught.
A pressure unlike anything he had ever felt crushed down on him.
This was not mere magic.
This was something else.
Something primordial.
"Do you know what lies beyond the veil, assassin?" Malagar whispered.
"Let me show you."
The abyss surged forward.
Veylan moved—
But the darkness was faster.
It swallowed him whole.
Falling into the Abyss
There was nothing.
No light.
No sound.
No sensation.
Only emptiness.
Veylan’s heartbeat was slow. Too slow.
His limbs—frozen.
The weight of the abyss pressed against his mind.
Then—
A whisper.
"Stay here. Forever."
A hand emerged from the void.
Pale.
Clawed.
It reached for his throat.
Veylan reacted on instinct.
He twisted his body—too slow.
The claws raked across his chest, tearing through fabric, drawing blood.
A burning pain.
But pain meant he was still alive.
Veylan forced himself to move.
His blade lashed outward, cutting into the void.
A shriek echoed through the nothingness.
A glimmer of light appeared.
A way out.
Veylan ran.
Each step felt like wading through an ocean of gravity.
The abyss screamed in fury.
Shadowy claws lashed at his back—
But he didn’t stop.
The light engulfed him—
And suddenly—
He was back.
The Tide Turns
Veylan collapsed onto the ruined stone floor.
His chest heaved.
His vision blurred.
Every inch of his body felt like it had been crushed under a mountain.
Malagar stood over him.
Unscathed.
Unmoved.
"Impressive," he mused. "Few escape the abyss. But tell me—how much did it cost you?"
Veylan clenched his fists.
Yes.
The abyss had drained him.
His body ached.
He was weaker.
But not defeated.
With sheer will, he pushed himself to his feet.
"I don’t need my full strength to kill you."
Malagar smirked.
"Then come, assassin. Let’s finish this."