I Ascend Alone-Chapter 96: SSS-Rank Dungeon Part XVIII

The fusion Keeper roared—a sound like mountains breaking underwater—and took another step forward, its presence eclipsing even the throne behind it.

Far above the battlefield, the live feeds from the satellite drones zoomed in on the colossal entity.

***

[ ALERT: ABYSSAL CONVERGENCE ENTITY DETECTED – CLASSIFICATION UNKNOWN ]

[ WARNING: REALITY BEND THRESHOLD EXCEEDED ]

[ SUBJECT – "RYZEN KAEL" – ENGAGING SOLO? ]

***

From the rear lines, one of the facility comm operatives nearly dropped his headset.

Inside the private control chamber where the operation was being monitored, every screen locked onto the image of the fusion entity—and me, standing alone before it.

There were no civilians watching.

No live public feed.

"...He told the National-Level Hunters to back off?" someone muttered.

"Subject Ryzen Kael..." one tech whispered. "He's... going to engage it alone?"

The silence in the facility was deafening.

Even President Hawke's expression remained unreadable, lips tight, eyes narrowing on the screen.

Back inside the dungeon—

Gabriel finally spoke. "Ryzen... You can't solo that thing. Even National Levels can't—"

"I said, If any of you interfere, it'll only slow me down."

That silenced everyone.

The abyss swirled around me—alive, pulsing. My body shimmered with restrained force, like a blade sheathed in shadows.

"Let me be clear," I said, voice like a slow, sharp wind. "You step in? You die."

Leon gritted his teeth. "What are you even saying right now?! That thing was created to kill everyone here."

I slowly turned to face them for the briefest second.

Eyes glowing like eclipse stars.

"Good."

The word dropped like a hammer.

"That means I don't have to hold back."

Behind me, the fusion Keeper screeched—a warped, multi-toned roar that made stone crack and air sizzle.

Its form shifted, arms extending, chains lashing.

But I didn't flinch.

I raised the abyssal cleaver, still corrupted and screaming in my grip, and pointed it forward. Shadows danced around me, answering my will.

Then I looked back at my allies—hunters who'd fought death itself—and said the one thing they least expected:

"Stay alive. Stay out of the way. I'll handle the rest."

The air stilled. Then the reality broke.

A deep hum pulsed outward from my body, low and primal, like the universe itself recognizing a higher order of existence. Shadows rippled in every direction, not as mere extensions of darkness, but as living things—alive, sentient, and hungry.

Then, I unleashed it.

[ Abyss Monarch Form: Activated ]

The shadows devoured my frame for an instant—and what stepped out was no longer just Ryzen Kael.

It was the Abyss incarnate.

My form towered slightly taller, leaner yet monstrous in silhouette. A cloak of living shadow wrapped around my shoulders, shifting like liquid night. Abyssal horns curled back from my head, crowned in black flame. Veins of glowing violet and void-blue light pulsed across my obsidian armor—etched not by metal, but by sheer sovereign will.

Two massive spectral wings of shadow unfurled from my back—half-skeletal, half-energy—stretching wide across the battlefield like the outstretched hands of death.

Every hunter behind me staggered back. Even Leon took a step without realizing it.

"What... what is that form...?!" Gabriel whispered, shielding his eyes from the sheer pressure distorting the air.

Alexander clenched his fists. "This guy...is something else."

Inside the private facility, chaos erupted.

Dozens of alarms began to trigger—not from threat levels, but from readings they couldn't process.

"Sir—his mana output just... tripled. No—quadrupled—it's climbing—!"

President Hawke narrowed his eyes as the screens flickered, trying to stabilize around the shifting silhouette. "So this is what they're talking about.."

No one spoke.

They simply watched.

Back inside the dungeon, the fused Keeper paused.

Even it—a creature born from three ancient sovereign-class abyssals—hesitated. Its many eyes locked on mine, instinct screaming that this was not a man before it.

I raised my hand slowly, and the abyss answered.

"Let me show you what a Monarch truly is."

The shadows around me trembled.

My hands opened to the void as twin pulses of dark light ignited in my palms. The air hissed, split, and folded in on itself as two weapons materialized from the abyss, forged not from steel—but from pure, sovereign intent.

[ Abyss Monarch Daggers – Unawakened ]

The moment they solidified in my grip, the space around me collapsed into stillness. Sound died. Light dimmed. Time faltered.

And then I moved.

A single step forward split the ground beneath me. Shadows lashed outward with every motion—trailing my form like the tattered cloak of a forgotten god.

The fused abomination lashed out, one titanic arm swinging down with mountainous force.

But I wasn't there anymore.

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CLANG!

My first dagger slammed against its blow, parrying the strike midair. The force sent a blastwave across the chamber, scattering broken stone and smoke like a cannonshot.

CLASH!

The second dagger came in low, slicing through its twisted leg—abyssal ichor pouring in streams, sizzling against the ground like molten tar.

I darted past it in a streak of darkness, carving through its side with surgical precision. With each step, each strike—I made it bleed.

From the observation deck in the private facility, every high-ranking official and hunter watching through the live feed stood in stunned silence.

President Vaughn leaned forward. "Those weapons... that form... That's no longer just a hunter."

Leon, still standing alongside Gabriel and Ji Seong-Ho from afar, felt a chill run down his spine."He's not fighting it," he whispered. "He's tearing it apart."

The fused Keeper turned again, screeching as another mouth split open along its chest—firing a barrage of chaotic projectiles.

I danced through them. Not a single one touched me.

And then, I vanished again.

My blades flashed from behind, crossing in a brutal X—cutting into the creature's back and driving it forward, crashing through debris, black blood splattering across the fractured crystal floor.

It howled in agony and rage.

But all I did was roll my shoulders, daggers gleaming like fangs in the gloom.

"You're not ready for this fight," I murmured. "But I am."

CRACK—!

The fused Keeper surged forward, its twisted limbs reforming, bones grinding, sinew thickening. Its multiple heads howled in discordant agony, but there was no panic—only adaptation. The mangled, half-molten arm I had severed seconds ago regrew, armored now with layered scales of black abyssal iron.

One dagger slashed low—aimed at its leg joint. The Keeper shifted, foot turning slightly, taking the blow at an angle. Sparks flew. My blade bit deep, but not enough to cripple.

"Tch."