The air itself had turned hostile.
Each breath carried the sting of smoke and ash, yet no flames burned nearby. Each step sank into the earth as though the land resisted them, poisoned by the abyssal tide. The battlefield, already ruined, now warped into something more grotesque—stone melted into black glass, trees twisted into lifeless husks, rivers choked by violet sludge that steamed like acid.
Celestial Tempest stood together, but the unity in their stances was strained by the oppressive weight crushing down from the horizon. It wasn't just Kairos's presence—it was the Abyss itself, bleeding into reality.
Bolt's lightning crackled faintly across his body, his storm answering the threat, but even his power sputtered against the sheer suffocation. His gaze never left the advancing storm where Kairos's silhouette lingered, walking closer with every heartbeat.
"Something's wrong," Sylva whispered, crouching low with her hands pressed to the soil. She winced as if burned. "The ground… it isn't just poisoned. It's alive. The abyss is… spreading through it, like roots."
Aether's eyes narrowed as he raised his hand, feeling the currents. His winds whirled weakly, burdened by the thick, choking air. "The sky refuses me. Every gust dies the moment I call it. Even nature itself wants to turn away."
Akane cursed under her breath, fire flaring in her palms only to flicker, as though suffocated. "Then we'll burn the ground itself. I don't care how deep it runs—I'll scorch it all."
Valea, pale and trembling, shook her head. "No… this isn't something fire can cauterize. This corruption—it eats light, eats flame, eats everything." She pressed a hand against her chest, her glow dimming to a frail ember. "Even my prayers… vanish into silence."
Darian's fists clenched at her words, his water pooling restlessly at his feet. His face, usually calm, twisted with grief. "He was my brother in arms. And now… now his power is drowning us." He bit down hard, his voice cracking. "If Kairos is truly lost—"
"He's not."
Bolt cut him off, his voice sharp like a whip. The crackle of lightning along his arms surged brighter, defiant against the abyssal pall. He turned to face his team, his storm-lit eyes fierce. "He's not gone. You saw it—heard it. That whisper. That plea. Kairos is still in there, fighting."
Ren swallowed hard, gripping his blade until his knuckles whitened. His fear hadn't vanished, but Bolt's conviction steadied his trembling. "Then… if he's still there, we need to find a way to reach him."
Kaori stepped closer, her spirit aura trembling wildly. "It won't be easy. I can feel it—his spirit is chained, drowning under something ancient. If we want to pull him out, we'll have to step into the abyss itself."
Damian snorted, shadows writhing uneasily around him. "Into the abyss?" His tone was sharp, bitter. "You make it sound so simple. You've felt it too, haven't you? That thing is older and darker than anything we've ever touched. If we go in too deep, it won't just kill us—it will take us." His voice lowered, and for a moment the arrogance slipped into fear. "Like it took me… once before."
The group turned to him, but Bolt raised a hand, sparing him the need to explain further. He knew Damian's shadows weren't just power—they were scars. And now those scars quivered like prey before a predator.
Before he could answer, the earth itself lurched.
A jagged fissure ripped open just ahead of them, spewing black vapor that hissed like boiling tar. From it crawled shapes—grotesque, malformed beasts, their bodies stitched together from the abyss's corruption. Some had too many eyes, others too many limbs, their forms breaking the logic of flesh.
B-rank abyssal beasts.
The same kind that had nearly crushed them before, now twisted further, their howls reverberating like the cries of the damned.
Bolt raised his fists, lightning sparking. "Form up!"
Celestial Tempest answered instantly, snapping into formation. Akane's fire burst to life beside him, Aether's winds flared weakly but sharp, Sylva braced with the earth quaking beneath her. Darian's water spiraled defensively, Valea lifted her faint glow, Ren drew his trembling blade, Damian's shadows crawled like serpents, and Kaori's aura shimmered faintly, seeking to shield them.
The abyssal beasts charged.
The ground shook beneath their weight, claws tearing through stone, jaws snapping with hunger. Their screeches clawed into the ears of the squad, threatening to unravel their composure.
"Go!" Bolt roared.
Akane leapt forward, fire blasting from her palms, engulfing two of the creatures in flames. But instead of burning, the abyss twisted the fire, absorbing the heat until only charred husks limped forward, still snarling.
"Damn it!" Akane hissed.
Sylva slammed her palms into the ground, roots erupting to bind the beasts. But the corruption spread into the roots instantly, blackening them until they crumbled into dust. She gasped, stumbling back.
Aether's winds swept forward, slicing through the air like blades. It tore one creature apart, scattering its corrupted body into pieces. But even those fragments writhed, crawling like maggots, reforming into something half-alive.
Valea pushed her light forward, forcing it into a shield that slowed the horde. The glow sputtered against their darkness, but it was enough for Ren to rush in, blade slashing. His steel cut clean, severing one beast's head, but the blood that sprayed sizzled against his armor, burning through like acid. He staggered, gritting his teeth.
Darian roared, torrents of water smashing the creatures aside, trying to push them back. "They just keep coming!"
Bolt clenched his fists, his storm flaring. "Then we hit harder!"
He launched forward, lightning bursting from his body in a devastating strike, obliterating three beasts at once. For a moment, the battlefield shone with his storm's brilliance, carving back the tide.
But the abyss answered.
The beasts reformed, flesh knitting together, stronger than before. And above them, Kairos's silhouette stepped closer, watching silently, as though the battle below was merely an experiment.
"Why isn't he moving?" Ren shouted, slashing down another beast. "Why is he just standing there?"
Kaori's breath trembled. "Because… he doesn't have to. This is the abyss testing us."
Bolt grit his teeth, fury sparking through his veins. The horde pressed harder, the corruption spreading faster, the air growing heavier. Every strike they landed was answered by regeneration, every blast consumed, every shield eroded.
Celestial Tempest was being worn down—not by a single foe, but by the endless hunger of the abyss.
And Kairos watched.
Bolt's storm surged brighter, his eyes blazing. He refused to bow. Not here. Not now. "Tempest!" he roared. "Don't give in! We're not fighting to win—we're fighting to endure! Until the moment we break through to him!"
The squad roared back, battered but unyielding, their voices carrying over the abyssal howls.
But as the battle dragged on, one truth became clear.
This wasn't the real fight.
The abyss was only beginning.