Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 31 - : The Abyss Stirs

Sai's breathing was ragged, his muscles aching from the sheer force of the battle. The Abyssal King stood before him, still as an immovable mountain, his golden eyes piercing through the darkness like twin burning suns.

"You are not ready to face the Abyss," the King had said.

Sai clenched his fists. He had fought countless battles, survived the impossible, yet **this enemy was beyond anything he had encountered.** Every instinct screamed at him that the **Abyssal King had barely been trying.**

Lena wiped blood from her lip, standing beside Sai with her chakrams glowing faintly in the dark. "So... what now?"

Sai's system flared with notifications.

**[Abyssal Revelation Unlocked.]**

**[Warning: The Gate Seals More Than You Can Imagine.]**

His jaw tightened. *If the Abyssal King was testing us, then he must be guarding something—something too dangerous to be set free.*

But that only made Sai more determined.

"I'm not leaving until I get answers," Sai said. "What is the Abyss? What does the Lost Gate actually seal?"

The Abyssal King studied him for a long moment. Then, **he raised a hand.**

The battlefield trembled.

The air **twisted**, and suddenly—**everything shifted.**

---

### **A Vision of the Past**

Sai **wasn't standing on the battlefield anymore.**

Instead, he found himself **floating in a vast, endless void.** Shadows swirled around him, forming images, fragments of a world long lost.

Then, a voice spoke.

**"The Abyss is not a place. It is a wound."**

The images sharpened.

Sai saw **a city of towering obsidian spires**, its streets filled with warriors, their eyes **glowing like his.** He saw **massive gates**, similar to the ones he had passed through, **standing between reality and something far worse.**

And then—**he saw it.**

A **monstrous entity**, its form shifting like a living nightmare, its presence warping the world around it.

Sai's blood ran cold.

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The vision **pulled him closer**, and suddenly, **he was there.**

Standing at the foot of a battle that had already been lost.

The warriors—**the Abyssal King's soldiers—were dying.**

The monstrous entity loomed over them, its **massive tendrils** wrapping around entire buildings, consuming everything in sight.

And at the heart of the chaos—

**The Abyssal King himself.**

But he was younger, his armor still bearing the sigils of a warrior who had not yet fallen to darkness. He stood at the center of it all, raising his weapon.

**"We must seal it. If we fail, all worlds will fall."**

Sai's heart pounded.

**The Abyssal King had not created the Lost Gate.**

**He had sealed it.**

The vision blurred, and Sai **felt himself being pulled back**.

---

### **The Truth of the Lost Gate**

Sai gasped as he returned to reality, **staggering forward as the vision faded.** His hands trembled, his breathing uneven.

The Abyssal King watched him carefully.

"You understand now," he said.

Sai lifted his gaze.

"The Abyss... it's not just another world. It's something else entirely."

The King nodded. "It is a wound in existence. A force that should never have been. The Lost Gate is not a gateway—it is a **prison**."

Sai's mind reeled.

The **Order** had been trying to keep the Lost Gates sealed. The **World Dungeon Association** had been monitoring them for years. The **strongest hunter guilds** were obsessed with them.

And yet, **no one had ever told the full truth.**

"But if the Abyss is a wound," Sai asked slowly, "then what caused it?"

The Abyssal King's expression darkened.

"The First Betrayer."

Lena frowned. "That sounds bad."

Sai's system **flashed a new message.**

**[New Data Unlocked: The Betrayer of Worlds.]**

Sai swallowed hard.

This wasn't just about dungeons anymore.

This was **a war that had never truly ended.**

---

### **A Test of Will**

The Abyssal King took a step forward. "You have seen the truth. But that is not enough."

Sai braced himself.

"If you wish to open the Lost Gate, you must prove you can withstand the weight of the Abyss."

Sai's fingers tightened around his daggers.

The King lifted his hand.

Dark energy **swirled around Sai**, crushing into his body like a storm.

He gritted his teeth, **holding his ground.**

**Pain.**

Raw, unfiltered power pressed against his mind, his body, his very soul.

**It wanted to consume him.**

"Sai!" Lena shouted.

But he didn't hear her.

Because in that moment—

**He was somewhere else.**

---

### **The Abyssal Void**

Sai **floated in darkness.**

Shapes moved around him, whispering, shifting, forming figures he recognized—**his past, his failures, his regrets.**

The day his village burned.

The first time he nearly died in a dungeon.

The people he couldn't save.

Then, a voice spoke.

**"You are not strong enough. You will fail. You will break."**

Sai clenched his fists.

"No."

The whispers grew louder.

**"You are alone. No one will save you."**

Sai **growled.**

"I don't need saving."

The darkness **pressed in.**

And Sai **fought back.**

He reached deep into himself, into the power that had been growing inside him ever since the first Lost Gate.

**The power of the Abyss.**

And he **took control.**

A **pulse of energy erupted from him**, forcing the darkness to **retreat.**

The whispers **vanished.**

And suddenly—**he was back.**

---

### **The Heir of the Abyss**

Sai **stood tall**, his body **glowing with abyssal energy**.

The Abyssal King watched him, expression unreadable.

"You are different," he said.

Sai exhaled. "I'm done running from this power."

The King nodded. "Then you are ready."

A deep **rumble** filled the chamber.

The **Lost Gate began to open.**

Lena took a step back. "Sai... this is insane."

Sai turned to her, determination in his gaze.

"I have to see this through."

The Abyssal King raised a hand, and a **new path** revealed itself.

"Then step forward, Heir of the Abyss," he said. "And claim your destiny."

Sai took a breath.

Then, **he stepped through the gate.**

**To be continued...**