I Ascend Alone-Chapter 88: SSS-Rank Dungeon Part X

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

Alexander's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his fists as he took in the giant's ominous words. His jaw clenched, the weight of the situation settling heavily in his chest.

"You say we're not ready," Alexander growled, stepping forward, his enormous form still bruised but unyielding. "What makes you think we're weak? We've fought our way through this hellish dungeon, and we're still standing. You're just another obstacle in our path."

The giant's glowing eyes flickered, casting a brief but intense light across the cavern. It seemed to measure Alexander's resolve, and for a moment, there was a quiet pause, almost like the ancient creature was contemplating its answer.

"You are strong," the giant intoned, its voice like the rumble of distant thunder. "But you do not carry the Abyss within you. You are mere humans, bound by your weaknesses. You will never defeat what lies beyond unless you understand the nature of true power."

Alexander stepped back slightly, as though the words themselves carried weight. "What do you mean by 'the Abyss within us'?" he demanded, his voice louder now, more forceful. "What are you talking about? And why do you keep speaking of your master like he's some kind of god!?"

The giant's eyes seemed to dim, almost mournfully, as it shook its massive head. "You speak of your strength, your experience, and yet none of it is enough to truly comprehend the Abyss. The Abyss Monarch is not just a force of destruction. He is the true embodiment of what lies beyond life and death. His power is infinite, his will unchallenged. The direct servant of the Abyss Monarch who waits ahead is not a mere beast. He is the gatekeeper—the final test before the master himself."

Alexander gritted his teeth, frustration seeping through his composure. "And you think we're too weak for that?!"

His gaze swept over the humans like they were little more than insects as it responded, its deep, rumbling voice echoing in the cavernous chamber.

"It doesn't matter whether you understand or not," the giant stated coldly. "You are already too late. This place was never meant for your kind. The Abyss is inevitable, and none of you can escape it."

There was a slight pause, the air thick with an eerie silence before the creature's voice dropped lower, a tone of finality settling in.

"I am Korthar, the Dread Sentinel." He paused, "I am the third of the Abyssal Keepers, alongside Tharog, the Warden of Ruin," he gestured to the first giant, "and Maerion, the Watcher in Silence," a nod to the second, who remained perfectly still, shrouded in a mist of shifting shadows.

Korthar's eyes glowed with a pulsing light, similar to an unstable core about to detonate.

"You have passed the outer gauntlet, shattered the illusions of strength, and tasted a glimpse of the Abyss... but this is where all illusions die."

Then—

He roared.

It wasn't a shout, or a battle cry—it was a primordial roar that tore through the air like a quake in sound form.

Even the S-Rank hunters, hardened by countless life-or-death battles, stumbled back as the sheer force of his voice rippled through the chamber.

Dust exploded from the ceiling. Entire sections of the obsidian floor cracked and splintered like glass under pressure. The magic barriers some hunters instinctively activated flickered under the weight of that one sound.

The boots of Gabriel Dela Cruz skidded slightly across the ground despite his magic shields—his expression tense, focused. Even Alexander, the Titan of Calamity, had to brace himself, his feet dragging a few inches back as his aura flared wildly just to remain standing.

Maerion's shadow mist swirled violently, as if responding to the call of battle. Tharog simply grunted—gravel grinding in his throat—almost amused by the humans' reaction.

Korthar's fists clenched.

"You came here chasing glory. But you will leave nothing behind—not even your names."

He took a step forward, and the ground shuddered beneath the sheer weight of his movement.

Korthar, Dread Sentinel of the Abyss, surged forward like a collapsing mountain—massive, unstoppable, and soaked in raw, ancient power. The very air warped around his charging frame, gravity bending under his presence as if the dungeon itself recognized the authority he carried.

Alexander Graves didn't wait.

With a thunderous shout, his body erupted in blazing energy—pure force pulsing from his skin like a shockwave. He stepped in, his fists alight with the aura of calamity, and met Korthar's charge head-on.

Fist collided with fist.

The resulting impact sent out a deafening boom—a shockwave that tore across the battlefield, blowing back several S-Rank hunters like leaves in a storm. Cracks splintered across the dungeon floor, entire slabs of obsidian uprooted by the clash of titans.

"GO!" Alexander bellowed without turning, pushing his weight forward. "Focus on the others! He's mine!"

Raiden Arakawa, the Storm Emperor, moved like lightning—his katana unsheathed in a blink, storm energy crackling around him as he closed the gap between himself and Tharog, the Warden of Ruin.

The giant met him with a war hammer twice Raiden's size, but the storm danced between them—blades of wind slicing with surgical precision.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Dela Cruz, the Radiant Sovereign, raised his staff skyward. Divine light surged, parting the shadows above. His magic was precise, a fusion of arcane mastery and celestial force. He unleashed a barrage of golden sigils that rained down like falling stars—each one a miniature sun aimed toward Maerion, who was now fully emerging from the swirling mist.

The other S-Rank hunters fell into formation, covering the national-levels from ambushes by lesser creatures that skittered and shrieked from dark tunnels.