The abyss howled.
From the cracks in the chamber floor, the first of the beasts lunged forward—its body a grotesque tangle of broken halos, molten blue-black fire dripping from its jaws. Its scream shook the walls like an earthquake.
Vemy didn't wait. He surged forward, Aetherion fire spiraling around his fists, wings reforging mid-flight in a violent blaze. He slammed his fist into the creature's skull.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the void-beast's head into shards of shadow, but as its body collapsed, two more rose in its place. Their distorted forms moved faster, rings swirling around their limbs like chains.
"Tch." Vemy spat blood and grinned. "Figures. Nothing's ever simple."
One of the beasts leapt, jaws wide enough to swallow him whole. Vemy raised his arm, flames coiling into a burning spear.
"Aetherion Lance!"
The spear burst through its chest, detonating in a wave of Celestine fire. But the other beast caught him mid-spin, slamming him into the wall. The chamber shook as cracks spread outward from his body's impact.
Vemy coughed, smoke rising from his lips. "…That all you got?"
He ignited again, flames roaring higher than before—yet something inside him shifted. The Forbidden Ring pulsed, black veins spreading across his arm. His flames darkened, taking on the void's jagged edge.
His body moved on instinct.
He swung his arm, and the shadow-flames carved through both beasts like paper. Their screams didn't just echo—they lodged inside his mind, like fragments of their souls were clawing to get free.
He staggered, gripping his chest. "What the hell…?"
The central throne-holder's voice boomed:
"Each kill with the Forbidden Ring is a devouring. You don't simply destroy your enemies—you consume them. Their strength becomes yours, but so do their nightmares."
As if to prove it, the void-beasts' corpses melted into streams of black flame that fused into Vemy's chest. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he saw countless faces screaming from within his fire.
Vemy clenched his jaw, forcing the energy down into his core. "So I get stronger… but I risk losing myself?"
The entity chuckled.
"That is the Thirteenth Path. Power without limit. Identity without anchor."
Another dozen void-beasts clawed their way up from the abyss, circling him like wolves. Their auras were heavier—closer to Ascendant Lords.
Vemy smirked, blood dripping down his cheek as his fire surged darker and brighter all at once.
"Fine by me. Let's see how much of me I can hold on to."
He roared, wings igniting in a storm of Celestine-void fire, and dove straight into the pack.