The arena trembled.
Not from battle—but from attention.
The shadow above the Trial Spire thickened, coiling like a living abyss. Even the chains of judgment shuddered, their runes dimming under the pressure.
Every surviving demon felt it.
A Demon Lord was watching.
Kael's knees sank deeper into the stone. Blood streamed from his nose, his vision pulsing between red and gold.
[Critical Condition.]
[Dual Cultivation Stability: 31%]
[System Intervention Limited.]
"So this is how I die," Kael muttered.
No.
The word did not come from the system.
Nor from the Abyss.
It came from within him.
His human will flared—stubborn, defiant, refusing to submit. At the same time, the Abyss responded, not with hunger, but recognition.
Two opposing truths.
Holding.
The shadow shifted.
A voice descended—low, vast, amused.
"Half-blood."
The sound alone crushed weaker demons to the ground. One of the five remaining vomited black blood and fainted instantly.
Kael forced his head up.
"Yes?" he rasped.
A pause.
Then a soft chuckle echoed across the void.
"You should not exist."
Kael smiled faintly. "You're not the first to say that."
The pressure intensified—then abruptly eased.
The Demon Lord leaned closer, unseen yet unmistakable.
"You carry Heaven's order and Abyssal chaos… and neither rejects you."
The system flickered violently.
[Unknown Authority Interference Detected.]
[System Functions Restricted.]
Kael's heart pounded.
"If you're here to erase me," he said, voice steady despite the pain, "do it."
Silence.
Then—
Laughter.
Deep. Genuine.
"Erase you?"
"No."
The chains around the arena loosened further.
"I want to see what you become."
A pulse of power swept through the arena—not a gift, not a curse, but permission.
[Final Judgment Approaching.]
The voice continued.
"Survive the last step, little contradiction."
"Then the Demon Realm will have no choice but to acknowledge you."
The shadow receded.
The pressure vanished.
Kael collapsed fully, gasping.
But he was alive.
Barely.
The voice of the Trial returned, colder, sharper.
"FINAL JUDGMENT: ASCENSION."
"STEP FORWARD AND CLAIM YOUR PLACE."
Five platforms merged into one.
A staircase of black stone rose toward a sealed obsidian gate etched with both abyssal runes and faint heavenly patterns.
The other survivors hesitated.
They stared at the gate.
Then at Kael.
Fear.
One demon whispered, "That gate… it's reacting to him."
Another clenched his fists. "He's unstable. If he ascends—"
Kael pushed himself upright, swaying.
Every step sent agony through his body.
But with each breath, something aligned.
Human Qi calmed the storm.
Abyssal authority gave it direction.
Balance—fragile, temporary, real.
He took one step.
The gate trembled.
Another.
Runes ignited—black and gold intertwining.
The demons behind him froze.
"…It's opening."
Kael reached the final step and placed his hand on the gate.
The system spoke—quietly, almost cautiously.
[Host has reached a point beyond designed parameters.]
[Question: Do you seek to rule?]
Kael closed his eyes.
He thought of the alley.
The boots.
The laughter.
The silence that followed.
"I seek," he said softly, "to never be helpless again."
The gate opened.
Light and darkness poured out together, swallowing him whole.
Behind him, the Trial Spire shook.
Above, multiple thrones stirred violently.
And across both realms—
Something ancient learned a new truth:
A halfling had stepped onto a path no realm controlled.
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