Abyss Draconis

"But..." the whisper suddenly rang out as Zarkul leaned downwards to Ryuk.

"But why..."

"I should have been the hope of the Knulls... I held the full Hurricane energy in me. I should have been the ultimate card for the Knulls to challenge the gods..."

"Why then?"

"Oh, you want to know why?"

"Why, even though you possessed Hurricane energy in full, we Knulls still ripped you limb from limb and shared your body out amongst us?" he asked.

"I guess I can grant your last wish..."

"The truth is, separating your body and implanting it into the various calamities was a wasteful move. We could only access so much Hurricane energy from your organs."

"After all, the brutal truth is—it was never ours to begin with."

"But we couldn't leave it to you... because of him!"

"Because of your father!"

"Because of Theth'Vorgath!"

"He is the seething Carnage of the Knulls... or at least, he was."

"He had been overthrown by the council for turning soft."

"The dragons, which he was supposed to conquer, he fell for—and protected instead."

"A truly pathetic coward who fell for something as mudane as love."

"Sickening to think he used to be our hero," Zarkul said with a disdainful sneer.

"But then, he was already imprisoned before we even discovered his son wasn't just any ordinary body. He was a Hurricane holder!"

"And if we know anything about Theth'Vorgath, it's that not even the gods are as vengeful as he is."

"And if you only took 1% of the genes in him. Then with your potential, it's only a matter of time before we Knulls are burned to ashes from those flames of carnage flowing in both your bloods."

"So why not separate you instead? And fortunately for us, and unfortunately for you, another person was born with Hurricane energy just at that same time."

"So... you became disposable!" he said, a mocking smirk curling on his lips.

"Now, goodbye!" Zarkul declared, as he detonated the Hurricane energy he had deposited into Ryuk—or at least, he tried to, until he watched Ryuk's dying expression slowly twist into an evil grin smile.

"Firstly, my heart is not on my left side. It's on my right."

"And secondly, you're a pathetic coward who crumbles under the slightest pressure!"

Ryuk said with a hollow grin.

His right claws shifted to the side, and Zarkul's pupils dilated when he felt the Hurricane energy he'd injected had been drained off, now fully converged into Ryuk's hand, which formed into a claw and then—

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

It tore straight into his chest, bursting out from behind.

If one looked from behind, they would notice Ryuk's hand tearing out of Zarkul's back, and within his palm a glowing dark core, as Ryuk withdrew his hand from Zarkul's chest, watching as he collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The notification flashed right after...

____

[You have used the skill: Void Reversal Pulse]

Every time you're struck, your body compresses the force and sends it back, stronger.

Reflects 50% of the physical or energy damage taken.

Can also store one attack and unleash it later in Void Amplification!

____

This was Ryuk's hidden trump card.

He had noticed a flaw in Zarkul—and that was, he got triggered by words far more than one would expect from a being such as him.

He had noted it when he called Zarkul pathetic, since he could no longer make him feel fear.

The Knull Calamity had immediately tried to crush Ryuk with his aura, proving to Ryuk that he sucked at ignoring words.

And that was why Ryuk had lulled him with the domain.

He tried to fool Zarkul by wearing down his mental capacity, making him feel fear from bringing to words things such as dreams and goals.

He knew if Zarkul had fused with one of his body parts and wanted his remaining body parts, then it was clear that he must have grand goals to desire that much power.

And Ryuk had then planted the seed of a false slip-up:

He had mentioned "three seconds," just to make sure Zarkul would think he would attack in three seconds.

And Ryuk had specifically called out three seconds, because that was the remaining time left for the thirty seconds of rewritten rule to be completed.

After that thirty seconds, Ryuk's rule of light never existing would fade away, and Zar'kul's vision would be restored.

That had reignited Zarkul's confidence once more, and believing he was at the death's door from Ryuk's words, he had unleashed his ultimate card.

Which was the Hurricane energy, blasting it through Ryuk's chest.

And as for missing his Zar'kul's core, Ryuk had purposely done that, but made it all seem like he had slipped up.

All was done so he could get a few answers out from the Knull Calamity—and everything...

Everything worked out just as he planned.

But it wasn't without a significant risk.

And that was receiving the full power of Zarkul ultimate card into his chest.

But with the ability to store an incoming attack and amplify it by fifty percent later...

Ryuk was never afraid of just one attack.

Zar'kul had unleashed Hurricane energy into him and tried to detonate it to bring an end to his life, but Ryuk had secretly re-gathered everything into his claw and amplified it by 50% with the aid of his skills.

And now, the living core of Zarkul rested in his hands, while the Knull Calamity lay dying in the void, eyes widening in confusion and horror.

But it was also quick to realize as it stared up in disbelief and anger.

"You... you set me up!" it stated.

But Ryuk didn't waste time, as he raised Zarkul's flickering core high into the air, his mouth widening into a monstrous maw before the core fell into his throat!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

An enraged roar erupted from Zarkul, surging with a speed and power that seemed beyond one half-dead, reaching for its core, falling into Ryuk's throat—but was too slow.

The core entered Ryuk's throat, and he swallowed it in one single gulp.

In an instant, Zarkul's hand pulsed like a glicth before he slumped down beneath Ryuk's feet.

His power core—that had housed his entire soul and energy—had been devoured by Ryuk, and he watched as Ryuk slowly crouched by the side of his head.

Both eyes locked, and one brimmed with regret and sorrow of unfulfilled dreams while the other brimmed with defiance.

"In the end... You died in fear," Ryuk whispered to him, watching emotionlessly as the last bit of light in Zarkul's eyes faded away—but not without him muttering:

"How... long will... you...run from...fate...little...dark... one..."