The air inside the Abyss Temple had changed.
It was heavier now — thick with a strange divine pressure that made even Kael's knees buckle. Every flicker of torchlight curved unnaturally, bending toward the boy standing at the center of the ancient hall.
Rengoku Hayate.
The boy who had once been left to die was now something… different.
Golden runes swirled faintly beneath his feet, glowing like molten veins. His hair, once crimson, shimmered with streaks of black and red energy that moved on their own — as if responding to an invisible rhythm.
Selene whispered, her voice trembling.
"His aura… it's not divine. It's something else."
Kael's gaze hardened.
"No… it's the power that existed before the gods."
The Whispering Chamber
When the surge finally calmed, the System spoke:
[System Update: Origin Core Stabilized – 72% → 74%.][New Feature Unlocked: Void Memory Access.]
A doorway appeared behind the altar — made of pure shadow, rippling like liquid night.
Hayate turned to Kael.
"What is that?"
Kael frowned. "That door wasn't here before. Be careful, Hayate. The temple shifts with the power you awaken."
But Hayate had already stepped forward. Something deep within him — a whisper, faint and cold — called from beyond the door.
He entered.
The room beyond was empty, save for a single blade impaled into a floating stone.The sword's hilt was carved from black crystal, wrapped in gold threads, and a faint crack of red light ran along its edge like lightning trapped in glass.
As Hayate approached, the whispers grew clearer.
"Bearer of the Void… reclaim your will."
He reached out and grasped the hilt. Instantly, a surge of energy flooded his body — so violent it almost tore him apart. Visions flashed before his eyes: worlds burning, gods falling, and a shadowed figure holding the same sword.
The voice returned, resonating within his soul.
"I am Reversia — the Blade of Reversal. I cut through fate itself. Those who wield me command the end and the beginning."
Hayate gasped as light exploded from the blade, and his System interface flickered.
[System Sync Initiated: Weapon Bonding – 0% → 100%.][New Skill Acquired: Reverse Order.]
Reverse Order
The moment the bond completed, the sword dissolved into particles of light, merging with Hayate's right arm.A black sigil formed on his wrist, resembling a burning circle with twin wings.
Kael and Selene rushed in, only to stop in shock.
"Hayate… what did you do?" Selene whispered.
He looked at his palm. A faint crimson flame danced between his fingers.
"I heard a voice. It called itself Reversia. It said I can command the end and the beginning…"
Kael's eyes widened.
"That's impossible. The Blade of Reversal was sealed before the gods' era. No mortal should even be able to touch it."
Hayate's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Then I guess I'm not just mortal anymore."
Echoes of the Void
Outside the temple, the ground trembled.A pulse of dark energy rippled through the world, awakening old beasts and stirring slumbering relics. Far above, in her celestial throne, the goddess Seraphine snapped open her eyes.
"So… he found it."
Her expression was unreadable — half fury, half fear.
"Reversia has chosen a new master. Then the prophecy truly begins…"
Her hands trembled slightly as she touched the black gem floating beside her.
"Rengoku Hayate. You were never supposed to exist."
Back in the temple, Hayate looked at his hand one last time.
[Skill Description: Reverse Order – Allows user to invert causality. What is destroyed can be restored. What exists can be undone.]
The air around him shimmered as reality briefly distorted — stones floating, flames reversing direction.
Kael steadied himself. "If you can really control that power…"
Hayate sheathed the invisible sword into his aura.
"Then I'll rewrite my destiny — and erase every god that tries to chain me again."
[Quest Updated: Path of the Revenant – The Blade of Reversal Acquired.][New Skill Unlocked: Reverse Order.][Hidden Objective Revealed: Seek the Seven Blades of the Void.]