CHAPTER 141: PRIMORDIAL TENDRIL AND HATRED BEAM

Slash! Slash! Clash!

Even after transforming into his ultimate form, Varkhaz couldn’t completely overwhelm Sam right away.

Sam’s [Determination] and [Hatred] had reached a terrifying level.

He wasn’t the same fighter he’d been at the start of this battle.

Now, even Varkhaz’s monstrous might couldn’t simply trample over him.

Still, the fight raged on.

Minutes passed as the two exchanged slashes, strikes, and blows that tore apart the battlefield with each impact.

The black claws that had sprouted from Varkhaz’s hands made it easier for him to go toe-to-toe with Sam’s primordial sword.

And with those massive abyssal wings sprouting from his back, his speed had become something truly fearsome.

Each one of his attacks had grown more vicious, more brutal, and even more unpredictable.

He had clearly unlocked new skills during the transformation.

ARROW RAIN!

Varkhaz flapped his wings furiously.

From all directions, a dark storm of arrows materialized, surrounding Sam like a net of death.

But Sam didn’t flinch. With a blur of motion, he blocked them all, deflecting every arrow with calm precision.

SLASH STORM!

The Forsaken Lord’s claws moved at a blinding pace, launching hundreds of slashes in a single breath.

Sam, unfazed, activated his own [Slash Storm], matching the speed and intensity with a perfect counter.

The two storms collided, sending shockwaves rippling out across the darkness.

"You’re copying me?" Sam tilted his head, grinning without fear. "How useless."

Even while fighting Varkhaz with full intensity, Sam’s mind was elsewhere.

He was trying to read the panel for [Stars of Hatred].

Now that he had two stars orbiting him, he knew that he could activate the second ability.

And from the way Varkhaz was using skill after skill to slowly tip the scales... He knew he needed to act fast.

Because even if he held his ground now, it wouldn’t last.

Ding!

[Forsaken Clone Eternal Barrier: 4/50]

The clone’s barrier was going to break soon.

And once that happened, the horde of abyssal monsters behind it would come flooding in. It would be game over.

That was why, in the middle of battle, while dodging and striking, Sam’s eyes darted toward the system panel.

---

[Stars of Hatred abilities based on number of stars it takes to activate them:]

[One Star — Hatred Boost: Fuels your entire being with "Hatred," and massively boosts your strength and speed for a very short period of time.]

[Two Stars — Hatred Beam: Focus the power of the two stars into a condensed beam of pure hatred that can bypass almost any defense.]

[Three Stars: ???]

[Four Stars: ???]

[Five Stars: ???]

---

’Perfect,’ Sam thought, smiling faintly as he ducked under an [Abyssal Dive] that shattered the ground behind him in a violent explosion, ’I guess it’s finally time to end this.’

Watching Varkhaz struggle with everything he had almost made Sam feel pity.

They always tried so hard to kill him. And every time, they had every advantage. Yet they still failed.

"The only reason you’re still alive is because of that cursed [Determination]!" Varkhaz howled, lashing out again and again. "WITHOUT IT, YOU’RE NOTHING!"

Sam’s eyes narrowed. That kind of logic was laughable.

"That’s my ability," he shot back, eyes glowing brighter. "I could say the same about you: without that abyss of yours, you’re nothing."

"IT’S NOT THE SAME!" Varkhaz was moving faster now, pressing forward with relentless aggression, "DETERMINATION IS... FUCK!"

He cut himself off mid-sentence, eyes widening as he glanced upward.

Sam followed his gaze. But there was nothing in the sky. Just a vast, endless void.

’What is he looking at?’

Fwish! Fwish!

’I don’t know exactly how [Hatred Beam] works, but if it’s a beam... I probably need to be accurate.’

Sam deflected a few more wild slashes while his thoughts raced.

’I can’t afford to miss. That means I’ll have to use it.’

By "it," he meant the third and final ability he had learned back during his training in the [Dimension of Time], the one tied to [Tendrils of Oblivion].

Sam took a deep breath. And then... he focused.

PRIMORDIAL TENDRIL!

With a powerful thrust, he aimed his primordial sword forward.

And from its tip, a single, massive tendril burst forth.

It was formed from his crimson aura, pulsing with the combined might of his affinities.

The tendril tore through the air and launched straight at the Forsaken Lord.

"You think this will stop me?" Varkhaz roared, eyes full of fury. "FUTILE!"

He raised his claws, prepared to cleave the tendril in half.

But then...

Fwish!

The [Forsaken Clone] appeared behind him in a flash and drove its blade into his back.

"ARGH...!?"

Varkhaz twisted around in disbelief and immediately retaliated, slashing the clone apart in a single move.

Its [Eternal Barrier] had already broken, so the clone was instantly destroyed.

But it didn’t matter. That one moment of distraction was all Sam needed.

The massive crimson tendril coiled around Varkhaz’s body and squeezed tight.

He struggled, roaring and writhing, but it was no use.

This tendril was formed from Sam’s entire will, his rage, and his boundless determination.

There was no breaking it. Not in time.

Sam’s eyes locked onto his enemy.

And then—

HATRED BEAM!

He activated the second ability of [Stars of Hatred].

The two orbiting stars around him suddenly shot upward, floating above his head.

They slowly began to revolve around each other, drawing closer and closer with every passing second.

And then, they touched. The two stars merged, creating a dense crimson orb that radiated a terrifying pressure.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The orb expanded with each explosive pulse of hatred, swelling in size until it rivaled the [Abyss Meteor] from earlier.

A monstrous 50-meter sphere of condensed hatred.

Varkhaz thrashed wildly, trying everything to break free. But it was pointless.

The tendril held him still. Sam’s eyes gleamed.

He raised his sword and pointed directly at the bound forsaken lord.

"Goodbye."

BOOOOOOOM!

A cataclysmic beam burst forth from the orb. It was pure hatred, condensed into a single destructive force.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Varkhaz screamed.

For a moment, his own [Determination] spiked.

It gave him just enough strength to tear through the tendril and throw himself out of the way, but not completely.

He couldn’t fully escape. Half of his body was still caught in the beam.

And in the blink of an eye, that half was obliterated.

The beam tore across the abyss, lighting it up in a blinding flash.

Even the hundreds of monsters in the distance stopped moving.

Those that were in the way of the move were killed too, while the rest were stunned.

When the beam finally faded, only silence remained.

Sam stepped forward.

Varkhaz lay crumpled on the ground, his body mangled, half of it reduced to ash.

He was barely breathing. His voice was faint.

"Hah..." He coughed up black blood from his massive mouth, "They’re... not watching anymore... they’ve forsaken me..."

"Who?" Sam asked, pointing his blade at his throat.

Varkhaz chuckled bitterly.

"Haha... I’m not saying... because one day... one of them will kill you..."

"Okay."

Fwish! Slash!

Sam swung his sword in one clean motion.

Varkhaz’s head was severed. The fight was over.

And then—

Ding!

[Congratulations to "Sam Walker" for being the first human in history to complete the "Sixth Layer" and killing the Layer Boss: Varkhaz, The Abyss Lord.]