Alex closed his eyes, steadying his breath as he focused on the divine energy within him.
The last time he’d used [World Cleaver] was just a few hours ago during the [Judgment] of the dragons.
Back then, the experience had been intense, but manageable.
The first time he had ever used it, there was darkness in his mind at first.
But soon, it had faded, replaced by a blinding white light as he summoned the [Blade of Destiny].
But now… things were different.
Now, standing deep within the abyss, the darkness wasn’t fading.
It was suffocating.
The moment he shut his eyes, he felt it.
The overwhelming pull of the abyss pressing in from all sides.
It wasn’t just emptiness, it was alive.
Figures began to take shape within the shadows.
Their eyes glowed an eerie white, and their mouths stretched into grotesque, unnatural grins.
Whispers filled the void, low and broken, like a chorus of dying voices trying to cling to life.
They were the [Abyss Watchers].
Corrupted souls, former warriors and beings from different races, who had succumbed to the abyss.
Now, they were its servants, bound to the will of the god of the abyss.
Their role was to ensnare others, dragging them into madness, feeding the abyss with more lost souls.
Usually, they radiated confidence, relishing in their twisted power.
But now?
Now, they trembled.
They could feel it, the divine energy pulsing from within Alex.
It was foreign to them, something they couldn’t comprehend or fight against easily.
The shadows hissed, their distorted voices overlapping in a chaotic symphony.
S-StOp TrYInG… YoU CaNNoT Win… GiVeUp… DoN’t USe YoUR PoWErS!!!
But Alex didn’t listen.
He focused deeper, pushing past their noise.
His divine aura flared, and with each pulse, his mind cleared.
The swirling power of Destiny began to grow stronger inside him, burning away the encroaching shadows.
The [Abyss Watchers] recoiled, but they didn’t give up.
They clawed at the edges of his consciousness, desperate to drag him down.
But inside that suffocating darkness, a spark of light ignited.
A small, glowing orb appeared in the void, growing steadily brighter.
Within that light, the familiar shape of the [Blade of Destiny] began to materialize.
The shadows screamed louder, their whispers turning into maddened shrieks.
DOn’T UsE ThAT… LeT iT Go… YoU CAn’t WiN… GiVe UP… SToP! SToP!! DoN’T—
But Alex pressed on.
The darkness fought back harder, trying to snuff out the growing light.
The shadows writhed and twisted, but the small circle of illumination persisted.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
Alex reached out, his hand trembling slightly as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of the blade.
“You will…” he gritted his teeth, forcing the words out, “…DIE!”
The moment his hand gripped the blade, he felt a surge of confidence.
This was it. He had won.
But then… something changed.
The shadows stopped screaming.
Instead, their mouths twisted into wide, unsettling grins.
A chilling white aura leaked from their eyes and mouths.
And then, in a unified, horrifying whisper, they spoke:
ThE DarKneSs WoN.
“What?”
Alex’s eyes snapped open.
The connection with the [Blade of Destiny] remained, lingering at the edge of his consciousness, but his instincts screamed at him to pay attention to the real world.
He blinked, his surroundings coming into focus.
His undead skeletons stood around him, their weapons lowered as they always were when idle.
At first, he felt no alarm.
These were his summons, his loyal army.
They’d never betrayed him before.
But then… he noticed something.
The green fire that usually burned in their eye sockets had changed.
It was no longer the familiar vibrant green.
It was dark.
Pitch black.
“What is wrong with you—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the skeleton closest to him lunged forward.
The attack was swift.
The skeleton’s sword pierced through Alex’s neck from behind, the blade sliding in effortlessly.
“ARGH…”
Ding!
[You have been killed.]
[Thankfully, the “Blessing of the Fox Spirit” has saved your life.]
Alex gasped, his body jolting as the blessing activated, mending the fatal wound almost instantly.
His vision cleared just in time to see the skeleton withdrawing its blade, preparing for another strike.
Without hesitation, Alex spun around, his [Bleeding Dragon Claws] slashing through the skeleton’s skull.
The creature crumbled into pieces, shards of bone scattering across the ground.
“What the fuck?”
His mind raced.
Why were his summons attacking him?
The blessing had saved his life, but that didn’t explain what was happening.
The remaining skeletons began to move, their weapons raised, black flames flickering in their eyes.
‘This isn’t normal…’
Alex channeled his dark energy into his hands, preparing to unsummon the skeletons.
Usually, he could dismiss them with a simple command.
But when he tried…
[The undead warriors have been plagued by the darkness of the abyss. You have no control over them anymore.]
“Shit…”
Ninety-nine skeletons now surrounded him, the one he’d just destroyed lying in pieces at his feet.
Instinctively, he tried to summon another [Undead Skeleton] to replace it.
His limit was a hundred, and he hoped maybe a fresh summon wouldn’t be affected.
“Rise,” he commanded, his voice steady despite the chaos.
The ground trembled slightly, and a skeleton clawed its way up from the earth.
For a brief second, everything seemed fine.
But then… the green orbs in its eyes flickered once, and turned black.
The newly summoned skeleton immediately turned on him, swinging its weapon.
Alex was ready this time.
He shattered the skeleton before it could get close, his claws tearing through bone like paper.
His mind raced.
If his summons were instantly corrupted by the abyss, he couldn’t rely on them.
But then… something clicked.
Why hadn’t his instincts warned him against summoning them in the first place?
‘Wait…’ Alex’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. ‘If these skeletons are now considered [Abyss Monsters]…’
That meant…
He could collect [Abyss Fragments] from them.
Fragments he needed to craft the [Abyss Key].
Was that why his instincts hadn’t sounded the alarm? Were they nudging him to let this happen, so he could harvest the fragments later?
The thought was… intriguing.
Still, that didn’t change his immediate problem.
He had to survive first.
Alex braced himself, his claws glowing with dark energy.
All Elements Fox Spirits!
He prepared to summon his fox spirits for support.
But something held him back.
A nagging doubt crept into his mind.
‘Just one,’ he decided.
He summoned a single [Fire Fox Spirit], watching carefully as the creature materialized in front of him.
At first, everything seemed normal.
The fox’s body shimmered with vibrant orange and red flames, its eyes gleaming with loyalty.
‘Alright,’ Alex thought, a hint of relief washing over him. ‘I can summon more.’
But the moment he prepared to summon another…
The [Fire Fox Spirit]’s flames darkened.
The vibrant colors faded, replaced by an ominous black hue that spread across its entire body.
“Huh?”
[Fire Fox Spirit is plagued by the darkness of the abyss.]
“OH COME ON!”
Without hesitation, Alex slashed at the fox, his claws tearing through it before it could turn on him.
The creature let out a distorted, unnatural shriek before disintegrating into shadows.
This confirmed it.
He couldn’t use any summons in the abyss.
The corruption was too strong, twisting everything he brought forth. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire
The longer he stayed here, the more dangerous it became.
But there was no turning back now.
Alex steeled himself, his gaze locking onto the advancing skeleton warriors.
They were weaker than him, each one only had half his stats, but a single well-placed strike, like the one that had pierced his neck, could still kill him.
He checked his resources.
[Destiny Points: 25/150]
Using [World Cleaver] without fully summoning the [Blade of Destiny Wielder] meant he couldn’t cancel it.
These points were all he had to work with.
He needed to be careful.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed above him.
“The abyss is wretched, daring to control our warriors.”
Alex glanced up, spotting the imposing figure of the [Undead King], hovering just above the battlefield.
“I’ll help you,” the king continued, his voice laced with disdain. “I dislike seeing our kind in such a state.”
“Alright,” Alex nodded, his tension easing slightly.
It seemed the [Undead King] was immune to the abyss’s corruption.
That was a bonus.
With his ally by his side, Alex prepared for the fight ahead.
The abyss had made its move.
Now it was his turn.