《RAGE OF FURY》 Born to Be Broken The classroom buzzed with quiet murmurs as the teacher droned on, his voice blending with the rhythmic ticking of the clock. Afternoon light streamed through the windows, casting golden streaks across Fury¡¯s desk. He barely heard a word. His crimson eyes stared blankly at the open textbook in front of him. Words blurred together. Numbers, formulas, mana flow charts¡ªit didn¡¯t matter. Not to him. Not to someone without magic. His fingers curled into a fist under the desk. Magic was everything in this world. It determined status, power, worth. Those who had it became warriors, scholars, legends. Those who didn¡¯t¡­ were nothing. Fury knew that better than anyone. He shifted his gaze, glancing at the students around him. Most were focused, eager to master their abilities. Some whispered spells under their breath, their fingertips glowing faintly with elemental energy. He was the only one whose hands remained dull and lifeless. A sharp voice cut through his thoughts. "Alright, class," Mr. Hayashi said, pushing up his glasses. "Before we end today''s lesson, let¡¯s review combat theory. Who can explain the fundamentals of mana control in battle?" A few hands shot up. Fury knew the answer. He had studied it a thousand times. But no matter how much knowledge he had, he could never apply it. Because magicless students didn¡¯t belong in battle. "Reo," the teacher called on a student near the front. A tall boy with jet-black hair and sharp golden eyes stood up. Reo Daisuke. Fury¡¯s only friend. "The key to combat is mana circulation," Reo said confidently. "A strong fighter enhances their physical body with magic to surpass human limits. Speed, strength, reflexes¡ªit all depends on mana flow." Fury¡¯s grip tightened. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I surpass human limits without magic. But no one cared about that. Reo continued. "A person without mana can¡¯t hope to compete with even a novice mage. They''re too weak." Fury sighed. He knew Reo didn¡¯t mean it as an insult, but the truth always stung. The class nodded in agreement. The lesson moved on. Fury stayed silent. After class Fury waited for the others to leave before standing. But before he could take a step¡ª A hand grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, freak." Fury sighed. He already knew who it was. Jake. The same routine. Every day. "You looked real deep in thought during class," Jake said, smirking. His friends snickered behind him. "Oh, wait¡ªyou don¡¯t need to think, do you? No magic, no future, no point in trying." Fury didn¡¯t react. Jake hated that. His smirk twitched. "Tch. You really think ignoring me is gonna work?" The punch came fast. But Fury was faster. His body moved on instinct, shifting slightly to the side. Jake¡¯s fist cut through the empty air where his face had been a second ago. The lackeys blinked in surprise. Jake scowled. "You little¡ª" He swung again. Fury stepped back. Another punch¡ªhe dodged with a slight tilt of his head. A kick¡ªhe sidestepped with ease. Every attack missed by inches. To the untrained eye, it looked like luck. To Fury, it was practice. Years of avoiding punches. Years of knowing he could win a fight but never throwing a single hit. Because if he did¡­ If he beat them, it would only make things worse. "Stay still, damn it!" Jake growled, lunging again. Fury sighed. He¡¯s getting slow. His foot slid back, shifting his weight just enough to let Jake¡¯s momentum carry him forward. He hooked a foot behind Jake¡¯s ankle¡ª Thud. Jake hit the ground face-first. The classroom fell silent. Even Fury hadn¡¯t expected him to fall so easily. For the first time, Jake hesitated before getting up. He clenched his fists but didn¡¯t move. His eyes flickered with something unfamiliar. Annoyance. Confusion. Fear? Fury turned away. "We¡¯re done here." He walked past them, stepping into the hallway. But Jake¡¯s voice stopped him. "You think you¡¯re fast, huh?" Fury tensed. He had made a mistake. A spark crackled in the air. "Let¡¯s see you dodge this, freak!" Before Fury could react, a blast of electricity shot toward him. Lightning Magic. The force hit his back, pain exploding through his body as he was thrown forward, crashing into the wall. His breath caught. His muscles seized, his limbs locking up from the shock. Laughter filled the room. "You really thought you could win?" Jake sneered, walking toward him. The faint blue glow of magic flickered around his hands. "You¡¯re nothing, Fury. Always have been." Fury gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up. But his body refused to listen. Jake knelt beside him, voice low. "You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t want to kill you. Yet." The magic faded. The pain lingered. Fury clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms. He wasn¡¯t weak. He wasn¡¯t. He had trained harder than anyone. His body was stronger, faster. But in a world of magic¡ªraw talent meant nothing. He bit the inside of his cheek as Jake and his friends walked away, their laughter echoing down the hall. A hand suddenly appeared in front of him. "Still getting yourself into trouble?" Fury looked up. Reo. Unlike the others, his expression wasn¡¯t mocking. Just¡­ tired. Fury hesitated before taking his hand. "You really need to stop letting them get to you," Reo muttered as he pulled him up. Fury dusted off his uniform. "Didn¡¯t exactly have a choice." Reo sighed. "I don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re faster than them. Stronger. So why do you keep letting them win?" Fury didn¡¯t answer. Because he didn¡¯t know. Because deep down¡ªhe was afraid of what would happen if he did fight back. Reo shook his head. "Come on. Let¡¯s get out of here before Jake decides he¡¯s not done with you yet." Fury nodded, following his fri end down the hall. But as he walked, a thought lingered in his mind. I¡¯m not weak. Then why does it feel like I¡¯ll always lose? And for the first time¡­ That thought didn¡¯t fade away. Stare into the abyss The bruises still ached as Fury walked alongside Reo, their steps echoing through the now-empty school hallways. The last of the students had left, the evening sun casting long shadows against the walls. The cool air from an open window carried the distant sounds of the city, a stark contrast to the silence between them. Reo glanced at him, frowning. ¡°You should¡¯ve dodged that.¡± Fury exhaled through his nose. ¡°I did.¡± Reo snorted. ¡°You did not. You dodged the punch, sure, but you let Jake fry you like some rookie who¡¯s never seen magic before.¡± Fury clenched his fists but didn¡¯t respond. He should have dodged. But deep down, he knew it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. Against magic, dodging was meaningless. Reo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°You know, one day I won¡¯t be there to pull your half-dead body off the ground.¡± Fury smirked. ¡°You¡¯re not that reliable.¡± Reo rolled his eyes. ¡°Says the guy who gets his ass handed to him daily.¡± They stepped out of the school, the sky now painted in hues of orange and violet. The streetlights flickered to life as the last traces of daylight faded. Reo shoved his hands into his pockets. ¡°So, heading home?¡± Fury hesitated. The thought of going back to that silent, empty house made his stomach twist. He could already picture it¡ªthe flickering ceiling light, the cold dinner left on the counter, the distant murmurs of his foster parents behind closed doors. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I think I¡¯ll train for a bit,¡± he muttered. Reo gave him a look but didn¡¯t push. ¡°Just don¡¯t get yourself killed,¡± he said before turning down his street. Fury stood there for a moment, watching his friend disappear into the distance. Then, with a quiet breath, he turned in the opposite direction¡ªtoward the abandoned lot. The Abandoned Lot A forgotten construction site at the edge of town. Rusted fences. Cracked concrete. The skeleton of an unfinished building standing against the night sky. Fury dropped his bag onto the ground and rolled his shoulders. His muscles were sore, his body aching, but pain was nothing new. He took a deep breath, grounding himself. Then he moved. He darted forward, weaving through imaginary attacks, his body a blur. His fists cut through the air, each strike landing with precision. His speed, his strength¡ªthese were the only things he had. If magic was out of his reach, he had to be faster. Stronger. He launched into a sprint, his feet barely touching the ground. A sharp turn¡ªhe spun, dodging an invisible enemy. His instincts guided him, honed from years of practice. He could feel it¡ªthe rhythm of battle. The flow of combat. Fury leaped, twisting mid-air¡ª And then¡ª The world shifted. A pulse. A snap. Like a thread unraveling. The air around him shuddered. A force¡ªsomething¡ªwrapped around his body, pulling, twisting¡ª Then¡ª Silence. The Void Fury¡¯s eyes snapped open. His breath hitched. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. He was¡­ falling. An endless white abyss surrounded him, stretching infinitely in every direction. There was no ground. No sky. No walls. Just emptiness. His body plummeted, weightless, stomach twisting. He reached out instinctively¡ª Where am I?! The wind¡ªno, there wasn¡¯t wind. There was nothing. And yet, the sensation of falling was real. His mind screamed at him to wake up, to move, but there was nowhere to go. The emptiness swallowed him. Then¡ª Impact. A force slammed him down onto¡­ something. An invisible surface. Pain jolted through his limbs, but there was no floor. No texture. Just existence. Fury gasped for breath, his hands gripping the unseen ground beneath him. His fingers curled against nothingness, yet he felt resistance. His pulse was frantic, his body shaking. He scrambled up, heart pounding. "What¡­ the hell¡­" His voice was swallowed by the void. No echoes. Just silence. He turned, but there was nothing. No landmarks. No horizon. Just the infinite stretch of nothing. A creeping dread slithered into his chest. Where¡­ is this? A low growl shattered the silence. Fury¡¯s body snapped into motion. His instincts screamed. His hand shot to his katana¡ª From the emptiness, something moved. A shape crawled into view. Twisted, wrong, shifting like a shadow given form. Its body was vaguely humanoid, but its limbs were jagged, unnatural. And its eyes¡ª Sickly yellow. Glowing. Watching him. Fury¡¯s grip tightened on his weapon. His breath came in sharp gasps. Then the creature lunged. Decent into madness Fury didn¡¯t know how long he had been here. The endless void around him stretched infinitely, neither light nor darkness, just an empty, suffocating nothingness. There was no sun, no moon, no horizon. Only the cold, unfeeling abyss. His fingers tightened around his katana. His body ached, his breath was uneven, but exhaustion never fully set in. His wounds¡ªno matter how deep¡ªalways healed within moments. His hunger and thirst had vanished. It was unnatural. The creatures came in waves. They had no set form, shifting between grotesque beasts and shadowy, humanoid figures. Some had burning golden eyes, others dripped with a black, tar-like substance that sizzled against the invisible ground. They attacked relentlessly, and Fury had no choice but to fight. At first, it was survival. Then, it became something else. Because each time he struck one down¡­ something changed. It had started with the first kill. As the creature dissolved into shimmering particles, something had burned in his mind. A sharp, searing sensation that forced knowledge into his brain. New Skill Acquired: Telekinesis. The words weren¡¯t spoken, yet they rang in his skull like a declaration from an unseen god. He had been too dazed to react at first. Then, as if by instinct, he had reached for his katana¡ªwithout using his hands. And it moved. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The weapon floated off the ground, weightless, obedient to his will. It had taken him a moment to believe it, but there was no denying it. He had gained a power that wasn¡¯t his. At first, he thought it was a fluke. But then, more creatures came, and with each kill, the burning sensation returned. More knowledge flooded his mind, more instincts that weren¡¯t his own. Enhanced Vision Acquired. Heightened Reflexes Acquired. Poison Resistance Acquired. Predator¡¯s Step Acquired. The list grew. His body moved faster, stronger. His sight sharpened, his instincts screamed warnings before an enemy even attacked. He could sense danger before it arrived, react before his mind fully registered the threat. It was exhilarating. It was terrifying. He had done nothing to earn these powers. They were simply¡­ taken. And that was what scared him most. Fury stood in the emptiness, staring down at his hands. They were steady, powerful. Too powerful. He flexed his fingers, watching the faint glow of energy pulse beneath his skin. He could feel the abilities coursing through him. This wasn¡¯t natural growth. It was something else. Something far more disturbing. A low growl echoed in the distance. Fury snapped his head up. Another beast. This one was different. It stood taller than the others, its body layered in obsidian-like scales. Golden eyes burned with something almost intelligent. Fury took a slow breath, rolling his shoulders. His katana hovered beside him, controlled entirely by his mind. ¡°Alright,¡± he muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got.¡± The beast lunged, faster than the others. Fury dodged effortlessly. He didn¡¯t even think about it¡ªhis body moved on its own, perfectly timed, perfectly precise. He was getting used to this. Too used to it. The beast twisted mid-air, its massive claw swiping towards him. Fury raised his katana, the blade moving with his will. The steel met flesh. SLASH. The beast¡¯s head fell before its body even hit the ground. The moment it dissolved, the burning sensation returned. Fury clenched his jaw, bracing for the knowledge that was about to be forcefully implanted in his mind. New Skill Acquired: Nightstalker¡¯s Instincts. His breathing hitched. Another ability. Another piece of something that wasn¡¯t his own. He staggered back, gripping his forehead. No. No, this isn¡¯t normal. His body trembled¡ªnot from exhaustion, but from something else. Something deeper. A twisted chuckle escaped his lips. A laugh that didn¡¯t feel like his own. His skills, his strength, his speed¡­ all of it was stolen. He didn¡¯t earn anything. He took it. A shiver ran down his spine. The void felt colder than before. The silence heavier. Fury exhaled, forcing himself to stand tall. There was no escape, no exit, no sky. He didn¡¯t even know how long he had been here. Hours? Days? Years? The only certainty was this: If he kept fighting, he would keep changing. Broken and beyond Fury had long since stopped counting the years. In this abyss, time had no meaning. His body never aged. His hunger never came. His thirst never gnawed at him. All that existed was the void, the endless battles, and the unrelenting march forward into an eternity of bloodshed. At first, he had fought for survival. Then, he fought for strength. Now, he fought simply because there was nothing else. He had lost track of how many creatures he had slain. Thousands? Millions? The abyss had thrown every nightmare imaginable at him. And he had cut them all down. He no longer questioned why he was here. He no longer cared. Fury stood, katana in hand, his crimson eyes burning like molten embers. His cloak, once pristine, was now shredded and stained with the remnants of those he had killed. His presence was no longer that of a mere human. He had become something else. Something monstrous. Then, the air shifted. Fury tensed. The void around him trembled. A suffocating pressure descended upon the abyss, so thick it felt as if the very concept of movement had been erased. He knew this feeling. The sensation of death looming just out of reach. A predator had arrived. A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the darkness. Then¡ªit appeared. A creature unlike any Fury had ever seen. Towering at least fifty feet tall, its form was jagged and twisted, like an amalgamation of shattered time itself. Its body flickered between existence and nothingness, shifting between states that defied reality. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Its eyes¡ªtwo orbs of silver¡ªheld no hunger. No rage. No emotion. Only an unfathomable stillness. Fury''s grip on his katana tightened. His instincts screamed at him. This was different. This was not an enemy he could just overpower. Then¡ª Everything stopped. The weight of his blade vanished. The faint sound of his own breathing disappeared. His heartbeat ceased. The world became motionless, frozen in time itself. Fury''s mind screamed at him to move, to react¡ªbut his body refused to obey. The beast didn''t move like the others. It didn''t charge at him with primal rage. It simply walked. Slowly. Methodically. Step by step, as if it had all the time in the universe. Because it did. Fury realized the horrifying truth. This creature wasn''t just using time. It existed outside of it. It had never needed to pause and resume time. It simply was. It could move freely while everything else was trapped in the endless void of stillness. A flicker of movement. The beast¡¯s claw descended. Fury could do nothing as it tore into him. Pain erupted across his chest. Blood sprayed into the air, but even that crimson mist froze in place. His body was ripped apart at a speed his mind couldn¡¯t even comprehend. But he didn''t die. He was still aware. Trapped in a frozen second. Then¡ªtime resumed. The agony hit him all at once. Fury lurched backward, gasping for air, his katana barely keeping him upright. His cloak was in tatters. His body was torn open, blood seeping from wounds that hadn''t even registered until now. He exhaled, steadying himself. The beast tilted its head. Watching. Waiting. Fury gritted his teeth, wiping the blood from his mouth. So that¡¯s how it was. It wasn¡¯t stopping time. It was removing him from time itself. His grip on his katana tightened. "You¡¯re a real pain in the ass, you know that?" The beast didn''t respond. It simply took another step forward. And once again¡ª The world shattered. Fury''s instincts kicked in. He closed his eyes. Don¡¯t rely on sight. Feel it. Sense the shift in the air. His heart pounded. Even if he couldn''t move in frozen time¡ª There had to be something. Some opening. Some flaw. Then, he felt it. A single moment. A sliver of existence where he was not erased. It was brief. Smaller than a fraction of a second. But it was there. NOW! His katana whipped through the air¡ª SLASH! The beast roared for the first time. A deep gash tore across its obsidian chest. Its flickering form faltered. Fury landed, his breath heavy, a smirk creeping onto his lips. "Looks like you¡¯re not untouchable after all." The beast¡¯s silver eyes narrowed. Then¡ª The abyss collapsed. The very concept of time itself fractured. Fury''s vision distorted. He felt himself ripped apart across multiple frozen moments, his very existence stretched and shattered like glass. It was no longer just erasing time. It was breaking it. A force unlike anything Fury had ever faced crushed him. But he didn¡¯t stop. He refused to stop. His body moved. Faster. He cut through frozen seconds. Through erased time. Through the very void itself. The beast lashed out¡ª Fury dodged. It tried to erase him again¡ª Fury countered. His katana struck again. And again. And again. Then¡ª The final blow. A single, devastating strike that carved through the abyss. CRACK. The beast''s silver eyes dimmed. Its massive form crumbled. And just like all the others¡ªit dissolved into light. Fury knelt, katana resting on the unseen ground. His entire body trembled. Not from pain. Not from exhaustion. But from the sheer thrill of the fight. Then¡ª The burning sensation returned. His mind was engulfed in knowledge. His vision blurred. New Skill Acquired: Temporal Rift. His breath caught. The ability to bend time itself. A slow, dangerous grin spread across his lips. He lifted his hand¡ª And for the first time, the world around him¡­ stuttered. Fury exhaled. "Let¡¯s see how deep this hell goes." First brutality Fury stood in the abyss, his breath steady despite the weight pressing down on his shoulders. His body still ached from the battle, his wounds raw, but something was different now. Temporal Rift. The power still burned in his veins. It felt unnatural, like holding a blade with no hilt¡ªdangerous, unstable, yet undeniably his. He raised a hand, concentrating. The world around him trembled. The very air stuttered, flickering like a broken illusion. His perception sharpened, stretching across invisible lines that wove through the abyss. Time was no longer an enemy. It was his to manipulate. A smirk tugged at his lips. ¡°This might actually be fun.¡± Then¡ªthe abyss shifted. Fury¡¯s eyes snapped forward. A figure stood in the distance. Not a beast. Not another mindless creature spawned from this hell. A man. Draped in a long, flowing coat. Face hidden beneath a hood. But his presence¡ªit was suffocating. The air turned thick, like moving through a dream where nothing obeyed the laws of reality. Fury tightened his grip on his katana. ¡°Let me guess. You¡¯re the next nightmare I gotta cut down?¡± The figure didn¡¯t move. Then¡ªhe lifted a hand. A snap of fingers. The world stopped. Not like before. This time, even Fury¡¯s mind was paralyzed. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He could still think. Still process. But his body? It was locked. Not frozen in time. Not removed from existence. Just¡­ bound. Like invisible chains wrapped around every inch of him, tightening, restricting, holding him in place. The figure finally spoke. ¡°You have learned to walk through time¡¯s ripples.¡± His voice was cold. Hollow. As if spoken from another era entirely. ¡°But you are still bound by its chains.¡± Fury growled, forcing his body to move. Every muscle screamed in protest, but he refused to stay still. He pushed¡ªharder, deeper¡ªthrough the unseen bindings. His katana twitched. The chains cracked. The figure exhaled, almost¡­ amused. ¡°You are unlike the others.¡± Fury smirked, blood dripping from his lip. ¡°Yeah? Guess that makes two of us.¡± The world shattered. Fury moved. His katana flashed¡ª CLANG! The air itself fractured as the figure caught his blade with a single hand. Fury¡¯s eyes widened. His blade didn¡¯t sink. Didn¡¯t cut. It was as if time itself refused to let him land a hit. The figure leaned forward. ¡°You are not ready.¡± Then¡ªhe vanished. Not teleported. Not blurred away. Just ceased to exist. For a single heartbeat, Fury stood still. Then rage erupted inside him. "NO! YOU¡¯RE NOT LEAVING!" His eyes burned crimson. His breath turned ragged. Power surged through his veins. BOOM. The air around him fractured. His blood boiled. Every muscle in his body tensed as something deep inside him¡ªsomething primal, something furious¡ªsnapped. Fury disappeared. No, he didn¡¯t teleport. He moved. Faster than sound, faster than thought¡ªfaster than reality itself could process. The very air behind him detonated, shockwaves rippling across the abyss. And then¡ª CRACK. His fist slammed into the empty void, colliding with something. SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN¡¯T BE THERE. The fabric of space shattered. A ripple tore through the Training Realm as a form was forcibly yanked back into existence. The mysterious figure, the one who had dared to disappear¡ªwas back. And he was sent flying. The shockwave ripped through the abyss. Fury¡¯s punch had ignored the concept of distance. His fist had found his enemy even across dimensions and sent him rocketing through the void at impossible speeds. The man couldn¡¯t react. The force of the hit twisted the very laws of time around him, distorting reality itself. Fury wasn¡¯t done. He vanished again. The air screamed in protest as he reappeared above his opponent. His katana was gone. He didn¡¯t need it. He clenched his fists. "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST RUN?!" Another punch. BOOM! The impact bent the abyss itself. The figure was smashed downward, spiraling, as shockwaves erased everything in their path. He crashed. The ground¡ªif it even existed¡ªcratered. Fury landed, standing over his opponent. His breath came in sharp, ragged bursts. His fists were steaming from the sheer force of his attacks. The figure coughed. He lifted his head slightly, revealing a sliver of his face beneath the hood. Blood trickled down his mouth. He smiled. "You are¡­ beyond reason," he whispered. Fury cracked his knuckles. "You have no idea. His fingers curled, veins pulsing with unchecked wrath. His hand shot forward, gripping the man¡¯s face. The figure''s eyes widened. A flicker of fear. For the first time, he realized¡ªthis wasn¡¯t just anger. This was destruction incarnate. Fury¡¯s grip tightened. CRACK. Bone fractured. The Training Realm itself shuddered as pure force surged through Fury¡¯s arm. The air collapsed inward, crushed by the sheer power of his rage. "Wait¡ª" Fury ripped. SCHLICK. Blood sprayed in a violent arc as he tore the man¡¯s head from his shoulders. Flesh and sinew snapped, severed with brutal finality. The body collapsed¡ªlifeless, motionless. Silence. The head still twitched in his grasp, eyes frozen in shock. The once-powerful being, the one who dared manipulate time itself¡ªwas dead. Fury stared at the blood dripping from his fingers. His heartbeat slowed. The abyss around him, once endless and indifferent, now felt different. Darker. The air seemed heavy. Reality trembled, whispering something he couldn''t yet understand. Then, the body began to dissolve. But unlike before¡ªit didn¡¯t fade into dust. It sank. Sank into the abyss like it was being¡­ devoured. Fury narrowed his eyes. Something else was watching. Something older. Something worse. His grip on the severed head tightened. Death felt fear A decade had passed in the abyss. Not ten years of peace. Not ten years of growth. Ten years of war. Fury had fought endlessly. He had evolved past exhaustion, past hunger, past weakness. His blade had tasted the flesh of monsters, demons, and beings beyond comprehension. He had butchered gods and devoured legends. But the one standing before him now... This was different. The Ancient Monarch of Death loomed over him like an executioner at the gallows. Shrouded in a cloak of absolute darkness, its skeletal form pulsed with an eerie, undying glow. Twin blue flames burned within its empty eye sockets, devoid of warmth, devoid of mercy. The abyss around them twisted and coiled, reacting to its mere presence. "Mortal." The Monarch¡¯s voice was not sound, but a force that scraped against the soul. "Your existence offends the balance. You do not belong in this realm." Fury rolled his shoulders, his katana resting lazily in his grip. His crimson eyes gleamed through the void, filled with nothing but contempt. "Yeah? You¡¯re not the first thing to say that." The Monarch moved. Fury¡¯s instincts screamed. A skeletal hand pierced his chest. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His breath caught. He looked down, eyes widening. The Monarch¡¯s bony fingers were inside his heart. Pain¡ªtrue pain¡ªexploded through his body. "Die." His vision faded. His limbs lost their strength. Then¡ªblackness. --- He was standing in a field. A vast, empty wasteland, stretching endlessly beneath a crimson sky. The air smelled of blood and decay. His hands trembled. He felt weak. Something moved. He turned. And saw himself. His own corpse. Pale. Lifeless. A body long since rotted away. A voice whispered in his ear. "This is where you end." His own decayed fingers reached for his throat¡ª --- Fury¡¯s eyes snapped open. His katana lashed out. CLANG! Steel met bone. The Monarch¡¯s skeletal hand reeled back, its fingers dripping with black mist. Fury staggered, clutching his chest. No wound. No hole. He was whole. But he had felt it. He had died. And yet, he was still here. The Monarch tilted its head. "You resist? Pointless." It raised a single finger. Hundreds of hands erupted from the void. Skeletal arms, rotten and deformed, clawed at Fury from every direction. Their touch was cold, suffocating¡ªeach one a fragment of death itself. Fury twisted, his katana flashing in the darkness. Slash. Tear. Destroy. The hands vanished. But more took their place. The Monarch was no mere brute. It was death incarnate. It did not fight with force. It fought with inevitability. Fury grit his teeth. "I don¡¯t give a damn what you are." His blade ignited. Not with fire. Not with magic. With rage. The air shook as he swung. The abyss itself split apart. The Monarch raised a hand¡ª TOO SLOW. Fury¡¯s fist crashed into its skull. BOOOOM! The Monarch lurched backward, its form flickering. Fury didn¡¯t stop. He was on it, his katana carving into its skeletal body, shattering ribs, ripping apart the darkness it was made of. For the first time, the Monarch felt pain. "Impossible..." The twin blue flames in its sockets flickered. Fury saw it. The tiniest glimmer of fear. He grabbed the Monarch by the throat. Reality itself bent in his grip. "You''re not sending me to hell." Fury¡¯s voice was low, guttural. "I am hell." His fingers crushed bone. The Monarch of Death let out a silent scream. And Fury ripped its head from its body. The abyss collapsed. The darkness vanished. And Fury stood alone¡ªthe only thing left standing. He exhaled. His katana dripped with black essence. The battle was over. But deep in the void, something watched. Something far worse