The battlefield was no longer stable.
The shadows had turned into something alive—shifting, pulsing, consuming.
No more solid ground.
No more safety.
And in the midst of it all, Batman stood his ground.
The Entity loomed before him, its formless body twisting like a vortex of nightmares.
> "You persist."
The voice echoed, ancient and hollow.
> "But will you endure?"
A new wave of darkness surged forward.
Faster.
More chaotic.
More relentless.
The Abyss itself had stopped testing him. It was trying to end him.
---
[Abyssal Trial – Final Phase]
---
Batman exhaled, lowering his stance.
He had seen this before.
Overwhelming force.
No escape.
No room to breathe.
But he was Batman.
And Batman did not break.
The first attack came—a massive cw of shadows striking downward.
He sidestepped, just in time for a second cw to rise from beneath.
A double attack.
Predictable.
Batman twisted his body, narrowly evading both.
But then—a third strike.
A trap.
No time to move.
The shadow spike shot forward—aimed directly for his heart.
---
[Instinct Override Activated]
---
His body moved before his mind could react.
He grabbed the tendril mid-air—redirecting the force.
The spike swerved, piercing through the ground instead of his chest.
A perfect counter.
For a brief moment, the battlefield paused.
The Entity hesitated.
Batman had done more than just survive.
He had learned.
And the Abyss recognized it.
> "You adapt faster than most."
The shadows began to retreat, folding into the Entity's form.
> "Perhaps... you are worthy."
A pulse of dark energy erupted from the ground—not an attack, but a gift.
Something changed within him.
---
[Abyssal Trial – Completed]
[New Ability Acquired: Shadow Affinity]
(You have gained partial control over Abyssal energy. The darkness will no longer consume you—now, you command it.)
---
The weight of the Abyss lifted.
The battlefield began to fade.
And before Batman could fully comprehend what had happened—
He was back. ---
