I Ascend Alone-Chapter 154: Everdeep Bastion Part VI

From where the black tendrils had vanished, the evolved orcs rose—not as footsoldiers, but as Sovereigns.

The Juggernaut stood first. Towering, plated in abyssal armor carved with runes that pulsed like slow heartbeats. A living fortress.

The Ravager followed by his form leaner, fiercer. Abyssal flame licked off twin cleavers fused to his forearms, his steps barely touching the ground.

And then the Hexcaller. Cloaked in darkness that seemed to bleed from his skin, void sigils orbiting his form in slow, controlled cadence. Eyes burning with cursed insight.

A system notice pulsed quietly behind my eyes:

-

[ System Notice ]

➤ Three Elite Abyssal Orcs have completed evolution.

➤ Titles Granted: Sovereign-Class Vanguard – Juggernaut | Ravager | Hexcaller

➤ Abyssal Synergy Established

➤ All Units Now Operate Under Sovereign Tier Field Influence

-

From my shadow, two familiar voices rose.

"Truly remarkable, Master," came Umbraezer's deep, echoing tone. "To mold Sovereigns from just ordinary soldier... you are unlike any master I have ever served."

"Indeed, My Liege," Vorathos added with a low hum of awe. "To raise such beings by will alone... you are worthy of far more than this dungeon."

Their voices faded back into the quiet hum of my shadow, but the weight of their praise lingered.

I glanced toward the portal to Floor 7.

And moved forward.

[ Everdeep Bastion – Floor 7 / 1000 ]Zone Designation: Gloomspire Sanctum

The portal hissed behind us as it sealed, swallowing the last sliver of light. Floor 7 was different. The air here was denser, vibrating with an unnatural hum that gnawed at the edges of perception.

The space was wide, a ruined cathedral submerged in a twilight void. Blackened pillars lined a shattered aisle, and shattered stained glass depicted battles long lost to time. No torches, no light, only the faint glow of abyssal mana leaking from fractured walls like blood from old wounds.

My steps echoed across the cracked stone. My Sovereigns followed without sound, Fenrir to my right, Juggernaut close behind, Ravager slinking in near silence, and Hexcaller trailing like a living shadow. Dusk Reaver stood to my left, greatsword humming faintly, the void singing through him.

Then I felt it.

Something moved—slowly, but vast. A presence that throbbed through the air like a second heartbeat. It wasn't hiding. It didn't need to.

A deep toll rang out—like a bell underwater—and the cathedral's far end warped.

A throne of flesh and metal rose from the floor.

And seated upon it...

-

[ System Notice ]

➤ Mini-Boss-Class Entity Detected

Name: Lutharax, the Grave-Warded Tyrant

Class: Undying War Herald (Sovereign-Tier – Mini Boss)

Attributes: Necrosteel Reinforcement, Anti-Magic Regeneration, Cursed Authority – Wailing Legion

Threat Level: Unidentified

State: Active — Engaged

-

The throne cracked as Lutharax stood. Armor like interlocked sarcophagi clanked with every motion, and rusted chains dragged behind him, each one ending in a shattered helm—trophies from countless fallen. His blade wasn't a weapon—it was a broken monolith, seeping black mist.

And then, he moved very fast..

The impact was instant.

CLANG—!!

Dusk Reaver blocked the first blow, both hands on his greatsword, legs grinding through the stone. Sparks flew as void clashed with cursed steel. The cathedral shook.

Ravager lunged to the left, vanishing in a blink of dark flame and slashing at the Tyrant's side—only for his blades to bounce off reinforced plates with a metallic shriek.

"Its armor's absorbing the impact!" Ravager growled, rolling to avoid a backhanded swing that obliterated a column in a single strike.

Juggernaut stepped in next, raising his shield and taking the Tyrant's next frontal charge. The stone beneath cracked outward like spiderwebs as the two collided. The force didn't budge Juggernaut, but it definitely tested his limits.

"Go for it." I ordered.

From the rear, Hexcaller raised his staff. Abyssal glyphs ignited around him, and he whispered in tongues no living being should've remembered. Cursed mist oozed toward Lutharax's feet, snaring his movement just enough for Fenrir to strike.

The Sovereign Warhound appeared above him, while fangs is glowing, claws coated in abyssal frost, and slammed onto the Tyrant's back with a deafening crash.

Lutharax didn't fall.

Instead, black energy erupted from his chest, throwing Fenrir back through a wall. The monster turned slowly, spine clicking, helm staring with glowing orange sockets.

And then six chains rose, each of them dragging a half-formed phantom, twisted and screaming.

"Lethal attack... incoming!" Vorathos warned from my shadow.

"This one is beyond the last few, my Lord," Umbraezer added, his voice heavy with consideration. "Even your summons must tread carefully."

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Chains covered in ghostly mist whipped through the air as Lutharax summoned the Wailing Legion—phantoms of fallen warriors, their twisted forms howling in pain and rage. They flew straight at us.

Fenrir moved first, leaping into the air and biting one of the phantoms in half. The spirit vanished in a flash of frost and black flame. Juggernaut raised his shield and took the brunt of another, his footing solid like a mountain.

But the third phantom went for Dusk Reaver.

He sliced it clean in one motion, but that moment of focus left him open.

Lutharax struck.

He appeared like a shadow and brought his sword down fast. Dusk Reaver tried to block—but the force was too much. His blade cracked. He was slammed into the floor, the impact shaking the whole room.

Then, Lutharax stabbed.

His cursed blade pierced straight through Dusk Reaver's chest.

[ System Notice ]

➤ Dusk Reaver has fallen

➤ Resurrection Protocol Initiated

➤ Mana Cost: 5.2% of Current Reserves