From the sky descended countless black shadows, accompanied by endless wailing. They were twisted corpses of Great Dragons, humans wrapped in white cloth, broken white statues, and even entire mountains. Torrents of water poured out from a Rift, murky seawater mixed with mud and weeds cascading down like a waterfall.
Ash-green vines streaked with blood rushed forward like hunting dogs. Souls, faith, and flesh from the outside world were devoured, barely enough to fill the mouth of this starving mad god. In this space, vines covered in eyes, limbs, and organs visibly consumed mountain-sized masses of matter.
Some vines, unable to get nutrients, began tearing at the surrounding space and even devouring themselves. From a massive dragon beast head formed by countless intertwined vines, a desperate roar rang out.
"Roar!"
The meaning was simple. Hungry. Even after swallowing billions of tons of mass, nearly a hundred thousand souls, faith from countless believers, and more monsters, the hunger was still not satisfied.
The body wrapped in twisted vines radiated a presence that could cause physical mutation and ecological assimilation just by being seen. Across one entire side was a terrifying blackened wound that continued to break down its body at a microscopic level, warping its original rules. It looked as if someone had carved out a huge scoop from ice cream.
Like a curse, it transmitted endless pain, humiliation, and rage, driving it to roar again.
"Enough. How long are we supposed to keep feeding this thing?"
The roaring dragonman demanded answers from an elderly man beside him. The man wore a pure white robe, held a staff, and emitted a faint glow. He only chuckled, opening eyes that were completely black.
"No need to rush. Demon King and the gods of the abyssal heavens will soon bring this angel back to the false hell of the present world. A divine decree will come."
"Hmph."
The dragonman exhaled sulfur-scented fire. Losing two Clones had made this body's temper even harder to control. He frowned darkly and said, "Even if it barely resists, the space I created cannot hold an existence like this for long."
"These chaotic rules are almost spreading to me. Damn it. I have my own plans. I have not fully devoured the Rust Iron Dragon's corpse yet. Tell them to hurry."
The space Laws he gained from devouring the Rust Iron Dragon was not enough to sustain this space for so long. The Silver Dragon was also about to appear, and he could not afford to stay here.
"I understand your difficulty, but who does not have their own troubles?" the old man replied. "Demon King seems to have new ideas and does not want to sit obediently on the throne. That gives me a headache too."
"The light of dawn still refuses to be used by me. It is troublesome."
Both of them hated the task of tending to this giant infant-like monster. It drained resources and wasted time. But this cursed job had been assigned by the abyssal gods, and to them, every surviving god in the present world was a valuable key.
They had no right to fall out yet. Not many were even qualified to become candidates for the Four Heavenly Kings or Demon King. The dragonman suddenly changed tone and grinned.
"You remember why I had to risk everything to move this thing back, right? Are you sure the gods' investment in this monster is enough to defeat that beast?"
Just a distant glance had made him feel pressure again. It had noticed his action instantly and injured the revived Crimson God with a single strike. Combined with the loss of that Clone whose consciousness was completely erased, that level of power was already terrifying.
Even if it did not match his true body, it was at least a being that had reached the holy domain and begun seeking the crimson path. In other words, a demigod.
"That may indeed be a demigod. I know that," the old man said calmly. "Aside from people like us, it is rare for anyone else to reach that level."
"Enough. Anyone who walks the crimson path deserves death, including us," the dragonman said coldly. "Tell me what the abyss plans to do, or I will start slacking."
"Aren't you the pope of the Holy Light Church? You should be familiar with serving gods, Elfido."
The dragonman casually dropped this explosive information, his face filled with mockery. The kindly old man stared at him with pitch-black eyes, then closed them slightly. The faint glow withdrew into his body, revealing his true nature.
It was not pure light, but an extreme reversal into blackness. The earlier effect was only light he had devoured and released. Now thick black mist coiled around him, and even his body became indistinct, shifting in size and shape.
A black Rift burst open, revealing a blood-red, ash-gray hell within. Countless strands of chaotic madness intertwined inside, and touching even a trace would cause endless mutations. The dragonman had already retreated far away, toward what was once the old world and was now called the abyss.
"This old man dares to contact those things so directly. He is even crazier than me."
He knew anyone who stepped onto the path of godhood was either mad or worse. But this old man had started as an ordinary mortal and still dared to face the gods directly. That was insanity.
"Heh... hahaha!"
Mad laughter and overlapping whispers spilled from the black mist. When it dispersed, the old man returned to his gentle appearance and spoke slowly.
"This time, the gods' investment is truly generous."
"My lord, the gods plan to work together to tear open an abyssal Rift in the present world!"
The dragonman's eyes widened. He knew exactly what an abyssal Rift meant. To put it simply, it would connect directly to the abyss.
The abyssal gods could then send power through it. Supporting a nearly fallen, mindless, authority-less kin would be easy. "Heh, I see," the dragonman laughed. "They think a beast like this is easier to control?"
He showed a ferocious grin, greed flashing in his eyes. That demigod-level existence was also a dragon. "Not surprising. That is exactly the kind of thing the gods would do."
Both of them relaxed, laughing together in a strange harmony. With the power of the abyssal gods behind it, that monster would be among the strongest single combatants on the continent. Victory was already decided.
Absolutely. It would win.
"Just like this… and add a little more…"
Lilith worked with extreme care, letting Magic seep into a Brass Alchemical Vessel that had been shaped to resemble Nanometal. The glow of Magic and gathered elements shimmered around her, fitting the usual swords-and-Magic look of this world, except for the very high-tech Electronic Display sitting nearby. The new things Bella had brought were things Lilith learned quickly, but when it came to making other items like Potion or her own Magic Staff, she still preferred her old familiar tools.
"It's almost done… once I finish carving this part, the new Magic Staff will be ready…"
Lilith struggled a bit while operating the device Bella called a Lithography Machine. It was extremely precise, but it still felt awkward in her hands. Just as she reached a critical moment, the lights in the lab flickered wildly, and the hairs on her back stood up, static even crackling through her seaweed-like long hair.
A high-powered device known as Electromagnetic Pulse happened to pass by.
The data on the nearby Electronic Display went chaotic, then turned into static, and finally went completely black. Lilith stared wide-eyed at her Magic Staff. "No…!"
She watched helplessly as the newly repaired Magic Staff twitched violently, like it was dying, its delicate circuits burning out and releasing black smoke. The staff she had just managed to make usable was now completely ruined. The once-beautiful patterns were burned into a charred mess, no better than a fire poker.
"…"
Lilith fell silent for a moment, her face darkening, then grabbed the ruined Magic Staff and rushed out without a word. Hunting Time!
"I'm telling you, that was just a small accident… there was a reason for it!"
The staff flew, shadows followed. A single Magic Staff was swung with the bearing of a Monk, and even Bella's metal head rang loudly when struck, full of force. Ever since Lilith realized that hitting Bella's head actually hurt, she deliberately used less strength, though she made up for it by hitting more often.
In the end, after forcing Bella to apologize to the Magic Staff, Lilith looked at the completely ruined staff in her hand. Her expression grew even darker, but she only sighed. "What are you two messing with this time? If something like this is going to happen again, tell me in advance… sigh."
The metal equipment on Belial had already been turned into scrap by powerful currents and magnetic fields, scattered on the ground. He cracked seeds and watched the show like it was entertainment. Seeing Miss Witch holding the charred stick, he roughly understood what had happened.