In the Eighth Abyss, the battlefield was silent. Rescue teams combed through the wreckage, tending to the wounded and recovering the remains of the fallen.
Death, on this battlefield, was a great equalizer, regardless of one’s strength in life.
Among the dead were Nine-Star Lords and One-Star Chiefs alike.
In the previous Blood Wars, centuries ago, there had been no human soldiers or generals among the casualties…
Only the gaping wounds in the earth remained, a silent testament to the ferocity of the battles.
The Abyss, dormant for so long, had bared its fangs once more.
A heavy silence hung over the survivors, a weight pressing down on their hearts.
After the Eighth Abyss was attacked, the Nightmare Corps and the Valor Sword Corps, two of humanity’s most elite forces, had been deployed.
Led by Maxen, they had fought valiantly, reclaiming a portion of the front line and repelling the demon onslaught, but at a heavy cost. They were now regrouping, licking their wounds.
In the darkness, countless crimson eyes watched, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Everyone knew that the demon army’s retreat was merely a prelude to the next wave of attacks.
A portal opened silently, and a shadowy figure emerged.
The human Lord guarding the perimeter, recognizing the black armband on the newcomer’s left arm, didn’t question his identity. He simply nodded, pointing him in the right direction.
The young man in black walked unhindered, reaching the front line, the site of the most brutal fighting.
A burly man sat there, drinking.
He turned, a wry smile twisting his lips.
“You made it.”
Maxen wasn’t surprised to see Thor.
It would have been more surprising if he hadn’t come.
Mike nodded. “Yeah.”
He looked towards the horizon, at the demon creatures stirring beneath the dark clouds. [Demon creatures corrupted by the Supreme Abyssal. Their strength has increased tenfold.] [Level 990, Level 991, Level 990…]
A string of red numbers appeared before Mike’s eyes, sending a chill down his spine.
The demon army concealed a terrifying number of level 990+ demon creatures!
The sheer number of high-level enemies was overwhelming.
Mike had witnessed the might of a demon army in the Ninth Abyss.
But back then, although the Ninth Demon God had deliberately held back, there hadn’t been any particularly powerful demon creatures.
These corrupted creatures, however, were far stronger, their ranks bolstered by a group of incredibly dangerous Quasi-God level demons.
Maxen, seeing Mike’s concern, tried to smile, but the effort seemed to pain him.
“The Supreme Demon God… my godfathers did their best, but they couldn’t hold him back.”
For a long time, humanity had thrived under the protection of their Supreme Beings. Many had forgotten one crucial fact:
The demon race… also had a Supreme Being.
And based on past encounters, the Supreme Demon God was stronger than any human Supreme Being.
Even the slightest movement from him, as he slowly awakened from his slumber, could spell disaster for humanity.
From another perspective, the Supreme Demon God had remained dormant, even during his encounters with two human Supreme Beings.
He hadn’t felt threatened.
To him, the deaths of Abyssal demons and Demon Gods were insignificant.
His priority was to recover his strength within his seal.
But after three hundred years, the human Supreme Being, Apollo, had proven to be a formidable opponent. And the potential of the new potential Supreme Being, Thor, was immense…
The situation had changed.
The Supreme Demon God could no longer afford to remain dormant. He had to act.
And Ares was currently battling in the Seventh Abyss.
“What’s the plan?” Mike asked, choosing not to dwell on Maxen’s words.
He had authority over the Guardian Shadow, but when it came to major strategic decisions, he was still too inexperienced, more of an observer than a decision-maker.
“We have to abandon this front line. We can’t hold it. Even if we could, it would be a liability.” Maxen knew more than Mike.
“We reclaimed the front line to disrupt the demon army’s advance and recover the remains of our fallen comrades. Once that’s done, the two corps led by Morpheus and Ares will withdraw from the Eighth Abyss. From now on, we’ll abandon large-scale operations and focus on targeted strikes, decapitation missions.”
His words painted a grim picture of the situation in the Eighth Abyss.
Mike frowned, his gaze fixed on Maxen. “Are you injured?”
Maxen rarely got injured.
And even when he did, it was usually just superficial wounds. He wouldn’t bother treating them.
But the wounds on Maxen now were tainted with demonic energy, hindering their healing.
Maxen shrugged, his expression nonchalant. “Too many Quasi-God level demons. Got caught by the Eighth Demon God during the fight. It’s nothing serious.”
According to Maxen, there was another reason why the Eighth Abyss had fallen so quickly, apart from the Supreme Demon God’s intervention:
“The Eighth Demon God has sided with the Supreme Demon God. To be precise, he sold his
soul for power.”
The Abyssal Demon Gods and the Supreme Demon God had never been truly aligned.
On the one hand, the Demon Gods needed the Supreme Demon God to protect them from the human Supreme Beings.
On the other hand, their ultimate goal was to replace him…
This was the first time in history that a Demon God had completely sided with the Supreme
Demon God.
Seeing Thor’s grim expression, Maxen decided to lighten the mood.
“The Eighth Demon God didn’t get off scot-free. I got a few good hits in.”
Mike rolled his eyes. “You didn’t kill him?”
“No, but if I had a powerful sword, maybe I could have.”
“Why a sword? What’s wrong with other weapons?”
“Only with a sword. I can’t do it with anything else.”
They fell silent.
After a moment, Maxen spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
He was apologizing to Mike.
In his eyes, an eighteen-year-old should be studying, dating, playing video games, living a
carefree life…
Not walking through the dangerous Abyss, facing demon armies, and playing mind games
with Demon Gods.
Mike shook his head. “I’m the potential Supreme Being. This is my responsibility. With great
power comes great responsibility.”
They fell silent again. After a while, Maxen couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about how to kill the Eighth Demon God,” Mike replied, his voice calm.