That "face" of Ares without facial features slowly turned toward Tang Wulin.
"You."
Tang Wulin was stunned.
"Me?"
"The inheritor of the Golden Dragon King bloodline, the reincarnation of the Dragon God's half-body, the bearer of fate's power." Ares said, "Before completely losing herself, Isis used her last divine power to make a prophecy. She said that a human bearing the Dragon God's power would come to this place ten thousand years later. Only he can use the Dragon God's power to recast the seal and permanently close the Abyss Gate."
"But Tang Wulin's current strength is at most equivalent to a 1st-Class god." Dai Chengfeng questioned, "And the Abyss Gate is something even God Kings cannot completely close."
"Not close, recast." Ares corrected, "Isis has already completed the most difficult part—she temporarily sealed the gate at the cost of herself. But her power originates from life and creation, which is inherently opposed to the Abyss's essence of destruction, destined not to last. The Dragon God's power, however, simultaneously contains both creation and destruction, the only power that can contend with the Abyss and reshape the seal. But to accomplish this, a price must be paid."
"What price?" Tang Wulin asked calmly.
"Your Golden Dragon King bloodline, your Dragon God's power, even... your life." Ares said, "The process of recasting the seal will drain everything from you. The best outcome: you will lose all power and become a mortal, your lifespan greatly reduced. The worst outcome: you will die, your body and spirit completely annihilated."
The staircase fell into deathly silence.
Only the pulsing sounds of those "veins" on the walls, and the faint, unsettling whispers coming from behind the Abyss Gate.
After a long while, Tang Wulin smiled.
"That's all?"
Ares seemed to pause for a moment—though he had no expression, his movement clearly hesitated.
"You're not afraid of death?"
"I'm afraid." Tang Wulin said honestly, "But I'm more afraid of watching the people I care about die, of watching the entire world be devoured by the Abyss. If my life can exchange for peace in all this, that's a good deal."
"Wulin..." Qian Renxue wanted to say something, but was stopped by Tang Wulin's gaze.
"Moreover, I'm not alone." Tang Wulin looked at Qian Renxue, at Bibi Dong, at Dai Chengfeng, "I still have them. We will find a way to close this gate without sacrificing anyone. That's our promise."
Ares was silent for a long time. Then, he did something unexpected.
He knelt on one knee, inserting his bone blade into the ground.
"Then, please allow me—Ares the War God, or rather, the former War God—to serve you. Thirteen thousand years, and I have finally awaited the one foretold by prophecy. I will use my last strength to open the path to behind the gate for you, and before I completely go mad, assist you with all my power."
"But you..." Tang Wulin looked at his twisted body.
"My sanity is being eroded by the Abyss every moment." Ares said calmly, "I can feel that 'me' is dying, and in its place comes a monster filled with hunger and desire for destruction. Before completely becoming that monster, I wish to do one last thing—fight like a true god, for the sake of protection."
He stood up, turning toward the Abyss Gate.
"Follow me. But remember, the world behind the gate is the Abyss's 'reflection' in the Divine Realm. Everything there is twisted, insane. Do not believe your eyes, do not believe your perceptions. The only thing you can believe is each other."
He pushed open that bone gate.
Dark red light flooded out like a deluge, accompanied by endless murmurs, roars, weeping, and mad laughter.
Behind the gate was a completely unfamiliar, nightmarish world.
The sky was a coagulated blood-like dark red, without sun, moon, or stars—only countless massive, pulsing tumors, beating like hearts. The earth was black, cracked scorched earth, with magma-like viscous liquid flowing in the fissures. In the distance, twisted mountain ranges like the spines of dying beasts pierced the sky. The air was permeated with sulfur and decay; every breath burned the throat.
And at the world's center stood a heaven-piercing, earth-spanning giant tree.
That tree's form was somewhat similar to the Soul-Devouring Tree King in the Forest of Divine Fall, but even more vast, even more... sacred, and also more twisted. Its trunk was pure white, with golden patterns flowing across its surface, emitting warm, gentle light that seemed completely out of place with the surrounding hellish scenery. But its roots were pure black, deeply embedded in the earth, drawing that dark red viscous liquid from the cracks. And on its canopy, what hung were not fruits, but semi-transparent, embryo-like objects, within which humanoid outlines were faintly visible.
"That is..." Qian Renxue's voice trembled.
"The Tree of Life, also known as the World Tree, is the manifestation of Isis's divine position." Ares said, his voice carrying emotion for the first time—that deep sorrow, "She used her last power to manifest her divine position as the Tree of Life, using life's authority to resist the Abyss's erosion. But as you can see, the tree's roots have already been contaminated, and what grows on the canopy are no longer fruits of life, but... embryos of the Abyss."
He pointed at the base of the tree, where a faint light point, almost swallowed by darkness, could be seen.
"Isis's main consciousness is right there. But she has already been surrounded by the Abyss's 'guards.' To approach her, we must fight our way through."
Before his words fell, the earth began to tremble.
From those fissures, from beneath the scorched earth, from the shadows of the tumors in the sky, countless monsters surged forth.
They had bizarre forms of every description: some were masses of flesh stitched together from countless limbs, some were beasts that continued crawling with only bones remaining, some were shadows floating in the air with only a giant mouth. But they all shared one common trait—eyes burning with pure hatred for all living things and order.
Creations of the Abyss, awakened.
"Prepare for battle." Tang Wulin took a deep breath, the Golden Dragon Spear erupting with unprecedented light, the Golden Dragon King phantom condensing behind him and roaring toward the sky.
"For the Divine Realm, for the human world, and for ourselves." Qian Renxue spread her six wings, sacred flames surging skyward and transforming into a burning giant sword.
"Thirteen thousand years of imprisonment—it ends now." Behind Bibi Dong, the Rakshasa God phantom slowly emerged, purple-black death aura spreading out.
"In the name of the wind." Dai Chengfeng drew his long sword, cyan storms gathering around him.
And Ares, the former War God, raised his bone blade and tentacles, and toward that endless Abyss army, let out a battle cry that had been silent for ten thousand years:
"For glory—"
The battle began.
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)