"What is happening!"
At the same time, both Chu Hao and Magnus noticed the situation.
The difference was, Chu Hao felt joy, while Magnus felt…
Absolute rage!
---
Let's turn the clock back a little…
Several dozen minutes earlier.
On the fifth layer of the Endless Abyss, a world shrouded in poisonous mists of various kinds, a powerful army blessed with devout faith was locked in battle with twisted monsters fueled by chaotic evil souls.
Unlike the barren, ice-bound fourth layer, the fifth layer of the Endless Abyss, although covered in various poisonous mists, was relatively resource-rich.
This abundance had another consequence:
An increase in abyssal creatures.
This forced Magnus' 13th Legion to endure a terrifying bloodbath on the fifth layer.
Moreover, this battle environment was extremely unfavorable for Magnus' army.
The poisonous mists combined with the damp, swampy environment did little harm to the native abyssal creatures and primal demons, as they were already accustomed to such discomfort.
But Magnus' soldiers were different!
Here, the mists not only constantly poisoned them to death, but also caused bizarre phenomena.
Some soldiers would fight monsters one second, and the next second their bodies would rot, screaming in agony as they collapsed.
Others would remain too long in the colorless, odorless mists, and their bodies would begin an irreversible "melting" process.
Certain organs and tissues would inexplicably grow or shrink.
Eventually, they would fall powerless, unaware of what had happened.
Even worse, some would completely transform into monsters under the overlapping mists!
Their will, at the moment of inhaling the mists, would begin shifting toward becoming a monster!
After entering the fifth layer, the entire 13th Legion immediately faced this situation.
However, Magnus, a man blessed by angels, quickly regained composure.
He roared toward the center of the battlefield behind him, where the army's core priest battalion was stationed.
"Battle priests! Use your divine arts to cleanse this poisonous environment!
Ordinary soldiers cannot withstand this toxic miasma!"
Magnus was correct. Though legendary-tier warriors could endure it, the mists indeed posed a great threat to ordinary soldiers.
The battle priests immediately responded to his command.
"Merciful angels, we need wind!" "Benevolent angels, we need wind!" "Kind angels, we need wind!"
As countless priests spoke, a massive wind swept across the battlefield, clearing the poisonous mists from the air.
At the same moment, as the remaining mists threatened to surge, countless points of light gathered from the priests, forming an illusion of radiant angels in the sky.
Under this light, all nearby mists were purified into harmless elements.
The central region of the fifth layer was temporarily cleansed.
This change bolstered the morale of Magnus' soldiers.
For the first time, they saw the true forms of the monsters hidden within the mists.
These grotesque "Four Enemies of Angels" were immediately counterattacked once the mists dissipated.
---
However, in a corner of this vast battlefield, something caught the attention of both Chu Hao and Magnus.
A dying Magnus soldier, dressed as a cleric, knelt, covered in blood, before a demon.
A primal demon.
His eyes were nearly blind, his body poisoned to the brink of death.
At the edge of life, he had been captured by a variant of a primal demon.
At this critical moment, a powerful survival instinct erupted from the depths of his soul.
"Survive!"
His heart beat once.
"I must…"
"Survive!"
His heart beat again.
He finally felt the beauty of life.
This soldier swore he would use everything to secure the chance to live!
"Even for one second!"
"Even for one more breath of foul air!"
"Even to see the sun in the sky again!"
"Even to return home once more to see my parents!"
"Survive!"
Snap!
As a devout angelic follower, a golden link in his soul—the symbol of justice, order, and faith—was broken.
Clang!
At the same time, another unknown chain of pure black-red color entwined his soul.
"Kneel before me!"
Whether illusion or reality, the soldier suddenly heard the primal demon gripping him whisper.
In an instant, two pairs of eyes noticed this.
Above the fifth layer of the Endless Abyss, a black-red vortex slowly appeared.
Its emergence represented Chu Hao—the incarnation of the will of the Endless Abyss—focusing the majority of his attention on this soldier.
The soldier knelt before the primal demon, just as he once knelt before the statue of an angel for money and glory.
"I kneel before you! Let me live!!"
"Please!"
At that moment, the primal demon turned its head for some unknown reason, releasing a new soul voice from within.
"You should kneel not before me, but before my master, the one who embodies infinite chaos…"
Above, the black-red vortex spun wildly.
Magnus heard a voice emanate from the vortex.
"You should kneel before…"
Chu Hao's voice appeared in the soldier's soul!
"I!"
In the next instant, the Magnus soldier completely fell.
His connection with the abyss began to form.
He quickly and resolutely began converting toward the abyssal creature!
"No!"
Magnus roared.