Within the spatial passage on the verge of complete corruption…
"Charge!"
Marshal Thales roared.
Whether it was the terrifying black mist and the monsters within it disturbing his mind, or whether he had prematurely sensed the impending danger, or perhaps the shame from fear that should not have existed in his heart, one thing was clear: the four-meter-tall, battle-hardened commander, who had led countless conquests, surged forward alone, riding his powerful warhorse into the mist!
Such courage and audacity astonished the armies of the exam world in the passage.
Yet no one dared to move.
The roar of the charge stuck in their throats, like a fishbone lodged in the throat…
Faced with the twisted, malformed matter, the horrifying black fog it spawned, and the demons dwelling within the fog…
Faced with the extreme hunger in the eyes of these demons…
The soldiers hesitated for the first time.
Fear and the desire to survive cooled their once hot-blooded courage.
At this moment, the elven commander Elrond displayed extraordinary courage and indignation in front of all the soldiers.
He was deeply disappointed in these weak warriors.
"How dare you…
Leave the Marshal to charge alone?"
Then he rode his unicorn, holding aloft the banner of an angel, and tightly followed Marshal Thales, charging into the black mist and the demons within!
The moment he spoke, Elrond finally joined Thales, confronting the horrifying, corrupted demons!
The unicorn beneath him lifted its hooves and, in a bloodthirsty posture contrary to its radiant form, crushed the head of a primordial demon and trampled the small demons around it into a muddy pulp.
As the disgusting mixture of blood and mud splattered onto the unicorn, it radiated infinite light.
In an instant, the corrupt and evil blood was cleansed by the light of "redemption"!
Even the black fog was partially cleared in that moment.
Elrond glanced back.
All the soldiers saw the indomitable fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
Fear was broken.
"Full army… charge!"
One soldier's shout sparked a resurgence of courage in all the soldiers.
Under countless banners depicting angels, these brave soldiers surged forward.
Magic, artillery, bows, even divine techniques fired from the rear support units, aiming at the black fog and the demons!
"Repel these monsters!"
The mighty regiments of the exam world, which had once intimidated countless candidates, once again revealed their fangs to the Endless Abyss.
Victory was etched into their very bones.
"Hmph! You disgusting corrupted beings!"
At the front, Thales cleaved an 8-stage primordial demon, covered in writhing flesh tumors, in half with a single swing of his axe!
Under his might, the remaining minor demons panicked, some attacking Thales in vain, some fleeing, and others calling for reinforcements within the darkness.
In his rage, Thales unleashed his battle technique mercilessly.
In an instant, flames representing his fury burned the noisy little "monsters" to ash!
Powerful!
Unmatched strength!
This legendary apex warrior displayed his dominion over the demons within the black fog.
Ordinary demons, even those not yet legendary, were mere ants in his eyes.
Thales glared at the demons peering through the dark mist and roared:
"Come! You monsters!"
Swinging his great axe, he crushed the remaining demons who snarled at him into powder!
"In the name of the holy angels, cleanse your corrupted, evil souls!"
With his roar, all the remaining demons retreated!
The expansion of the black mist also ceased.
Meanwhile, Elrond and the other soldiers finally caught up to the edge where the fog and demons had retreated.
Seeing this, Thales glanced back.
He did not blame the soldiers; even he had almost lost his courage moments ago.
He merely said calmly:
"Reorganize! Prepare to continue the assault!"
Turning his gaze to the retreating fog and demons, he smiled confidently:
"We will exterminate these twisted, corrupted monsters and purify their filthy world!"
Hearing this, the soldiers raised their weapons and roared!
Their blood was ignited…
"Indeed, in times of despair, only a hero like the Marshal can awaken the soldiers' fighting spirit!"
Elrond looked at the bloodied Marshal and thought:
"Everything is improving, isn't it?"
But was it really?
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Like an earthquake, footsteps echoed through the passage. The soldiers' shouts immediately ceased!
Once again, the entire army fell silent.
It was as if the footsteps pressed on their very hearts.
Everyone felt an almost maddening suffocating terror.
"Graaah…"
Low whispers of unknown creatures grew louder with the approaching footsteps within the black fog.
Then, one by one, crimson eyes appeared in the darkness!
Even through the black fog, the soldiers could see them clearly.
These crimson eyes radiated extreme malice and… mockery!
Elrond suddenly felt, as if it were no illusion, that the temperature in the passage rose sharply.
It was as if molten lava surged toward them.
In the silence, a gigantic figure emerged at the edge of the black fog.
A flaming demon, with a giant sword burning eternally, clad in molten armor with black-red horns on its head, stepped from the darkness!
Just by standing there, the passage itself began to melt from its heat!
Its breath stirred an endless fiery storm!
"A legendary apex!"
Elrond's eyes widened. He sensed the terrifying aura of this creature.
A mixture of true darkness, corruption, greed, and malice…
The aura made him feel suffocated, urging him to flee in panic.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
But the footsteps in the black fog did not stop!
More monsters approached.
Behind the flaming demon appeared a two-headed serpentine creature, a writhing mud-like monster with a giant gaping mouth, a beast-like quadruped covered in bone spikes and tentacles…
Each one was a legendary apex!
Each one was an extreme embodiment of corruption and deformation!
Each craved endless battle!
Each was… hungry!
---
At this moment, Elrond instinctively looked at Marshal Thales.
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, his eyes widened in horror.
Thales' hands, gripping the great axe, were… trembling!
How could the Endless Abyss… retreat?
From the depths of the abyss, a pair of emotionless, indifferent eyes swept across the passage…
Heh…