Darkness consumed the Outer Sea.
Not ordinary darkness.
Not the Void of the Primordial.
This was something different.
The space beneath existence.
The place where possibility itself had yet to take form.
Every universe surrounding the battlefield trembled as Jinyoung's authority completed its evolution.
The Abyss had reached its next stage.
The Fifth Stage
Secretary's runes shattered one after another.
For the first time since his creation—
He could not analyze what stood before him.
"Analysis... impossible."
The five Legends looked toward Jinyoung in stunned silence.
His appearance had changed.
His armor had become completely black, yet galaxies shimmered faintly beneath its surface.
Veins of silver mana flowed across it like living constellations.
Behind him, the Abyss was no longer a shadow.
It had become an endless horizon that seemed to continue beneath every universe at once.
One Angel of Creation whispered,
"Stage Five..."
Another completed the sentence.
"...Void Abyss."
A New Authority
Jinyoung slowly opened his eyes.
The endless black within them reflected every nearby universe.
He looked at his hand.
He could feel everything.
The flow of mana.
The cracks in reality.
The movement of the Eldritch armies.
Even the heartbeat of the five Legends.
Not because he had gained omniscience—
But because his authority had resonated with the space connecting Yogaroth's creations.
He closed his hand.
The Abyss answered instantly.
No wasted movement.
No unstable surge.
Perfect control.
Azravel Understands
For the first time since the battle began—
Azravel stopped smiling.
The adaptive general studied Jinyoung carefully.
Its evolution authority analyzed every fluctuation.
Every pulse.
Every change.
Then—
Its expression became serious.
"You've crossed another threshold."
Jinyoung answered quietly.
"I have."
Azravel's adaptive aura expanded.
Its body evolved once more.
Its armor thickened.
Its corruption stabilized.
Its authority rose again.
"Then I shall evolve as well."
BOOM.
The battlefield exploded.
Evolution Against Evolution
Azravel attacked first.
A punch carrying perfected adaptive corruption crossed multiple universes in an instant.
Jinyoung didn't dodge.
He raised one hand.
The fist stopped.
Completely.
No shockwave.
No explosion.
Just...
Stopped.
The surrounding battlefield fell silent.
Azravel pushed harder.
Nothing happened.
The Abyss surrounding Jinyoung absorbed the force before it could spread.
The general immediately adapted.
Its strength doubled.
Then tripled.
Its authority climbed again.
It attacked once more.
Again—
Nothing.
Jinyoung simply looked at him.
"You're still adapting to what I was."
The Difference
Jinyoung finally moved.
One step.
That single movement crossed impossible distance.
His fist struck Azravel's chest.
The impact wasn't loud.
There was no enormous explosion.
Instead—
The adaptive authority inside Azravel simply... broke.
Cracks spread across its black armor.
Its corruption became unstable.
For the first time—
Its evolution failed.
Azravel staggered backward.
"...Impossible."
Jinyoung answered calmly.
"Stage Five doesn't reject evolution."
The Abyss expanded beneath them.
"It surpasses it."
The Other Generals Attack
Seeing Azravel driven back—
The remaining four Eldritch Generals attacked together.
Vaelgor released endless corruption.
Kharon's spear shattered dimensional barriers.
Nythra unleashed universal madness.
Elyss opened thousands of devouring mouths.
The attacks converged on Jinyoung simultaneously.
The five Legends shouted.
The Angels of Creation prepared to intervene.
Jinyoung simply exhaled.
The Abyss expanded.
Every attack entering its range slowed.
Then weakened.
Then dissolved.
Not erased.
Adapted against.
The authority itself had evolved beyond all four attacks simultaneously.
The battlefield froze.
Humanity Witnesses Hope
Across Earth—
Every dimensional tear showed the same sight.
One man standing against an army beyond universes.
Hunters across the planet watched without speaking.
Some cried.
Some smiled.
Others simply stared.
The impossible had happened again.
Humanity's strongest hunter had become strong enough to protect realities beyond his own.
The five future Legends training on Earth watched in silence.
Each made the same decision.
They would reach this level someday.
Not to surpass Jinyoung.
But to stand beside him.
The Angels Bow
The Angels of Creation looked toward Jinyoung.
Then, unexpectedly—
They lowered their heads.
Not in worship.
In acknowledgement.
One Angel spoke.
"Yogaroth chose correctly."
Another continued.
"The successor has exceeded every prediction."
Jinyoung immediately shook his head.
"I'm not anyone's replacement."
The Angels looked at him.
He continued,
"I'm fighting for humanity."
The Angel smiled faintly.
"That is exactly why Yogaroth chose you."
Retreat
Azravel slowly stood again.
Its body was covered in fractures.
Its adaptive authority struggled to stabilize.
It looked toward Jinyoung for a long time.
Then toward the other four generals.
Finally it gave a single order.
"Withdraw."
The battlefield stopped.
Vaelgor hesitated.
"But—"
"Withdraw."
The other generals obeyed immediately.
The endless Eldritch armies began retreating into the fractured Outer Sea.
One by one—
The corrupted tides disappeared beyond the distant universes.
Before leaving, Azravel looked back one final time.
"This battle is over."
Its eyes narrowed.
"The evaluation is complete."
Jinyoung remained silent.
Azravel continued,
"The Primordials will now decide their next move."
With that—
The five generals vanished into the endless darkness beyond Yogaroth's creations.
After the War
The Outer Sea slowly became quiet once again.
The surviving universes stabilized under the Angels of Creation.
The five Legends gathered around Jinyoung.
The Storm Legend laughed weakly.
"You really can't stop terrifying us."
Jinyoung smiled for the first time since arriving.
"We're still alive."
Secretary approached.
His runes had finally stabilized.
"Mission outcome."
He paused.
"Successful."
Then another projection appeared before everyone.
Unknown energy signatures.
Countless of them.
Far beyond the retreating Eldritch armies.
Secretary's calm voice echoed across the silent Outer Sea.
"New activity detected."
The projection zoomed farther beyond Yogaroth's infinite creations.
There—
In an unimaginably distant region—
Entire universes were moving.
Not naturally.
As though something was gathering them together.
One Angel's expression became solemn.
"The Primordials are preparing."
Jinyoung looked into the endless distance.
The war had been won.
But he knew—
It had only been the first test