Ashen Dragon

The bloody combat continued for three days and nights.

In Barto Hell, there is no sun. Flames and darkness are everywhere, but as a space symbolizing Lawful Evil, that blood-red sky still follows the cycle of light and dark.

Under round after round of artillery fire, the wasteland in front of the Bronze Fortress had been flattened by several feet, and scorched earth littered the area, filled with the stench of smoke produced by the death of demons.

Despite the Magic Tide's relentless waves, the Hell Legion still stationed in front of the sturdy city walls, maintaining their meticulous organization since ancient times.

The players roamed the battlefield, swarming toward any enemy they spotted with reckless abandon. They were even crazier than the demons and more fearless in the face of death.

After all, though Low-level Demons would return to the Abyss upon death, they could only become the lowest Demon Worms, prey to other Abyss Creatures, whereas players only had to sacrifice some experience.

The elite forces of the Ashen Empire, such as the Dragonsworn Paladins and Dragon Pact Warlocks, engaged in battle with High-Rank Demons. The scorching gale clashed with the cold wind from the Abyss, and blazing white pillars of fire pierced through ice walls, smashing Frost Shamans riding Abyssal Giant Dragons to pieces.

Clad in heavy armor and wielding Giant Shields, the Dragonsworn Paladins stood in front of the Barlow Flame Demon, manifesting their faith into a massive Dragon Soul that bit into this monster from the Abyss.

On the vast plains of Aphernas, nearly ten million beings slaughtered each other. The earth trembled continuously, and the sounds of battle cries, wails, artillery fire, and howling wind filled this ravaged land.

Even devils with bodies far stronger than mortals heard a ringing in their ears, and the sounds around them became particularly blurred amidst the deafening noise.

Ten million people.

What does this mean?

This number exceeded the population of all the countries on the Fianso Continent except for the Ashen Empire, the Kingdom of Cassandra, and the Kingdom of Seleucis. It equaled a large nation's entire population, without distinction of age or gender, going out in full force.

Every minute, hundreds and thousands of soldiers lost their lives, and even the Mechanical God Cult's sky battleships, spanning hundreds of meters, looked diminutive on this vast battlefield.

The long battle line stretched for dozens of kilometers, encapsulating the entire Bronze Fortress along with the surrounding expansive plains.

From a bird's eye view, millions of demons resembled an endless black sea, their assault like unending great waves, with the junction of the two sides forming the coastline.

It was now clear that Aphernas' Allied Forces had a particularly stable defense line, while the Abyssal Legion showed signs of collapse, with countless splotches of variegated colors appearing in the black sea—that was the players.

On this battlefield, millions of demons had lost their lives, and players had died hundreds of thousands of times in total, yet they showed no signs of reducing in number.

Thanks to the Ashen Empire's assistance, the Hell Legion also stabilized their defense line, withstanding continuous impacts from the Magic Tide.

Finally, someone had enough of seeing the deteriorating situation.

"Roar——"

A deep roar resounded through the sky, mixed with countless noises—a shrill wail, a painful scream, an oppressed groan...

This sound layered upon itself, as if countless mortals trapped in darkness made it together, filled with all the world's negative emotions.

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound, only to see a pitch-black mountain slowly rising, appearing amid the Magic Tide.

"That, that is... a mountain?"

"No, it's a demon! That mountain is the demon's body!"

"Lord of Nine Prisons, it must be that damned Abyssal Lord! How can there be such a huge demon!"

"Damn, this boss is way too big!"

"Ew—looks disgusting."

At this moment, whether devil soldiers or players, all felt incredibly shocked, unleashing heartfelt exclamations.

Because it was indeed a demon!

The reason was obvious—it was simply too enormous, an existence unignorable even on this vast battlefield.

This monster stood nearly two hundred meters tall, like a thick mountain, its entire body covered in viscous black liquid, emitting a stench that permeated the battlefield.

As it approached, people could see that its immense body was actually composed of tentacles covered with pustules, with thousands of blood-red eyeballs embedded in its skin. Those eyeballs constantly opened and closed, exuding a dim red light akin to eerie Venus in a pitch-black sky.

Countless whip-like tentacles writhed around it, each encased in mucus, frequently dripping black water and emitting a nauseating sound like internal organs being squeezed.

—This was the "Black Water Lord" Ishinix, a demon from the Abyss, among the countless unspeakable, shape-twisting monsters in the Abyss.

Perhaps a product forged from a god's contaminated body, perhaps life coalesced from chaotic energy, or maybe a relic of the ancient Spellcasters' experiments...

Anyway, through the long ages, the origin of Ishinix has been lost to history, unknowable.

Dubbed the harbinger of rot, Winged Demons emerged from the pustules on the Black Water Lord's back.

Flapping their wings saturated with viscous black water, they buzzed like flies, covering the sky and dyeing most of the firmament a bizarre black.

Following them, countless tar-like monsters formed from black mucus emerged from the Black Water Lord's body. They squirmed forward, their semi-transparent bodies devouring the filth along their path, growing even larger.