Chapter 146

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Chapter 146: Two Different Enemies

"Unbelievable…"

A blood-soaked warrior lifted his head and muttered to himself, a huge shadow looming over him.

The sky twisted as the long passage between the Primary Material Plane and the Abyss widened to its limit, like a giant mouth tearing open from both sides. This giant mouth began to vomit, spewing out a large number of Abyssal Creations.

The radio host was speechless, and the war correspondent dropped his pen. Even the most well-trained warrior would tremble when looking up at the sky. The monsters appearing one by one suddenly turned into a dark cloud of demons, as if a scary fountain of "water" was gushing out bit by bit.

When the instability of the Abyss reached a certain limit, when the rules started to become chaotic, and when the chaos spread to the Primary Material Plane, the barriers disappeared.

All the monsters blocked on the Abyss side charged into the human world at any cost.

Abyssal Will was going crazy on the brink of death, deceived by the Magic Demon. The chaotic unconsciousness mistook the dungeon, which was nurturing a new world, for an Abyssal Creation, like a drugged giant beast treating the parasites as its own offspring or even a hopeful tribe. When it was too late to turn back, as the alien fetus was about to break free, it realized the end was near. The disorderly consciousness of the abyss lacked logic towards the real culprit, and the giant beast struggled frantically in its dying moments, attacking indiscriminately. The massive beast’s dying struggles were enough to cause disaster.

Thousands of Abyssal monsters, like a swarm of wild animals, lost their reason, even high-level demons succumbed to madness. The frenzy of the abyss infected their souls, similar to losing their minds. Fire-intolerant creatures were burnt to ashes as they clung to demons on fire. Demonic Sorcerers mindlessly charged at close-range Professionals with heads like mush, unable to control any skilled spells; the magic wands of Abyssal spellcasters were now mere sticks. The most cowardly Little Devils dared to attack Professionals, dying en masse, dragging some unsuspecting Professionals to hell.

The once stable battlefield descended into a bloody melee in an instant.

"Can we really win?"

An apprentice voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

The battlefield’s projection appeared on the walls of the Wizard Academy. Some whispered prayers, some trembled – the youngest apprentices were only eleven years old; no one could demand them to be as brave as true warriors. Even with magic censoring the gore, the live broadcast was still too frightening for the young apprentices, especially knowing some teachers and senior students were on the battlefield. Despite the majority of teachers approving the broadcast, the apprentices needed to see the reality of the battlefield. They needed to remember the sacrifices and responsibilities if the frontline army failed to stop the Abyssal forces when the Decaying Disaster spread, no one would be spared.

In the worst-case scenario, the apprentices present would eventually step onto the battlefield.

"On the contrary, this shows that we are very close to victory," their teacher, Hayden, said emphatically, "Why are those demons going crazy? Because they are at their wit’s end!"

His students and many colleagues looked at him intently. The wizards with combat skills had already left, and most of the remaining formal wizards here were not adept at fighting. Some were just in their twenties, fresh out of graduation, their panic possibly no less than the apprentices. But not a single teacher showed worry, even the most afraid person feigned composure, clenching their fists inside their sleeves. If the teachers were scared, who else could the apprentices rely on?

"Don’t be afraid, this is just the darkness before dawn, the irrational enemy is not scary," Hayden comforted, "as long as we withstand this final madness, victory will be ours."

The crumbling abyss was like a car pressing on the accelerator, ready to fall apart at any moment.

The question is, before it falls apart, can the objects it crashes into hold on?

A large group of monsters crowded at the entrance of the passage, like leeches stuck in a pipe, everyone wanted to come out, but no one could. This funny scene lasted for a while, and a muffled sound came from the sky. It sounded wet, as if flesh and blood were being crushed, which was indeed the case. A huge arm squeezed out from the densely packed monsters, grabbing a large area of space. The monsters’ dark blood splattered down like a sudden downpour.

An arm as thick as a stone pillar scratched across the sky, followed by a huge head with jagged fangs. Even hundreds of miles away, people could see that evil head from afar. The troll lord was crawling out from the crevice, swinging a massive bone club to crush everything in front of him.

Everywhere was engulfed in fierce combat.

Victor and Shadow Walker Casper fought together, and at the cost of several unhealable bloody wounds, he finally forced the assassin out of the shadows. In a direct confrontation, the specialized assassin, Shadow Fiend Lord, was not his match, but before he could successfully take out the opponent, a new member joined the fight. The newcomer demon took a punch instead of Shadow Fiend, causing hundreds of faces to collapse and swell, crying and laughing, causing chaos. With this distraction, Shadow Fiend disappeared into the shadows again.

Mind Demon Lord, "Thousand-Faced" Sa.

"I see," Victor muttered, whether in praise or curse, "that’s really amazing."

Ragehorn Simon said, "Shadow Walker" Caspa defeated "Firewing Balrog" Osgar, "Thousand-Faced" Sarah, who had been missing for years, reappeared. Now it seems they all met the same fate. Magic Demon Lord Rasheda is indeed clever. For centuries, it has manipulated other lords, making them all its pawns – some unaware, thinking they are fighting for their own interests, while others, like the three before us, have fallen victim to Rasheda’s schemes and become puppets in its hands.

When the Abyss descended into its final madness, all demons went berserk, unless they were banished or already dead. Even Rasheda’s own death was used by it, and now, with the truth uncovered in the new world, there is no longer any resistance within the Abyss.

"Thousand-Faced doesn’t fight at all, Shadow Walker is like a fish out of water once it leaves the shadows. Who wins in the end is uncertain… But, that’s not important." Victor suddenly smiled, "We’re just buying time from each other. In the end, all our hopes rest on others, looking back, who could have imagined?"

He turned to look at the rift in the earth leading to the dungeon.

"Indeed, the future is unpredictable," Rasheda spoke again rarely. "Unfortunately, you have only one path ahead. If she loses, you will perish along with this old world. If she wins, the last hope against disaster will also vanish."

"Well," Victor grinned, "that’s not necessarily true."

Inside the Dungeon Core, in the new world, the final battle has reached its climax.

Clusters of volcanoes seemed to spew out hot air from within, and the earth began to collapse inward. The hazy sky displayed a mottled, gorgeous color, reminiscent of the scales of poisonous moths, a palette that only a crazed artist would use. The trajectory of meteors became peculiar, melting in the firmament like overheated shells in a cannon. The world was filled with high temperatures and hot air, as the battle between the only two living beings intensified, the world groaned under the strain, and the sky and earth trembled, like a box propped open by a stick, on the verge of closing.

Magic surged in the central battlefield, claws clashed, breaths intertwined, innate spells fought against each other. It was impossible to distinguish between the warring sides. Tasha and "Tasha" constantly changed positions and engaged in combat, the rapidly evolving forms akin to a fast-forwarded film. They bled from each other, their blood falling and turning into flowing light.

Mirror Image is no longer just a copycat, it now resembles Tasha more in essence rather than looks or actions. It is not a poor imitation of Tasha’s existence, it is the "Tasha" of the new world.

They no longer fear meteors or volcanic eruptions from high above, those things can’t harm them anymore. Even sharp shards of rocks and scorching heat that can melt the Earth’s crust bounce off them effortlessly. Tasha no longer needs to exert any effort to fight against the environment, just like a phoenix isn’t afraid of being burnt by flames. How can the physical world harm the world’s soul?

This is a war between two worlds.

Their battle is causing waves of energy to spread, not earthquakes. The overload on the new world comes from the clash of energies, magic, elements, the fundamental forces that make up the world. The new world pours all its power into "Tasha," while Aryan’s power stubbornly breaks through barriers to support Tasha. It’s as if cause and effect are turned upside down, it’s not just the battle between Tasha and "Tasha" that involves two worlds, but the two worlds are using their forms to finally fight each other.

This is definitely the strangest battle Tasha has ever been a part of, unprecedented and likely never to happen again. She fights with all her might, yet also observes as if from a distance, with countless screens open in her mind, all at the same time.

A soldier dies on the battlefield, closing their weary eyes. A child by the radio keeps looking back at his mother who is oblivious, holding a handkerchief silently for hours. Some farmers in the fields talk about this year’s harvest, "It should be good," they say, "as long as the devil doesn’t come." A group of camels calmly chew on leaves in the cold forest year-round, unaware and indifferent to war and the world’s affairs.

A demon dies on the battlefield, wailing as it turns into a puddle of pus, the energy that created its body flows back into the abyss. Hordes of monsters crowd by the corridor, no longer afraid, pushing towards the same direction, invading in waves, dying in droves under the trampling of their kin. Victor and other Demon Lords are fiercely fighting, his back muscles swell as he dismembers the Mind Demon, a half-meter long wound on his back oozing black blood endlessly. Rasheda’s lingering soul floats in mid-air, watching, waiting.

At this moment, the abyss or Primary Material Plane makes no difference to Tasha.

Aryan’s every move is seen, as if the whole world has been placed in her dungeon. In this magical moment, Tasha no longer mourns familiar faces dying, nor rejoices as the abyss is about to collapse. All life-threatening obstacles have now become trivial. This is the perspective of a creator god dawning in her heart. Tasha now understands the new title’s name, the perfect fit that appears when the dungeon reaches one hundred percent progress.

The world treats all souls equally, the gains and losses of individuals and even separate dimensions are not worth worrying about.

What matters is —

Survival.

Tasha fought for this, "Tasha" fought for this. Both worlds reached a critical point of life and death, strict rules becoming chaotic in despair, even the boundaries between worlds began to blur. The desire of another world also began to roar in Tasha’s mind, desperately and deafeningly. The two completely different worlds, enemies in life and death, resonated at this moment, the old world that didn’t want to die and the new world that wanted to be born, shouting the same voice.

Wanting to live.

This is the tipping point.

"Tasha" frozen by the icy breath froze in midair, not thawed quickly, because the new world was too busy. A strong resonance put the final straw on the unstable world barrier, the new world that had already separated from Aryan shattered a bit, just a bit, enough to connect the two worlds again. In the churning magma underground, a faint lightless crack quietly appeared, identical to the crack on Mirror Image "Tasha" face and the one starting to spread on Rasheda Dungeon Core.

Magic Demon sighed deeply.

Tasha won, Aryan won, compared to the newly formed but unfinished new world, Aryan, lingering on the brink of collapse, finally had a slight advantage. In a brief moment, Mirror Image reverted back to Mirror Image, this long-awaited flaw, once in a thousand years. As long as it is shattered to accelerate the collapse of the old world, this war will end, and the many creatures of Tasha and Aryan have achieved temporary victories, the inevitable end will come eventually, but it is far off, isn’t it?

The flaws in the new world will soon be fixed. Missing this opportunity will come with a cost. The best choice is to act right away, break it, strengthen your advantage, pursue victory, and achieve success easily.

Tasha moved closer, opened her arms, and embraced the about-to-shatter Mirror Image.

"Yes," Tasha answered in her heart, "I am willing."

The requirements for the new title were met.

After more than three-quarters of the dungeon’s restructuring and upgrade process, a new unlocked title appeared for the[Keeper], the[Dragon], and the[Astral Traveler]. This new title would be unlocked when the progress bar reached one hundred percent. The explanation of the new title was quite strange, seemingly nonsensical at first glance. It stated: Understand me, acknowledge me, choose me, become me.

Before the progress was fully satisfied, Tasha had speculated about what the progress was related to and what the ultimate direction of the completion was. She had also guessed at many possibilities for this title. Ordinary dungeons did not require as much understanding of Aryan. By understanding the world and advancing through broader dungeons, the final goal was not so much the strength of a ruling figure as it was the ruler of the world. The final result was very similar to Tasha’s speculation, except that the title was neither a "king" nor a "god."

It was the[Bearer].

No explanation was needed, not much narration. Through truly understanding this world, Tasha naturally knew what she could do.

Tasha said, "I will bear it."

Cracks suddenly spread, Mirror Image’s eyelashes trembled, at the moment of complete shattering, the naive new world seemed to understand Tasha’s intentions. On the huge Dungeon Core, cracks also spread, and the residual soul of the Magic Demon Rasheda faded away, its expression – if anyone could see clearly – became much more vivid than the lifeless appearance just now.

"Is that so?" Rasheda said in surprise, sounding partly joyful and partly regretful, "It could be a possibility, but…"

Unfortunately, it could not see anymore.

The Dungeon Core shattered inch by inch like Mirror Image, causing the Magic Demon Lord bound to it to also disappear. A world was destroyed, a new world fragmented, and the escaping energy was not wasted at all, coming and going as it pleased. Like sandcastles crumbling on the beach, trees falling in the jungle, the nutrients extracted from Aryan returned to Aryan once again.

"Look quickly!"

On the Primary Material Plane, a stretcher bearer looking back desperately at the wounded soldiers on the battlefield let out a scream, the medical soldier carrying the stretcher tried to console him by speaking up, but even a glance to the side left him stunned at what he saw in his peripheral vision.

The soldier who wanted to sacrifice himself by leaping onto the enemy came up empty, he raised his head in disbelief, only for his comrade to quickly close the activated magic bomb, preventing a tragic and ironic disaster. The wizard surrounded by Felhounds, who had resigned herself to death, survived unharmed after waiting for a long time, she opened one eye, looked around dazedly. Two heavily injured soldiers unable to stand up and the priest who rushed to heal them in the middle of the battlefield all looked up in shock, the priest’s healing interrupted by his astonishment.

"I curse his grandmother’s bear." muttered the Orc Warrior to himself.

The Pastor of Saro endured for a moment, then turned and said, "In the name of Saro, please refrain from using foul language, there are children present here!"

"I’m all grown up!" another warrior proudly said, "So what if I have dwarf bloodline? I’m proud of it!"

Countless praises and curses burst out, becoming clearly audible in the suddenly quiet battlefield. Most of the battlefield cleared out, with almost everyone looking up.

"The demons are flying away! Yes! They’re flying away like there’s a vacuum cleaner on top of their heads!" The radio host exclaimed excitedly, stumbling over words, "Not a single one left, big or small!"

The tidal wave of monsters that surged forth just moments ago seemed to be pressed on a fast-forward button, swiftly retracing their steps with even greater speed than when they fell. The passage between the Abyss and the Primary Material Plane appeared to turn into an incredibly sharp vacuum cleaner, with all the beings from the Primary Material Plane left unharmed, while every single demon, regardless of their strength, helplessly flew back and plunged into the Abyss. The massive body of the troll lord flailed in midair, roaring and struggling as it passed through the passage, seemingly trying to grab hold of something but finding nothing, resembling a comical, overturned turtle.

"Come on, you mongrel!" someone taunted, waving a fist at it, while his comrade quickly covered his mouth.

Many people, or most of them, were not as optimistic; they did not believe in this inexplicable stroke of good luck. Medical soldiers hurriedly shuttled across the battlefield, taking away all the injured in need of treatment during this lull. Craftsmen swiftly repaired the destroyed defenses, many weary warriors rested on the spot, keeping a close watch on the passage. Senior wizards discussed the possibilities of what to do with the passage, while people in the command center were on high alert. Just moments ago, some screens, not from drones, but from watchtower projections, suddenly went dark.

The passage underwent a strange change.

Some on the battlefield harbored hope, while others stood ready; outside the battlefield, some anxiously inquired, while others remained indifferent. Regardless of where they were or what their mindset was, even if they didn’t understand what was happening, all beings in the entire Primary Material Plane felt the commotion at that moment.

Tick tock.

Like a drop of water falling into a lake?

The awake beings looked around anxiously, while those asleep were startled from light slumber to deep sleep. That, that feeling, have you sensed it? People asked each other, gesturing and struggling to describe what "that" was. Was it a sound? A beam of light? A touch on the skin? It seemed like all of them, yet none of them. Most people couldn’t explain which sense this feeling originated from, only the spellcaster seemed to ponder. This ripple of disturbance swept through the world, but for the souls, it was just a faint ripple, still unclear, yet already gone.

A commotion broke out on the battlefield, bewildered people whispered to each other in amazement. Countless fingers pointed towards the sky, and under their watchful gaze, the crevice bringing disaster, like ink in water, faded away bit by bit.

Beneath the Abyss Passage, there was a stir in the crowd as a person suddenly appeared among them. Many raised their weapons, but upon realizing who it was, breathed a sigh of relief. Victor’s face was quite well-known, even covered in blood and almost naked, people still recognized him.

However, no one approached to ask why he had appeared here suddenly. Many soldiers did not lower their weapons, not because the opponent was covered in blood. Mr. Governor, usually smiling, now had a grim face, emitting a sinister aura that was eerily similar to the Demon Lord they had just battled.