After the commander issued the new order, the other high-ranking commanders were puzzled by what seemed almost a suicidal directive. Yet, bound by duty, they ultimately chose to comply.
Thus…
Across every Hayes clan battlefield, terrifying, near-suicidal charges erupted.
"Charge!" "Forward!" "Begin the assault—advance toward the core regions of the black lands!"
"We must hurry! Move as fast as possible to the core gates and seize the coordinates of that world!"
Countless sergeants led brave Hayes soldiers into the demons' territories.
With this offensive, the tide of battle in this world began to tilt overwhelmingly.
But while the commanders could order the soldiers to charge, would their hearts truly obey?
Across numerous fronts, aided by heavy machinery, Hayes troops cleared one demonic territory after another.
These fearless warriors killed many powerful demons, seemingly without difficulty.
Yet these fearsome, corrupted demons dragged many times their number of Hayes soldiers into the Abyss before dying.
And each Hayes soldier's death—their fear, their final screams—caused other soldiers to feel profound mental collapse.
This was a rapid and monumental advance—but one built on blood and flesh.
Behind this forward push, countless soldiers' minds began to crack.
Clutching their weapons, they trembled as they heard terrifying whispers from a distant world.
"Auditory hallucinations."
Like a plague, this aftereffect silently spread throughout the Hayes army.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, far from the main battlefield…
Deep in a forest, overlooked by all, another scene unfolded.
One by one, members of a native tribe, crying, were hurled by strong guards into the entrance of a lava-filled cavern.
"Go, children…"
High priests, their voices trembling, tried to soothe the weeping members of their tribe.
"You are not dying, but becoming one with the divine!"
"Beneath this cavern, the god ascends in an unspeakable ritual for the survival of our world!"
"Once ascended, it will represent our world and drive out all invading evils!"
"All we can do is offer our flesh and spirit to the great god…"
Despite these words, every leader's heart shook, for those being thrown down were the very children they had raised.
"Damn it, all because of those invading 'demons'… if not for them—"
A high priest muttered curses at the demons and the Hayes forces, covering his face with trembling hands.
After a group was thrown in, near the lava at the cavern's bottom…
A colossal aura erupted, scorching the surrounding air.
The sheer force made everyone present tremble uncontrollably.
"I need more… more!"
The priests' hearts shivered.
Silence followed, as another group of natives wailed, approaching the cavern to meet their fate.
Yet, no one noticed that below, the god's aura was becoming increasingly tainted…
The god's area was slowly being infected with a deadly blackness… reminiscent of the land demons use to build their nests.
Perhaps this god's ascension was not as the priests imagined.
---
"Report!"
An aide rushed to the commander.
"Sir, troops on Front 13 have reached the core regions where the gates are located!"
"A mage corps has also arrived, analyzing the magical arrays on the gates to extract the world coordinates!"
The commander's eyes brightened.
"What? Are you sure?"
The aide didn't answer, only presenting battlefield photos.
The commander received them, overjoyed.
In the photos, a robed soldier was setting up reverse-tracking magical arrays near the gate.
"Good news! Send orders: hold the area at all costs. Prevent any counterattack from the enemy world!"
"Also, any mobile units still approaching the gate must head to Front 13!"
"We must protect the mage corps at all costs. Until they extract the enemy coordinates, they cannot die!"
But…
"Uh, sir…"
The aide's expression suddenly changed.
"Reports indicate they may not need reinforcements."
"Why?"
"For about ten minutes, all the gates stopped transmitting enemy soldiers."
"The enemy seems to have abandoned defending the gates!"
The commander felt as if his head had been struck with a hammer, dizzy and off-balance.
He gasped for air…
A sense of extreme foreboding surged in his chest.
At that very moment, every living being on this world—Hayes soldiers, natives, even demons—looked up at the sky.
Above them, a crimson vortex covered the heavens.
Countless black mist tentacles wrapped tightly around the world.
All beings heard a voice, growing clearer…
A "song."
This song carried the whispers of malevolent strategy, the pleasures of fulfilled desires, the indulgence following acts of cruelty.
It was a song of doom and destruction, darkness and corruption.
The anthem of the very embodiment of the Endless Abyss!
"Oh… no."
The commander trembled, staring at the black-red vortex.
Suddenly, he realized something critical.
He ran from his command post, leading a dozen guards toward the research facility holding the legendary demon.
But…
Inside, all researchers and guards were collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
They had been poisoned—many were already dead.
Meanwhile, at another passage, a four-armed demon grinned, dragging a researcher whose body had partially corroded into a fleshy mass toward the entrance to another dark world.
After opening the portal with the researcher's credentials, the demon gazed upon a barren, blackened, polluted "new world," and smiled wickedly.
"(Demonic) Little one, open your eyes and see."
"(Demonic) The Abyss you sing of is coming!"