Three months later.

“It’s been three months already, why hasn’t Black Isotta opened up a new Void Aperture! There are seven Demon-Hunter Sorcerers here receiving special attention by the Sorcerers World’s Principal Will. Even if just one or two get struck down, the price the Stigmata Sorcerer has to pay to the Holy Tower is no small change…”

Despite the worry in Grimm’s heart as to his own safety, he was much more concerned about the safety of those Abyssal Summoner sorcerers who were waging a guerilla warfare, therefore always being on the run from the enemy.

As for Grimm, he had completely assimilated himself into this Crimson City. So long as he did not make too jarring of a mistake, Aeschi, the Acraepoid who was so easily swayed by pompous speeches was his greatest asset if security were concerned.

As there were still stray groups of Abyssal Demons and their leaders, the Abyssal Summoners, who conducted hit-and-run attacks in an effort to slowly chip away at the Acraepoids’ gathering points, very few Acraepoids left the Crimson City on their own without someone else watching their backs.

Though, Grimm was no Acraepoid.

After flying through the sky for quite a while, Grimm’s brows furrowed as he scanned the bare ground in every direction. The entire place was leveled and smooth, like a huge river bank. Doubt started surfacing in his mind.

Was there an error in the signal he had received?

This auxiliary space was called the First Acraepoid Kingdom and the deity it was named after was distinct from the other Infernal Gods. Even if his holy temple which was situated in a “mortal” area was destroyed, and his source of faith was cut off, the Kingdom would remain standing.

In this respect, the First Acraepoid King should rightfully be called the true World Lord of the Infernal Spirit World.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A platoon of roughly twenty men, led by a Level-2 Acraepoid flew over to Grimm’s position. Its eyes projected a complex expression, with hints of suspicion and fear mixed up together.

“Warrior, how dare you fly in the skies above the holy temple!? The temple may be destroyed but I will not allow you to desecrate its ruins! You will follow us to the altar to receive whipping as punishment for your blasphemous acts!”

Skies above the holy temple!?

Grimm’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Looking at his surroundings, there were no signs of any temple existing here. It was all just a flat, empty piece of land that stretched till the horizon. Even if it was destroyed, there should still be visible remnants of its past right?

Not to mention, as far as Grimm knew, he and his fellow Abyssal Summoners were the first wave of sorcerers sent into this auxiliary space so how in the world was this temple destroyed?

It was impossible that the Acraepoids had enemies other than the sorcerers in this world, right?

“O Lord, I am just a rookie, newly inducted into the First Acraepoid Kingdom. I did not intend to offend the pride of the First Acraepoid King, and I willingly accept the punishment as sacrifice for the Lord.”

The tone in which Grimm spoke was solemn, but deep down, he felt a sense of glee.

The other party spoke of an altar, where punishments were conducted. It seemed like the holy temple existed within this auxiliary space after all! And this temple should be the deepest point one could get to in the holy kingdom.

If the Infernal Spirit Scripture existed, chances were high that it would be found here!

Under the watchful eyes of the other Acraepoids, Grimm entered a tunnel which led to an underground structure…

***

Four months ago.

It was just prior to the Battle Command’s decision to invite the Abyssal Summoners to join the invasion on the First Acraepoid Kingdom.

On the Dagmu seabed, the light of the Surficial Tundra could not reach this place. Over time, darkness had integrated itself into its laws. Even the Abyssal corruption which plagued the Infernal Spirit World could not maintain its grip here.

Amidst the pitch black darkness of the seafloor, a blood-red glow pulsated like a beating heart. The faint source of light revealed a swarm of bright green luminescent small octopuses feeding on prey around them. Though for some reason, these octopuses instinctively kept a distance from the dark-red light.

The blood-red glow came from a piece of boulder resting on the seabed. It was more than twenty meters wide and its shape was a near perfect sphere.

The phantom of a flame elemental creature would appear atop this blood-red boulder from time to time, which clashed against the fundamental flow of laws in the Infernal Spirit World. This elemental giant had a tall stature but what made it all the more intimidating was the cruel expression projected from its face.

“Guardian of the Sea, how long would the cultivation process take before the World Aperture can be harvested?”

Decadence, loneliness and fear were evident in the First Acraepoid King’s tone as he spoke. His gaze shifted onto the foreign creature’s phantom standing atop the boulder as he sighed in helplessness.

There was no doubt that the blood-red boulder and the foreign world from which it originated contained powers to be reckoned with. At the very least, they were just a little weaker if not on par with the Infernal Spirit World.

Although the opportunity presented itself so clearly, there was once a time when even the First Acraepoid King was unwilling to open up the World Aperture. The Infernal Spirit World had too many preparations which they had yet to complete to fight the upcoming War of the Worlds, part of it being to raise an army large enough and skilled enough to face whatever their enemies would throw at them.

But this time…

The First Acraepoid King was eager for the completion of this World Aperture, for it was his final bastion of hope to save the Infernal Spirit World, as well as for his own survival!

In the Void World beyond their world, a God amongst Gods from the Sorcerers World had cut off all methods of communication between the Eternal Dominator and the people under him. Even the most powerful World Lords, like the one from the King Kong World were only able to establish communications for just a brief moment. It was clear to him that this terrifying deity from the Sorcerers World had consolidated its complete control over their world now.

To be declared as an enemy by a God amongst Gods, even thinking about this was enough for feelings of dread and anguish to bubble up from the depths of the First Acraepoid King’s soul.

If the God amongst Gods were to leap into the Infernal Spirit World by himself, their hope for victory, albeit a tiny sliver was still existent. However, this possibility was crushed by the mere fact that there was a world, even greater than anything he had ever seen before, behind this God amongst Gods, supporting his every action.

“It still needs around two thousand years.”

The Guardian of the Sea replied gravely.

As the Abyssal creatures solidified their encroachment in the Infernal Spirit World, its laws had undergone a series of changes. The Guardian of the Sea could feel his grasp on the World Force grow weaker by the day.

As the days went by, fragments of his powers were being chipped off consistently. At this point, his strength had been whittled down so much that he could no longer engage any other World Lord in an open battle confidently.

“Two thousand years! Damn it! How the hell is the Infernal Spirit World going to survive for two thousand more years…”

The First Acraepoid King looked at the blurry figure of the Flame Giant as he asked in a displeased tone. “Is there no other way we can speed up the formation process of this World Aperture? We only have such a law to rely on in order to escape the grips of that God amongst Gods, and to abandon our Infernal Spirit World for us to link up with another world.”

The Infernal Spirit World was facing an existential crisis and the situation could no longer be any worse. Out of sheer desperation, by bringing in variables to the equation, the First Acraepoid King clung stubbornly to the hope that a miracle would occur!

“Any other methods?”

The Guardian of the Sea muttered to herself for a moment before a thought floated into her mind. Suddenly, a smile appeared on the beautiful female Acraepoid’s face.

“In it were the stable laws of the Infernal Spirit World from before, this may very well be impossible. But now that the Infernal Spirit World is facing the process of shifting laws and volatility…”

The Guardian of the Sea raised her arms opened wide.

“Just use my Heart of the Sea to trigger the final law of the Infernal Spirit World, to give birth to this World Aperture! O First Acraepoid King, take my Heart of the Sea and let the great Acraepoid race live on!”

A “crack” could be heard before her body shattered into pieces which melted away in the seawater. What was left of her was a heart that remained floating in the place where she stood.

“You…”

The First Acraepoid King held on to this Heart of the Sea dearly for exactly one day and one night before heaving a great sigh. It was as if the entire Infernal Spirit World had sighed together in sorrow for her noble sacrifice.

The Heart of the Sea then slowly sank into the blood-red boulder.

With a “bang”, the Heart of the Sea gathered the final remnants of the Infernal Spirit World’s pure and uncorrupted laws from every direction, its chains creating what seemed like a vortex which pointed directly onto this blood-red boulder!

Without the protection of the world laws, it was destined that the Abyss Moss would now enter and corrupt this underwater world, changing it from the Infernal Spirit World to the Abyssal World.

“Give birth! Grow! Open up the final gate of hope for the Infernal Spirit World!”

The First Acraepoid King roared, producing energy waves that were so strong that it rocked the seas’ surface despite them being a thousand meters below on the seabed. Then, a massive vortex appeared, which extended above the water’s edge and shot straight into the cloud layers above!

Crackle…

The chaos of the world laws had now turned the originally clear skies into one that echoed with the low rumbling of thunder. The sharp, ear-piercing sound of glass rubbing against one another could be heard as the laws from the Void World overflowed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two Demon-Hunter Sorcerers flew over from the distance, mouths agape and eyes wide at this sudden, abnormal change above this particular patch of sea. They could feel the turbulence and chaos the world laws were experiencing. Fearing for their own safety as they were merely Level-1 sorcerers, they quickly took out their crystal balls to record the anomaly before retreating into the horizon.

From the depths of the sea, the blood-red boulder was melting rapidly, staining the seawater red before forming into the illusion of a Void Ripple.

From the middle of the ripple appeared multiple silhouettes. Each of these individual silhouettes stood upwards to thirty meters tall. On their flaming skulls were four narrow eye slits, which glowed with an evil merciless light.

“Ke ke ke ke ke, you dare open a World Channel connecting directly to the great Purgatory Giants? You will very soon come to feel and enjoy the burning pain of reality…”