Chapter 728: The Abyss
The reason why Vale was hesitating to enter the Rift was due to the ongoing invasion of the Demonic Creatures around the continent.
He had barely assisted the Human Realm in the defense. With this Avatar, he believed that he could still kill a lot more Demons or even their Saints.
However, he also felt that he couldn't just pass up this opportunity.
In any case, he also doesn't have important items with him.
Currently, he only has runic clothes and weapons. They were made by Magnus and enhanced by his learned skills. Even if these items were lost and destroyed in this Abyss, he could just make more of them. As for the expendable talismans he was carrying, he wasn't worried about them being all spent. They had to serve their purpose anyway.
'Ugh... Whatever...'
As the Rift began to close, a slit in the fabric of reality, Vale's Avatar made a split-second decision.
With a determined leap, he plunged into the narrowing gap while the edges of the portal buzzed with dark energy.
Vale frowned as he felt something off as soon as he entered the Rift.
The transition was jarring, and he immediately recalled what was possibly happening to him.
It appears that the Will of the Abyss Realm was pressing down on him like a physical weight, a suffocating force that sought to crush his very essence! It was suppressing him!
'This must be the same sensation the Demon Saints felt when they entered the Human Realm...' Vale thought as he believed that the Will of the Human Realm was truly strong before. Because of that, he also couldn't help but feel curious about how the Will was weakened by the Abyss Realm.
Whom~
As he passed through the Rift, he felt his Divinity and Force to be extremely limited.
The world he emerged into was a hellscape that was almost beyond his imagination. The sky was covered by swirling crimson and black, lightning streaking across it in violent arcs.
The ground was a mire of corruption, and the earth itself seemed to have been twisted by the malevolent will that governed this Realm.
The air was thick with the stench of decay, and from afar, Vale could see a foul and thick miasma that could probably claw at the throat and stung the eyes of those enters.
"No wonder they wanted to invade other realms... Their place looked so disgusting..." Vale muttered as he continued scanning the surroundings.
Rivers of what could only be described as green liquid coiled through the landscape, their banks lined with the skeletal remains of creatures that had fallen victim to the Abyss.
For some reason, those skeletal remains didn't seem to belong to the creatures living in the Abyss Realm. If he'd make a guess, these remains would have probably come from the beings from other realms that were brought here by the Demons.
After all, he knew that the Demons had already invaded other realms aside from the Human Realms.
Huuu~
Vale exhaled as he steadied himself... Apparently, his senses were being assaulted by the pervasive aura of death!
Because he was being suppressed right now, he had to ensure that he should at least be in a stable condition.
'It is this tough here, huh... Just how am I supposed to recover my strength?' Vale frowned as he discovered something.
The very atmosphere was already a problem; each breath was like a battle against the vile energies that sought to invade his body.
Just breathing could already consume some of his energy!
Nonetheless, Vale was not deterred... This was just a simple matter since he still had something to accomplish in this Realm!
After all, he didn't just come here to satisfy his curiosity. He was here to eliminate Demons and if possible, he wanted to have a better grasp of the Demon Lord!
Lastly, if he did a great job causing trouble in the Abyss Realm, perhaps the attack in the Human Realm would get weakened! After all, the Demon Lord might send an order to retreat if he showed his might in this place.
'Let's see...'
After Vale finished observing his surroundings, the Zyrans around the area started gathering in his spot!
The ten behemoths, each a monstrosity of the Abyss, loomed over him like mountains of malice.
These Zyrans were larger than the ones in the Human Realm! There was no doubt that these Zyrans were their strongest form!
Their figures were like a mockery of life as they pulsated with deathly aura and corruption.
Their huge eyes, devoid of soul or mercy, fixed upon Vale with a hunger born of the deepest darkness.
They could definitely feel his Divinity and wanted to absorb it for themselves!
"Show me how strong you are in your territory..." Vale muttered as he was surely curious.
The battle that ensued was a clash of titans. Vale, though dwarfed by the sheer size of the Zyrans, was a force of nature...
He didn't wait for the Zyrans to corner him as he jumped to the nearest behemoth and clashed!
His black sword, now alight with an ethereal aura, cut through the air that seemed to twist even the space itself!
Although weakened by the Will of the Abyss Realm, Vale's technique could still trigger the mysterious Runes of his Sword!
He even started targeting a couple more Zyrans as they all got closer to him!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each swing was a challenge to the dominion of the Abyss! To their surprise, Vale was still unaffected by the Corruption of the Abyss Realm!
It wasn't just because of his Divinity but also because of his Incorruptible Body that had already adapted to the Demon Saint's Corruption!
The Zyrans roared and charged, their massive forms surprisingly agile as they sought to overwhelm Vale's Avatar.
But Vale wasn't standing still. He was in constant motion, his sword was like a beacon of light in the oppressive gloom of the Abyss!
Vale had no wasted movements and all his actions were precise... He was ensuring that all his energy was properly spent!
After all, with his suppressed energy, he certainly had to redouble his efforts and conceive as much energy as he could.
His every action was an embodiment of the Shadow Divinity that coursed through him! Nonetheless, whenever he strikes his opponent a surge of light would blind and burn his targets!
One by one, the Zyrans fell before him, their bodies dissolving into the corruption from which they were born.
Their death seemed to happen to quickly but aside from the sword he was using, Vale was also casting his Holy Smite!
Furthermore, these Holy Smites were no longer targeted to some random parts of the Zyrans, with the experience that Vale had gathered through the other Avatar, he already knew that he only had to target the Zyran's core with his Holy Smite!
"Mhmph! You're only tricky if I don't know your weakness and if I can't find your core." Vale muttered.
After all, his Perception Spell and his Dragon's True Sight, allowed him to locate those cores that could change their locations easily.
Boom!
Vale dodged the dark tendrils summoned by one of the Zyran's.
'Tsk... I'm losing energy too quickly...' Vale frowned as he realized how suppressed his body was!
Vale fought with a desperation fueled by the knowledge that failure here meant not just his Avatar's end, but a victory for the Abyss over the Realm he sought to protect.
'I should cause a huge trouble here! I'm not going down here!'
As the last Zyran collapsed, its form disintegrating into the dirt, Vale's Avatar kneeled on the ground. He was victorious, but he was exhausted.
After a few moments, he started calming down, his breathing became steady despite the exertion.
He then looked at the ghastly surroundings of the Abyss and was a bit confused as to why there was no one else here.
'Did they really send all the Demons in this area to the Human Realm?' Vale frowned at this idea. It sounded too reckless that the Rift had no officers guarding it.
"Did they think that those Zyrans were enough?"
Vale shook his head at this idea as he decided to continue with his plan. He wanted to create trouble and make his presence known, hoping that the Demon Lord would send Demon Saints after him.
Vale knew that this place was just a small area in the Abyss. The Abyss stretched far beyond this forsaken landscape, harboring countless dangers within its shadowy depths.
Vale considered his options for a while, and soon, his eyes lit up.
Vale decided to look for other areas where the Rift could be connected to the Human Realm. If possible, he also wanted to go to other places that might lead him to the stronghold of the Demon Lord himself!
"Hmmm... Securing a captive for interrogation should be fine..." Vale contemplated, a sly grin spreading across his face at the thought of outwitting the denizens of the Abyss.