"Hum!"
As countless thoughts flashed through his mind, the invisible barrier that had steadfastly guarded Truman's consciousness began to tremble.
Truman's eyes widened, staring at the imperceptible shudder in the invisible barrier.
This faint tremor was nearly invisible, leaving no trace on the barrier's surface.
Yet, in the abyss, it unleashed an unimaginable wave of corruption. Originating from the abyss's deepest depths, the wave surged outward in all directions, shaking the entire abyss.
Was this the essence of the tide of corruption? A ripple caused by the Mother Tree of Desire's relentless assault on the invisible barrier?
The Mother Tree of Desire, leveraging its mysterious connection to the Abyss pathway, was battering the invisible barrier within the abyss. How long had this been happening? A century? A millennium?
The barrier remained robust, but could it eventually be worn down, like water eroding stone?
Truman's expression grew grave. Based on the trajectory in his memory, he leaned toward the possibility that the Mother Tree of Desire had already achieved some success. After all, both the "Abyss" and the "Chained God" had been tainted and controlled by it.
This was already the greatest achievement of an outer god in this world.
Even before fully infiltrating, it had seized control of two critical pathways—an extraordinary feat.
This advantage likely stemmed from its initial erosion of the abyss!
"The Ancient Sun God had some foresight about what's happening here, though it can't compare to mine…"
"He likely sensed something and began laying plans early."
"Perhaps even earlier, maybe after emerging from the Chaos Sea to become a god, the Ancient Sun God was already scheming, preparing for the end times…"
Truly formidable!
Truman marveled, but the situation left no room for further contemplation. The invisible barrier trembled, and waves of corruptive tides surged toward the trio.
Truman swiftly flung out the Scroll of Civilization.
The Scroll of Civilization transformed into a series of projections.
It faithfully recorded the origins of various beyonder races, depicting in epic strokes their journey from ignorance, the creation of civilizations, and the pivotal moments of their world dominance.
In the next instant, a shadow of the Creator descended from the Star Realm, leading humanity's rise, now a force that even beyonder races had to reckon with.
The weight of civilized history blocked the tide of corruption.
The corruptive tide poured into the Scroll of Civilization, but with nearly a millennium of ancient god rule, this heavy history was sufficient to withstand several waves of corruption.
After all, the invisible barrier remained strong, and the Mother Tree of Desire's penetrating power was quite limited.
For added security, Truman tossed out the Black Emperor Crown. Its distorting authority was formidable, directly twisting the aggressive nature of the corruptive tide, mitigating its harm.
"To that landmass!"
Amanises used her "Concealment" authority to instantly transport the trio to the landmass.
A floating island in what resembled the starry expanse of the Star Realm felt utterly incongruous. This place was likely central to the Devil Monarch's schemes.
To be constantly watched by an outer god through a barrier and still persist in rooting here, transforming the abyss—Devil Monarch Farbauti's ambitions were no small matter!
The figures of Truman, Amanises, and Lilith slowly took shape at the center of the landmass, becoming tangible.
"Roar!" The moment they set foot on the land, a terrifying bellow resounded, sending their minds into chaos, with emotions surging uncontrollably, threatening to erupt.
A projection of Devil Monarch Farbauti!
This was a reverse application of demonic summoning, with Farbauti, currently battling the Giant King, projecting itself here.
Lilith immediately concealed herself, using the powers of "Concealment" and "Dream" to hide her presence.
"It's just a projection with limited power," Amanises said, swiftly suppressing her emotions with Concealment, making a rational judgment.
Indeed, facing attacks from two deities, Farbauti could not channel significant power into this projection.
For angels below the level of deities, however, the mere suppression of rank was overwhelming.
"Concealment!" Amanises directly invoked the most iconic authority of the Darkness pathway.
"Dream!" Truman complemented her, using his dream ability to briefly stall the Devil Monarch's will.
If Farbauti's true body were present, Truman would have no chance of pulling it into a dream. But a mere projection's power didn't intimidate him.
With the Book of Dreams amplifying his ability, the "Dream" succeeded, causing a momentary lag in the Devil Monarch's projection, allowing Concealment's power to take effect.
Hiss!
In that instant, the Devil Monarch's projection seemed to turn into a simplistic sketch, gradually erased.
Changing the battlefield was Amanises's plan.
The landmass was too bizarre; keeping the fight there risked unpredictable dangers!
Boom!
The concealed space welcomed its most formidable enemy yet.
The Devil Monarch's projection severed its connection to its main body, losing all perception of the outside world.
"The authority of Darkness?! You're Misfortune!" The Devil Monarch's eyes blazed with corruptive flames.
"You dare to blaspheme!" The Devil Monarch spat these words in a language of corruption.
A divine emblem on Truman's chest erupted with intense sunlight, purifying the corruption. Forged by the Ancient Sun God himself, the emblem held sufficient rank to resist such depravity.
Truman now positioned himself as support. Without two Uniqueness artifacts, aside from the Book of Dreams, he could hardly threaten the Devil Monarch.
The Gloves of the Ancient and Sage Robe couldn't keep up with the pace of such a battle.
Amanises transformed into a demonic wolf, fully concentrating the Darkness pathway's authority within herself, having initially integrated its Uniqueness. Her current state resembled a certain "Apprentice" from later times, adept at evasion.
She unleashed the power of Darkness, summoning endless tides of shadow that seeped from every corner of the concealed space, surging toward the Devil Monarch.
"Even Flegrea wouldn't dare face me like this!" The Devil Monarch roared, each word carrying unimaginable corruption capable of tainting any living being.
"And so he died," Amanises replied calmly, facing the ancient god's projection without any exploitable emotions, as the one who had slain the Destruction Demonic Wolf.
"Corruption!" The Devil Monarch fixed its gaze on Amanises, finally taking her seriously.
These two words embodied its authority. In that moment, the concealed space under Amanises's control seemed to fall, tainted by demonic essence.
Even the tide-like darkness he summoned "corrupted," transforming into flames bearing demonic traits, turning against the darkness and eroding the concealment.
(End of Chapter)