A Universe Behemoth that was more than ten times the size of a grown man loomed over Modret and Axel.

Compared to it, they were vastly smaller. In fact, the two could barely be compared, and the pressure radiating from it was something Modret had only felt during the time he released the sword art attack in his fight against Troy.

"A Universe-level Celestial!" Modret whispered in dread. He couldn't begin to imagine the insane regeneration speed the Behemoth must possess.

His gaze briefly lingered on the twirling portal not too far away.

"If this is all we need to overcome to leave this place, then… we just have to kill it!"

His gaze sharpened.

Around him, black fire and purple lightning crackled to life, wrapping themselves around his skin.

His body changed drastically. From his normal human stature, black jagged scales appeared on his skin. Wings sprouted from his back—an intertwining mass of purple and black.

On the wings were golden engravings crackling with fire and lightning.

Modret looked like an angel and a devil fused into one.

His presence radiated authority and an unbridled aura.

Brimming with confidence, he stretched his hand toward the beast.

The instant he did, a Fire Lotus bloomed on the beast's head. It was pitch black, radiating a dense aura of death, and the moment it appeared, it erupted into crackles of lightning, drowning the beast's head.

Boom!

The Behemoth's head shattered into fragments that burst apart into the surroundings.

Suddenly, a sharp whooshing sound resounded, and before Modret or Axel could even react, the beast's head had already reformed, glaring at them in anger and hatred.

Two grotesque wings sprouted from its back. It flapped them immediately, vanishing from their line of sight and reappearing before Axel.

The instant it appeared, its sharp claw was already heading straight toward Axel's heart.

It pierced Axel's chest with a resounding bang—only to realize that at some point, Axel had turned into a shadow, dispersing into the wind.

Modret didn't hesitate. He seized the opening, stretching his hand and condensing another Fire Lotus atop the head of the Universe Behemoth.

Boom!

The lotus detonated, blowing apart the Celestial's skull. But even as the debris scattered, its form was already knitting itself back together. Axel's shadowed figure was behind it now, lightning rod in hand.

Without hesitation, he plunged it into the creature's eye.

Boom!

Arcs of lightning danced around as the Behemoth twitched violently, each part of its body rapidly burning into ash as time passed.

The twitching soon came to a stop, and its movements ceased.

Modret and Axel finally let out a breath—however, just then, the Behemoth's eyes shot open.

A dense reddish hue flared around it, exploding outward from its skin.

In an instant, its aura changed once more, and its black eyes turned blood-red.

An even more oppressive might burst from the Behemoth, and bright orange flames erupted into the surroundings.

Modret hastily clad himself in black fire, feeling the destructive weight of the attack, while Axel dispersed into shadows.

Taking this opportunity, the beast appeared in front of them, and its claw slammed into Modret, sending him crashing into the abyss.

After a fierce struggle, he managed to stabilize himself—only to look up and see Axel already locked in combat with the Behemoth.

Their fight was a dance of shadows, lightning, fire, and brute strength combined into one.

The Behemoth's claw slashed through Axel, but the youth dissolved into shadows, his form reforming behind the monster with a spear of lightning in hand.

He drove it straight into the Behemoth's heart, but the wound sealed immediately, fire exploding outward once more.

Then the Behemoth swung its tail at Axel. It seemed to vanish, reappearing before him in the blink of an eye.

As the tail tore through his head, the shadows scattered into the air, retreating before condensing again, arcs of lightning flickering around his form.

Modret was impressed by Axel's battle prowess, and the urge to fight burned fiercely within him.

Without further delay, he lunged at the Behemoth, three black Fire Lotuses crackling with lightning sparks blooming around him.

In a flash, he had already joined the battle.

But just as he did, Modret noticed something from the exit portal.

Slight cracks spread around its edges, and it was as though the portal was compressing inward.

'Huh? The portal is about to be destroyed?' Modret's heart skipped a beat, then his eyes widened in realization.

'No, that's not it. The old man said the portal would keep moving endlessly, dragging people into it. Then could it be…'

Just as Modret's excitement rose, thinking it might be another person, the portal suddenly expanded outward, and a massive beast burst forth.

It looked like a huge lizard with spikes running down the length of its spine.

Its body radiated a deadly aura of bloodlust that wasn't inferior to the Universe Behemoth.

And its eyes glinted with ferocity upon spotting humans.

Ignoring the Universe Behemoth, it lunged at Modret, countless metal rods forming from its scales.

The rods multiplied rapidly, instantly numbering over fifty.

It swung its tail in Modret's direction, causing a sharp cry to echo as the rods shot forward.

Modret was stunned, but his movements didn't falter.

Immediately, his wings flapped, and black fire spread outward, surrounding him.

The flames collided with the metal rods, melting most of them into molten liquid that dripped into the endless abyss below.

Then Modret continued his assault. A sharp rod shot toward him, but he sidestepped and hurled a Fire Lotus at the lizard.

The battle was brutally intense, leaving no room for thought between blows.

He and Axel switched opponents fluidly, dealing damage to both the Universe Behemoth and the lizard.

The former was unable to withstand their combined power but regenerated instantly due to the uniqueness of the Celestials.

The latter's skin, however, was made of a terrifyingly strong metal—only faint cracks had surfaced on its exterior despite all of Modret's attacks.

Just then, the portal twisted violently once again, and a sharp cry echoed as a bird shot through.

It had an extremely long, razor-edged beak that seemed as though it could pierce through the heavens themselves.

The sharp beak extended outward, and as the creature flapped its wings, it vanished—reappearing right in front of Modret.

Bang!

Before he could react, the beak pierced through his heart, sending him flying once more into the abyss.

"Young Master!" Shadows twisted unnaturally from Axel as he dove straight into the abyss after him.

Modret could feel his consciousness slipping away—the beast's beak… it contained poison.

His mind was muddled, and the last thing he saw were the three creatures staring down from the shimmering portal above.

But through the haze, he could feel something cold and familiar—like being caught in the arms of a shadow he trusted.

...

A/N: What do you guys think of the endless abyss mini arc? Is the old man scheming something? Perhaps the leader of the illuminati? I have a feeling that we'll get to explore this abyss in the future of the novel. How about you guy? Do you want us to see if it's truly... Endless???

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