Everything was normal from the outside until a purple and dim light suddenly shook the space.
Everyone, allies and enemies, looked over.
Then, the ungodly screech of a terrifying mix of beings exploded outward. The sound was such that every single living being felt a powerful and uncontrollable fear rising from deep inside their souls.
Whatever thing or things made that sound was not supposed to be here.
It or They weren't supposed to be creatures that were created under Heaven's watch.
And, as if confirming that instinctual thought that came from deep within them, the Heavens answered by gathering a massive tribulation cloud.
RUMBLE!
The sky and world shook with clear wrath as space 100 meters from the origin of the purple light shattered, revealing a maw of horrors that led to a land where up and down didn't seem to make sense.
"AHHH! W-WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!?"
"HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP! AHHHHHHHH!"
The people who were near the release of purple light changed. Their bodies, like masses of wriggling flesh, transformed as the energy from the [Abyss] corrupted their bodies and souls.
From the void, before anyone could react, limbs that were deformed, grotesque monstrosities shot out in the hundreds of thousands and latched to everyone that was nearby, snatching them into the giant maw that opened.
By instinct or logic, every single creature fled. They didn't want to be there. They didn't even want to look over. Just a glance into that maw that opened in space was enough to feel their sanity corroding away.
RUMBLE!
SCREEECH!!!
Thousands of Heavenly Lighting Bolts fell from the sky, scorching everything they touched and forcing another terrifying screech from the creature or creatures that were trying to come out.
Admiral Tidal Crest looked at that with a serious face and looked over to the Lobster Capital's wall. "YASENIA DRAVORY! THIS IS NOT- YOU SHOULDN'T- RAHHHH!" Admiral Tidal Crest didn't even know what to shout. He just shouted to expel the unbearable emotions accumulating inside of himself. The horrifying events and aura had similarly affected him, making his thoughts extremely convoluted.
Yasenia appeared above them, her fifty maids and twenty other high-level Epoch Cores accompanying her. "To be fair, Admiral Tidal Crest, I was not expecting something like this."
Yasenia looked at the purple void, the heavenly tribulation, and the people in the surroundings fighting with a complicated expression. She was willing to use anything to finish this war as quickly as possible. However, she just thought that this orb would summon several of those Abyss abominations she saw in the past to slaughter people.
Instead, before her very eyes, the [Abyss] itself was summoned. It was a minuscule part, not even worth a dust mote. Yet, the entire Distancia World felt as if it was fighting a titan about to swallow it.
A Heaven was fighting for its life right before her very eyes.
RUMBLE!
Yasenia looked toward the dark clouds and saw Heavenly Tribulation Lightning Soldiers forming and shooting down against the void. The fact that those were being created meant that Heaven was not just "patching" a problem. It was going to war.
Admiral Tidal Crest shouted. "YOU ARE A MONSTER, YASENIA DRAVORY! YOU ARE AN UNFEELING MONSTER WITHOUT A SHRED OF SYMPATHY FOR LIFE! YOU AND THOSE THINGS THAT ARE COMING FROM WHATEVER THAT PLACE IS ARE NOT MUCH DIFFERENT!"
Alaia's face and the maids prepared to strike, but Yasenia spoke. "Stop." The maids blinked and looked at Yasenia, who kept looking at that void.
Alaia, worried, commented. "Young Miss, don't look. That [Abyss Maw] has the power of soul corruption. Just looking at it is enough to break the mind of fifth realm cultivators."
The dragoness hummed. "Don't worry. I am not feeling anything other than a light headache."
Yasenia's soul was one of her strongest qualities. She was overall powerful, but the density, size, and extent of her soul were on a completely different level. While the [Abyss Maw] was powerful, it was at a level that was unable to break through Yasenia's mental defenses.
"CORALINE!" Admiral Tidal Crest screamed, his eyes looking over to the ever-expanding maw that was consuming tens of thousands of lives with each passing second.
The monstrous limbs that extended could reach extremely far, some having already tried to take people by Admiral Tidal Crest's side.
Still, they were not omnipotent, so the peak-level Epoch Cores could cut them down.
"Coraline! Tell her to stop! Whatever that is, it is not- that's not something that should exist in this world! I know you feel it, too!"
Coraline looked between the maw and Yasenia, her face twisted in conflict. Loberon said. "Yasenia. I know that you want to win quickly-"
GEIAAAHAHHH!!!
A horrendous scream interrupted him, followed by a pulse of corrupted energy that passed through everyone.
Yasenia asked. "What happened?"
Alaia spoke quite a terrifying sentence. "It ate enough."
Following her words, space collapsed. Everything in a 100-kilometer radius was swallowed into the [Abyss], barely outside the lobster capital range. This, of course, was not a coincidence. The formation had a clear indicator for what was "allied" and what was an "enemy."
While everyone else had been swallowed, Yasenia's group was protected inside a large transparent dome. Even then, this dome didn't stop them from looking around the space they landed.
Yasenia looked around and then at Admiral Tidal Crest. "I usually never do this, but… I suggest you suicide, Admiral Tidal Crest. I promise it is the best way out of this situation."
Yasenia looked down at them, frowning. "You know, my intentions, while dominating this World, had never been the total and complete annihilation of my enemies. Instead, it was something more like assimilation. Convert everything into a place where my family and I can live comfortably, knowing we are the biggest fish."
Yasenia muttered. "For that, while I've been extreme, I've always fought with a few rules set for myself. As you've noticed, most of the war has been a frontal war. Assassinations happened only to lower powers that my army would stomp. I killed their leaders who opposed me and assimilated the rest."
The dragoness sighed. "However, Admiral Tidal Crest. You have attempted something during a time when I don't have time." Yasenia continued. "I will confess to you, Admiral Tidal Crest, this item was made by a demigoddess—a being with enough strength to probably erase Distancia with a flick of her finger."
The dragoness shook her head. "This War was never… true? Honest? Equal? War. Both sides never had the same chance at winning. It is true that I had to plan a lot not to use my deepest secrets and resources, but if I really let all my… 'resources' loose, you would've been stomped in a few months, one year at most."
Yasenia looked down at the incredulous Admiral Tidal Crest. "My plans were to be there for the birth of my children and then start a political battle with the Ocean Chasm Empire, slowly shifting the opinion of everyone while attacking here and there to conquer parts of the Empire and make the morale plummet. With my maids, there is no fortress in your Empire that can resist, so it wouldn't have been that complicated."
The dragoness looked at the world around her, which was starting to wriggle, and sighed. "I wanted to have a somewhat fair fight to… grow. A powerful enemy is what will make me stronger quickly to aim for my real objective, which is becoming strong enough to at least be of help to my mother. A faraway goal, a distant dream for now, but something I am willing to chase for my entire life."
"Admiral Tidal Crest," Yasenia spoke seriously. "Kill yourself before this place gets you. If you kill yourself, the Heavens will be able to retrieve your soul by force and send you to the reincarnation cycle. If you are killed by the things that will spawn in a moment… That fate will become your eternal wish."
Admiral Tidal Crest looked at the dragoness for a few seconds and closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was no hatred or madness, just a peaceful and serene pair of eyes. "Yasenia Dravory, can you explain what this place is?"
Yasenia nodded. "This, I believe, is part of the one and true [Abyss]. It is a dimension outside of the influence of even the Main Heavens. Abominations without shapes and other horrors inhabit this place. Souls that fall here transform and forever become monstrosities."
Admiral Tidal Crest asked, looking at the world that felt as if it was coming to life. "Why did you use this?"
Yasenia hummed. "At first, I thought it would just be a powerful formation that would kill most of your army. In the meantime, my plan was to come here as I have and have a fight with you to the death. You against me. You are a man who commands that minimum respect. I didn't expect this to be so… powerful. As I said, this was crafted by a demigoddess who pampers me quite a lot and saw that I was furious at your interference. Her mercy for your kind seemed to have run out."
Admiral Tidal Crest sighed. "If you said that you have a demigoddess as someone you know, the situation would've evolved differently."
Yasenia smiled sadly. "It would've. Everyone would've bent their knees if I had revealed our entire strength since the beginning. That wasn't my intention, though. I wanted to cultivate peacefully. Just gather strength and leave Distancia. Sadly, fate would not allow it."
"Admiral Tidal Crest! There are creatures coming out from the ground!"
A peak-level Epoch Core spoke while another shot toward the thing coming out of a floating pile of deformed, fleshy rocks.
Everyone looked over as a creature with three arms and without a head came out from the rockpile. Then, the creature's torso split vertically, releasing a deafening screech.
SCREEEEECH!!!
The peak-level Epoch Core appeared above it and sent a punch covered in a tornado of flames down. "Die, vile creature. [Ocean Dragon Incinerator]."
BOOM!
A massive explosion swallowed that area. However, to everyone's surprise, the floor was intact after the magnitude of that attack. What was more surprising, though, was that the creature that was struck, while somewhat deformed, quickly wriggled and reshaped, regenerating all wounds.
Then, the creature stomped the ground that didn't even flinch at the Peak-Level Epoch Core's attack and sank it around one meter.
BOOM!
A single moment and the Peak-Level Epoch Core burst in a cloud of blood mist.
Yasenia's face changed. 'I couldn't even follow it with my eyes.'
Alaia whispered. "Young Miss, that [Abyssal Nightmare Horror] is a realm above the one that Young Miss saw. It has the strength of a quasi-transcendent cultivator."
Yasenia's eyes widened. 'There is that much of a difference, and it still doesn't even reach Transcendence? How big is the difference in strength between the Fifth and Sixth realms?'
Admiral Tidal Crest looked at the result and sighed. "It looks like you are not lying, Yasenia Dravory."
Yasenia spoke. "I've done many things, but going back on my words after I've promised something is not something I would do. I am still a Dragon."
Admiral Tidal Crest smiled a bit as hundreds of creatures with the same aura as the one that insta-killed the Peak-Level Epoch Core appeared. Against this army, even the maids would be unable to do anything.
Yasenia blinked. "Um. Alaia… We are safe… Right?"
Alaia looked at Yasenia and smiled brightly. "Young Miss. This is Lady Tatyana's formation. So, since I vowed never to lie to you, I will say it with my chest out. I have no idea!"
Yasenia's facial muscles twitched. 'Oh dear. I hope Mom calculated that her dear daughter might've walked into her own trap…'