From beginning to end, in Old Mahmut and his wife's eyes, the two Abyssal Dark Households they captured were nothing to fear. Rootless, new to the place, and still staying at the Strange Hotel by doing cheap errands—how could they suddenly assassinate the upper echelons of the Iris Flower Brotherhood and even set fire to years of operations?

Anyone would think there's definitely someone else behind this.

Even so, Old Mahmut and his wife weren't surprised. Although angry, they had been in the black-and-white business for many years and had long known what their fate would be.

Not to mention, just by getting involved with the Void, the outcome in the Border Abyss was unlikely to end well.

As for their second son's death and the family being burned, they weren't worried about a repeat for themselves. After confirming the two had no ability to resist, they immediately took them to the ancestral home for interrogation.

In their view, the second son was killed because it happened suddenly and he was unprepared. But they were different.

They had the trump card that the Iris Flower Family relied upon for years to create chaos, so there was no need to panic—

Roar.

The Abyss opened its enormous maw, roaring from the endless depths, followed by magma spouting from beneath the cracked earth, flowing fiercely like blood over every corner of the ancestral home.

Tremble.

Following the roar was an unending earthquake; the entire Water Prison quickly cracked and disintegrated, sand and stones continuously falling. Caramel Snail immediately reacted, struggling fiercely and breaking free from the ropes. As soon as he did, a crack opened in the dark cell, and he leaped up, slipping through the crack.

Appalled.

As Caramel Snail ran wildly through the trembling ancestral home, the sight before him was truly shocking: a smooth path laid out over the corridor, extending dozens of meters, made entirely of human skin rugs, with both sides filled with parts and remnants forming by-products.

Looking further down, Caramel Snail began to sweat heavily.

This wasn't just a hall showcasing evil spoils of war but also a slaughter line for living priests. The so-called corridor was essentially a long bridge, floating with the Void Force. A glance downward would reveal bizarre, misshapen monsters covered in violet, murky Void Crystals, constantly pulling humans from the pool, dragging them like sheep, throwing them on a table, cutting, slicing, mincing, conducting wicked superstitious rituals, and further corrupting…

Even in the Layer Abyss, only Evil God Devotees would conduct such vile sacrifices.

The Cognition Filter already shattered, Caramel Snail immediately felt physically unwell.

"Damn, how many people have they killed…"

Though Li Aozi had long said that the Iris Flower Brotherhood was no good, seeing such a scene of evil, even a battle-hardened man like him was struck speechless by the impact.

Clang—

Just as he was shocked by the tragic sight beneath the bridge, the sound of chains falling to the ground snapped him back to reality.

Caramel Snail turned his head; a seductive figure stood on the opposite side of the bridge, holding a flail in one hand. Her head was missing, replaced by an inclined cross deeply embedded in her neck.

[Eye of Truth]

The Arcane Energy activated, and lines of data about the opponent immediately surfaced.

Most of the information displayed 'Void Corruption,' incomprehensible, with a level slightly higher than his, reaching level 239.

The template was 'War Maniac.'

"…I originally felt a bit guilty about having to kill someone, especially since I was actually the one to strike first."

Caramel Snail took a deep breath, raised his hand, and a pitch-black tachi immediately appeared in his palm, held firmly:

"But after really understanding your deeds, I am left with nothing but calmness in my heart."

The War Maniac template's traits ignore Hierarchy damage immunity and increase output rate threefold, making it very difficult to handle. Combined with level suppression, this meant the margin for error for Caramel Snail was extremely low.

The slightest mistake could lead to disaster.

'I absolutely must not be grazed. At my current level and armor, even a graze would be near-death, so elite units must be handled with caution.'

However, he wasn't just sitting idly.

Since Cumin Powder was killed, he had been exchanging insights with experts all this time, continuously honing his Skills.

It was all to prevent the tragedy from recurring the next time he encountered those Secret Earthlings.

Not just to defeat and kill opponents but more importantly to protect others from these beasts.

[Inscription Saint Swordmaster]

[Qi Harmony Way: Lock]

[Whale Faction: Saint Dharma Body of the Bodhi Sea]

The phantom of a sword-wielding Samurai menacingly appeared behind him, Caramel Snail's Qi Energy overflowed, azure flames enveloped his body, and the air resonated with the chant of Buddhist scriptures, akin to a sorrowful whale's song.

In an instant, the once narrow corridor seemed to be flooded by seawater, with raging waves and a desolate ancient aura rolling in, even swallowing spacetime.

"Berserker Elite Monster? I'll start with you to showcase the results of my painstaking efforts!"

Caramel Snail raised his Long Sword, and the phantom behind him also raised its Long Sword, their actions perfectly synchronized, both hands gripping the hilt, Qi Energy accumulating like a vortex. The shelves on both sides of the corridor resonated unprecedentedly, rustling loudly.

The Cross Head seemed to sense the threat, slightly turning its body, Qi Energy spreading from beneath its feet, forming invisible chains binding it.

[Charge has reached its limit]

Caramel Snail's gaze flickered, his form instantly merging with the Samurai phantom, swinging down the Blade.

——Slash!

Layer upon layer of waves seemed to become tangible, instantly shattered by Sword Qi. This strike landed precisely on the Cross Head's chest.

Boom!

A surge of Qi energy burst forth, even forcing Caramel Snail himself back. The powerful attack raised thick clouds of dust, obscuring the opponent's form.

But consequently, the entire corridor was destroyed, and all the grotesque and evil human creations in the display cabinets on both sides were shattered under the resonance from this strike.

"Got it!"

Caramel Snail felt a surge of joy, excitement in his voice:

"The effect of this strike is unprecedented. With this move, facing those Earthlings, I can definitely give them a hard time..."

However, his voice grew smaller and smaller.

Jingle, jangle, jingle...

The flail dragged on the ground, the iron chains clashing and colliding, emitting a crisp and cold sound.

A withered big hand tore through the smoke, and the Cross Head suddenly appeared in his sight.

Unscathed.

Not only that, she seemed to finally confirm her opponent, almost immediately locking onto Caramel Snail, darting toward him with the flail raised. Caramel Snail instinctively lifted his weapon to block, the heavy force pressing him to the ground instantly.

"Argh! Damn it—"

Caramel Snail instinctively wanted to activate Dominator Body to break free, but the opponent's arm quickly lit up with a purple murky brilliance.

[Void Erosion arrives]

Just as Caramel Snail gathered his Qi Energy, his eyes instantly lit up with a purple meaning.

'Why did you bring Li Aozi here?'

...What?

'You accomplice of a butcher, hypocrite! Birds of a feather!'

...Is this, Ziluo Star?

'We coexisted harmoniously with [Society], it was you who suddenly arrived and destroyed us!'

...No, it's not like that, once corrupted by [Society], there's no saving... I was just—

'Just helping them liberate—is that right? Do you really think so?'

A familiar voice rang in his ear.

Caramel Snail's pupils shrank.

'Do you actually want to liberate the corrupted, or do you hate [Society] because they killed my people, using this as an excuse for your slaughter on Ziluo Star?'

Cumin Powder walked past him alone, leaving behind such words.

'I used to quite like you, but didn't expect you to be such a butcher.'

...It's not like that, I'm not.

He reached out to stay, but the scene in front of him immediately changed, more and more people appearing before him.

'You really disappoint me, Jiaozi Niu, I supported you all this way, but you fell for that woman named Cumin Powder.'

'Damn it, you only got second place, despite all our support.'

'Playing games all day, when will you truly grow up?'

......

[Will judgment failed.]

[Warning: You've been eroded by Void Force, gaining the status 'Suppression', unable to use Dominator Body, immune to control, and invincible skills to release.]

The warning voice suddenly rang, pulling Caramel Snail back to reality.

—Damn it, the Cognition Filter still isn't fixed.

During the previous fight with the Secret Council, the Cognition Filter had been damaged once.

I thought it would be fixed once I went back online, but for some reason, it's as if his Lai Anding Medical Protocol failed, the things that should have been harmoniously filtered are now inerasable.

"And what the hell is this special effect—Dominator Body and immune to control can't be used to break free, and why is invincibility not working?!"

There was no time to be in shock, the situation before his eyes was precarious.

Being brutally pressed down by the Cross Head, his Health Points continuously drained, countless negative statuses filled the status bar instantly.

Countermeasures failed, purification items couldn't be used, dispelling scrolls were unusable, even forcing to exit the game was impossible.

Not only that, since the Cognition Filter shattered, Caramel Snail had been enduring all kinds of positive mental influence.

Murmurs constantly echoed in his ears, various thoughts brewed in his heart, his mind was highly tense, and images of past people and events occasionally flashed before his eyes.

Everything else was fine, but Cumin Powder, she kept appearing in front of him, reproaching him, in a tone full of disappointment, constantly emphasizing his guilt and inadequacy.

Marching alongside Li Aozi to Ziluo Star, orchestrating the massacre of an entire civilization, even after hundreds of years, he could never forgive himself.

It was clearly just a game.

This is just a game, game, game!

But why in the game, can you still see the dead players...

Could it be, is Azi still alive?

If this is her soul, then what is "Starry Abyss"? A cyber digital life space, a soul's haven after death?

If so, then since Azure Star, the killings, wars, destruction, colonization, and raiding we've been creating...

How are we any different from [Society]?

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