A different world game? A different world game!

abyss.

Bloody battle on the battlefield.

The sky above the abyss is not the real sky, but a boundless, broken curtain of chaos surging with twisted energy.

The eternal, somber crimson and heavy black intertwine, like a solidified, blood-stained dome, heavily pressing down on the earth.

This can be considered a characteristic of the bloody battlefield.

Perhaps influenced by the endless wars and bloodshed here, everything here seems to carry a hint of blood, even the air you breathe smells of blood.

As far as the eye could see, the land was barren and cracked, with dried-up purplish-black "rivers" meandering, traces of where demonic blood once flowed. The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur, the stench of rust and blood, and an omnipresent, chilling whisper of the abyss.

In the distance, distorted spatial rifts, like gaping scars, greedily swallowed the light, with occasionally enormous, unnatural, bizarre shadows writhing within them.

This is the abyss.

A corner of the battlefield on the 1121st level of the almost endless plane of the abyss, a breeding ground for chaos and destruction.

In such dire circumstances, a fortress stands like a tenacious reef on the edge of the surging, chaotic waves—the Blood Pit Fortress.

Built in just one or two years, this steel fortress, baptized by blood and fire, is already marked with the scars of fierce battles.

The city walls, forged from dark metal and abyssal black rock, are covered with claw marks, huge, torn craters, charred black plates burned by some kind of corrosive attack, and mottled marks from countless weapon slashes.

You can also see many repair marks on it, as if layers of protective material have been pasted on it, making the entire protective wall look like an ugly patch.

Despite its rugged appearance, it is precisely this rugged exterior that can keep out those damned demons.

In the Abyss, the sophisticated alchemical protection of the Night's Watch is meaningless; a crude, practical, and simple approach is the best solution.

This is the abyss, where chaos and brutality reign supreme.

On one wall, a huge, tear-like mark stands out, a scar left by the aftermath of the divine war.

It is the mark left by that demon who kept a secret, bearing the rules of tearing apart, firmly imprinted on this wall.

Kana didn't dispel the rules; he just left them as is, as a memento, since it wouldn't have any impact anyway.

Of course, this is not his opinion.

Rather, Leilia thought the tear scar looked quite nice, so she kept it.

Moreover, this is not a disgrace, but an honor.

Let that damned demon who only knows how to run away remember his humiliation and the fact that he had a backup plan here.

At the top of the fortress, a magnificent and intricately structured device—an ironwork structure—is steadily radiating a pale golden, orderly glow, forming a semi-transparent, enormous dome that covers the core area of ​​the fortress.

The light, gentle yet resilient, is a rare solace on this scorched earth.

If the Blood Pit Fortress weren't now considered a thorn in the side of this bloody battlefield, many warriors fighting in the abyss would occasionally come here to rest and feel the warmth once shone by the light of order.

The existence of the Blood Pit Fortress inevitably increased the intensity of the entire bloodbath battlefield.

However, no one will blame Blood Pit Fortress; on the contrary, they will praise it because it is a good thing.

What they despised was the endless tug-of-war.

Most of the warriors who come to fight in the abyss want to cause changes and, ideally, to take down this layer of the abyss in one fell swoop.

The changes brought about by Blood Pit Fortress are a good thing.

This means the abyss is becoming impatient.

The fortress itself exudes a rough, pragmatic feel, with sharp edges and no superfluous decorations, only practicality and the vicissitudes of having just experienced a bloody battle.

As you look beyond the city walls, the interior of the fortress immediately comes into view.

There is no urban hustle and bustle here, only the solemnity of military preparedness.

The central castle command post is clearly visible, but what is even more striking is the mountain of supplies piled up inside the fortress—there's so much of it that it's impossible to miss.

Sealed ammunition boxes were stacked into a high wall.

Neatly bundled energy crystals shimmered faintly; piles of standard Night's Watch armor awaited repair or distribution; spare ballista components, engineering materials, and holy crystals filled the designated open space.

These are simply supplies that can be piled up outside without being affected by the environment.

Some of the more valuable supplies are stored underground and in the surrounding factory buildings.

To put it simply...

Almost half of the fortress's area was used to store all sorts of supplies.

Without these supplies, the Blood Pit Fortress would hardly be able to stand firmly on this blood-soaked land.

Temporary rest areas were scattered throughout the area, with tents and simple prefabricated houses neatly arranged, where exhausted soldiers could catch their breath briefly.

Unlike the long-established Bloodbath Fortress, this place has almost no commercial atmosphere.

At the supply distribution point, the Avengers and Night's Watch warriors received free food, water, and basic supplies in an orderly manner, without any trading required, all thanks to the Night's Watch's well-organized logistical support.

Most importantly, the quality is good and the taste is wonderful.

Anyway, many warriors of other races just couldn't understand why some of the Night's Watch's special foods were so suitable.
After all, this is the Abyss, a gathering place for various races from the Astral Plane, each with their own unique and diverse tastes, making it difficult to cater to everyone.

But the Night Watchmen are able to take care of most people.

In particular, the Night's Watch's standard dry rations have become the most popular food on this battlefield of the Abyss.

It is said that even demons sometimes try it and give it a passable rating.

It can be described as extremely defying the heavens.

This thing also became a blood pit fortress, continuously selling items to the outside world.

Even the Night's Watch themselves didn't know how the guys at the Alchemy Lab managed to create something like this.

Aside from these, only scattered along the edges are a few stalls run by merchants who have traveled from other Bloodbath fortresses, selling drinks with higher alcohol content, certain exotic non-standard weapon parts, or local delicacies—rare non-essential luxuries.

The abyss exists in all races.

Not everyone is there for revenge.

This is also the largest black market in the entire astral plane.

Remember, it's the entire astral plane.

It's easy to imagine how outrageous the shady deals here are.

Some important black market trading markets are even located within the divine realm of the Abyss God.

In this fortress where war and survival are the only themes, the only place that can be described as "lively" is the tavern that has been specially preserved and even reinforced. It is built in a relatively stable corner, supported by heavy stone and metal beams.

The simple sign above the door reads "Broken Spear and Horn".

Inside, the place was bustling with noise, and the heat, carrying with it the smells of alcohol, sweat, and barbecue, hit you in the face.

The lighting was dim, provided only by the fireplace and a few alchemical lamps.

The guests here are all soldiers.

The Avengers, clad in tattered armor, laughed as they recounted their recent slaying of a troublesome lava demon.

In the corner, a Night Watchman with blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his face silently wiped his dagger.

At the bar, a burly man with a missing arm steadily held a huge wine glass with his brand-new, sleek, gleaming silver-white metal arm, clinking glasses with his newly met companion.

Several merchants from other fortresses mingled in the crowd, peddling their goods.

"Have you heard? Those demons tried to bypass the pass south of the fortress again yesterday, but they were all surrounded by Captain Greytooth and his men using a chain net trap!" A stubble-faced Avenger slammed his fist on the table, spitting as he spoke.

"Hmph, that bastard 'Lord of Tear' ran away, things have calmed down a bit, but who knows what kind of evil god will come next." His companion swirled his wine glass, his tone numb with the aftermath of a disaster.

But compared to before, at least he would talk about something instead of being lifeless and only knowing how to kill.

In that case, these Avengers will eventually degenerate into the very beings they hate most.

"The evil gods are dealt with by the Venerable Ones, we just need to take care of the dregs on the ground," another person chimed in, his tone filled with blind trust. "But those 'iron flowers,' every time they light up, I feel much more comfortable, and the chatter of those women in the abyss quiets down considerably." Their conversation always revolved around the life-or-death battlefield before them.

Around a table against the wall sat several warriors, dressed in the Night's Watch's standard soft armor, their faces weary but their eyes still sharp.

Their conversation, though not loud, revealed a deeper anxiety, closely related to the battle reports shared on the channel.

The red-bearded warrior lowered his voice: "I just read the internal report. The pressure on the Ring Tower City is quite high. Hamton's defensive walls are about to collapse, and we need to urgently send more people there, as well as some Holy Light Crystals... those things are very scarce right now."

Holy Light Crystals are a product of the close bond between the Night Watch and the Church of Holy Light.

It can be roughly understood as the existence of holy light energy gathering and hardening into crystals.

It is not that crystals are the containers, but rather that energy is gathered into crystals.

It's easy to imagine how powerful these crystals are.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so scarce.

The problem is that it contains some entities that target the void. Holy Light itself is a strong ordered energy, and it has a very strong suppressive power against all evil things.

While the void cannot be categorized as pure evil, it is itself a symbol of destruction and is influenced by it to some extent.

With the addition of that trace of power, the holy light was transformed into a force capable of suppressing the void.

This thing is not easy to make, even for the Night's Watch.

At least for now.

A younger soldier next to him frowned and added, "Not only that, we've also briefly lost contact with the coral reef area again. Although reconnaissance units have been deployed, there's been no detailed feedback yet. We're afraid that like last time, a spatial rift will suddenly erupt and spew out tidal demons. We're fighting for our lives on the front lines; if we can't hold our home..."

A slightly older, one-eyed Night Watchman with a faint scar on his face picked up his mug, took a sip of bitter ale, and sighed, "The most critical situation is over at Ironspine Mountains. The rift is expanding faster than expected, and the Night Watch squadron is stuck deep within it. Requesting airdrop support..."

"But at the supply dispatch center, Hamton and the Verdant Forest are both desperately in need of supplies. The order to shrink defenses issued by Judge Aliris means that many secondary strongholds will have to be abandoned."

“Every time I see the glowing dots disappearing from the edge of the battle map, it feels like a piece of my heart has been ripped out.” The red-bearded warrior rubbed his temples. “I heard that Lord Pope has been keeping a low profile for the past few years, supposedly brewing some big plan…is it some kind of secret weapon?”

He didn't finish his sentence, but his worried eyes said it all.

"Don't worry too much, we have more than enough power, it's just... we're too greedy. That's the void, we can't think we can save everything."

The one-eyed veteran's voice calmed down as he spoke rationally.

"We must also trust the choice of the City of the Rings. The contraction is to accumulate strength and save more people. We are here to clear out the demon army to share the burden of our homeland."

"Just as the judge said, the Night Watch is the lighthouse; even when all around us is darkness, we are the only light."

He glanced at the constantly refreshing information stream flashing on the channel. "Those back home are holding on with gritted teeth, we can't collapse either. Finish this drink, then get ready to change shifts."

The tavern remained noisy, but in the silent clinking of glasses and worried eyes of the Night Watchmen, the immense pressure of the entire Abyss battlefield and the heavy responsibility of their homeland being under attack were transformed into the bitter yet scalding liquor in their glasses, which they drank down in one gulp before turning to throw themselves into the front lines of blood and fire.

Blood Pit Fortress, this scarred and newly built stronghold, is like a red-hot iron, firmly embedded in the flesh and blood of the abyss.

And the leader of the Night's Watch.

At that moment, Kana was standing on the castle's spire, on the balcony.

Aren't you going back to take a look?

In the living room behind her, Apis flipped through some files in her hands and asked a question.

After all, the Night's Watch's attention is currently focused on the Vanguard.

Kana shook his head.

"Like I said before, this is just a small matter for the vanguard, no problem."

"It seems there is something in the abyss that you care about even more, sir."

Karina asked curiously.

These words caused everyone present to turn and look at Kana.

Leilia rode up behind Kana, tilted her head, and asked curiously, "Really?"

Kana glanced at her helplessly and pushed Lelia's head away with his hand.

"You could say that."

"The Divine Kingdom Project?"

"What else could it be besides this?"

"Speaking of which, how far has the Divine Kingdom Project progressed? After all, it's been a year or two already, hasn't it?"

Having been in the abyss for so long that she was almost losing her sense of time, Leilia asked curiously.

Although she knew about the plan, she hadn't really paid much attention to it. The only thing she knew was the iron flower structure above their heads.

After all, it was quite troublesome for her to be in charge of the Blood Pit Fortress all by herself before.

At this moment, Apis suddenly covered her mouth and laughed.

Leilia turned to look at her, narrowed her eyes, and suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Yeah, why are you still here?" (End of Chapter)