Super God Academy: Kabuto

The Styx Galaxy, at the deepest part of Death Song Academy.

The only sounds in the cold hall were the eternal, rhythmic chimes of the great clock and the whispering glow emanating from the countless floating data streams. Karl stood silently before the massive clock, his face beneath the hood appearing even paler in the eerie blue light. He slowly opened his arms, a movement as gentle as embracing nothingness, or as if welcoming something inevitable.

"It's almost here... the time is almost up." His voice was deep, carrying an almost devout fervor, echoing softly in the empty hall. "The void... is about to truly descend."

"My God." Snow's figure appeared like a ghost at the bottom of the steps, kneeling on one knee with his head bowed. "The Taotie fleet from Earth has sent a message; they're asking about the next steps..."

Karl slowly turned around, his gaze, calm and unwavering beneath the shadow of his hood, landing on Snow. His eyes held no human emotion, only an almost absolute rational indifference. "Let them continue their attack. Don't worry about losses. The only objective is to distract Earth and the Super Soldier Corps." He paused, his voice flat. "Also, send a message to Hua Ye. Tell him to go to Earth. After his… 'performance' is over, I will give him the fifth-generation divine body he desires."

"Yes, my God." Snow bowed in agreement without any questioning, and his figure faded away silently once again.

The hall fell silent once more, leaving only Karl and the Great Clock. Karl raised a hand, palm up, and wisps of viscous, deep black energy, seemingly capable of swallowing all light, slowly emerged and coiled around him. It emitted fluctuations of the same origin as "Void Particles," yet even darker and more ominous, causing the surrounding space to slightly distort and tremble at the appearance of this power.

"The true era..." Karl clenched his fist, gripping the darkness tightly, and murmured to himself, "is about to be rewritten."

Near the Styx Worm Bridge Hub, dilapidated interstellar dust and distorted spatial currents formed the backdrop. Snow's figure materialized here, facing Hua Ye, who was surrounded by a group of surviving male angels, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

"Hua Ye," Snow's voice cut straight to the point, without any pleasantries, "I, the God, command you to immediately lead your troops and cooperate with the main force of the Taotie to attack Earth. After the mission is accomplished, the promise of your fifth-generation divine body upgrade will be fulfilled."

Hua Ye stroked his chin, a calculating and greedy glint in his single eye: "Oh? Earth... Alright. Go back and tell Karl to wait for my good news, King Hua Ye!"

Snow said no more, nodded slightly, and his figure turned into black smoke and disappeared.

After Snow had completely left, one of Hua Ye's trusted male angels spoke up indignantly, "My king, that Karl is far too ungrateful! How dare he give orders to my king!"

Hua Ye snorted coldly, waving his hand, but his eyes held a clear-eyed ruthlessness: "Shut up! The fact that Karl managed to pull us out from under He Xi's nose, who had upgraded to a fifth-generation divine body, proves that he's at least touched the threshold of the fifth generation, or even... higher. Right now, we lack resources and technology, the Tiangong is still in those girls' hands, and Keisha's legacy treasury is nowhere to be found." He looked towards Earth, a cruel and cunning smile spreading across his lips. "This knife, we need to first show Karl its 'value,' make him find it 'useful.' Once he helps me upgrade and get the Tiangong back... hmph, then we'll talk about other things. Let's go!"

Without further hesitation, he waved his hand, leading the group of hideous male angels at breakneck speed toward the bridge to the solar system's wormhole, leaving behind a naked thirst for war and plunder. The shadow was spreading toward the azure Earth.

At the edge of the cosmic rift, the laws are disordered, and light and shadow are distorted.

The old man known as "Kunxu" was hunched over, yet seemed to be one with this shattered space. His cloudy eyes were fixed on the depths of the crack—there, several strangely shaped creatures, like giant whales formed from shadows and starlight, were slowly and steadily eroding a faint, cracked, crystalline barrier with their bodies covered in mysterious patterns.

The old man's wrinkled brows were furrowed, the deep lines of which seemed to be filled with worry. He raised his withered, twig-like hand and gently gestured towards the empty space beside him.

Ripples spread through the space like water, and a slightly smaller "whale," yet possessing an equally ancient and dark aura, silently appeared. Its enormous single eye looked at the old man, conveying a wave of respectful intent: "Chieftain, what are your orders?"

"Tell the young men of the tribe to hurry up." The old man's voice rang directly in the other's mind, dry and urgent.

The giant whale-like creature conveyed a clear sense of difficulty: "Chieftain, our manpower... is already stretched thin. We must maintain necessary vigilance against both the 'Earth Royal Family' and the 'Void Insect Clan,' while also monitoring the unusual activity on the Abyss side. If we were to divert more manpower from this rift, I fear..."

The old man remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze from the depths of the crack to the direction of the seemingly bottomless, dark abyss beneath his feet, an aura that sent chills down one's spine. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"Withdraw the personnel monitoring the Abyss." His intention was resolute.

"Chieftain!" The giant whale's thoughts surged violently, filled with astonishment and unease. "What if something happens on the other side of the abyss..."

"The 'He' of the Abyss... won't truly awaken anytime soon." The old man interrupted, his tone carrying an undeniable intuition born from a long and storied life. "But I have a premonition that our time is truly running out. We must concentrate all our forces to open this passage!" He looked again at the eroded seal barrier, a dark fire igniting in his eyes. "Once the passage is initially stabilized, even if it's just the slightest crack, we'll immediately send the first batch of elite troops to infiltrate. We must seize the initiative!"

The giant whale seemed to sense its chieftain's resolute intention and ceased its objections. Its massive head lowered slightly, conveying submission: "...As you command, Chieftain."

Then, its massive body, existing between substance and energy, like a shadow blending into ink, slowly slid backward into the dense dark background and disappeared, leaving only the dull pressure of the silent, corroding cracks, and the desolate, desperate figure of the old man standing alone on the edge of destruction and hope.

Deep within the crack, the sealed glimmer of light seemed to have dimmed even further. And below, in the endless abyss, the seemingly unchanging, chilling undulations and whispers seemed to have... quickened their pace slightly.