"ROOOOOAR!"
Karoth's roar thundered through the underground chamber. Dark energy burst from his body like a violent storm and black mist surged outward, swallowing everything in its path.
"Abyssal Corruption Aura!"
Boom!
The wave of pitch-black energy's eruption caused the ground beneath Karoth's feet melt and rot instantly, turning into foul, smoking sludge as the aura expanded in all directions.
Shhhrrraaaa!
The air screamed as the corrupted aura swept across the chamber. Walls blackened and cracked, metal supports groaned, and runes etched into the research base flared violently before shattering. Entire sections of the floor collapsed, falling into deeper layers as the aura devoured everything in its path.
The dark energy rushed toward Alex like a raging ocean, yet the moment it touched his body, it passed through.
Alex's figure flickered slightly, as if his body was half-real and half-illusory. The corrupted aura hissed and dispersed.
Karoth froze for a brief instant. He couldn't believe that he was unable to do anything about a weakling like Alex. He was already furious. Now that he found himself unable to even touch Alex, the rage in his heart erupted in its crimson eyes.
"Blood Arrow!"
Bang!
Karoth's chest pulsed violently as thick, dark-red blood burst outward, condensing into sharp crimson arrows that vibrated with terrifying momentum. The moment they were formed, they shot forward with piercing shrieks like a rain of death.
Shuaaa! Shuaaa! Shuaaa!
Each arrow carried terrifying momentum. They actually appeared to hold the will to kill, carrying power of blood mixed with abyssal corruption and extreme essence.
In an instant, they reached Alex and struck him.
Butโ
Instead of actually injuring Alex terribly, they passed through his body.
It was as if Alex's body didn't exist at all. They passed through his chest, his shoulders, and his head without resistance, leaving no wounds and no blood.
Alex's body rippled like a phantom reflection in water.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The blood arrows continued forward, their power exploding in the confined underground space.
However, in that instant, a mysterious force emerged from out of nowhere and wrapped around this entire region, containing everything within it.
Alex has to admit these arrows were destructive. Just the explosion of the arrows caused a terrible destruction, but it still failed to affect anything outside this underground space of the research base.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The space trembled violently as the echoes rolled endlessly, but Alex remained standing in the center. He didn't react or say anything, just kept looking at Karoth coldly.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Karoth roared again. His angry roar was filled with fury and disbelief. He just couldn't accept the fact that he was unable to do any harm to Alex.
Without thinking much, he once again executed Blood Arrows skills.
Another wave of Blood Arrows formed midair instantly.
Shuaaaa!
The air screamed as they rushed forward. The underground space shook as if it were about to collapse inward on itself, yet the invisible protective force held everything tightly, refusing to let the destruction escape.
The arrows struck Alex again, yet they passed through him once more without doing any harm.
Alex's body flickered, his form becoming translucent, as though he was no longer fully bound to reality. The blood energy lost its meaning the moment it touched him. The killing intent, the pressure, the overwhelming force, all became useless before his phantom-like existence.
Karoth's breathing grew heavy. His massive chest rose and fell violently and his instincts screamed danger. His mind could not accept what it was seeing.
"Howโฆ How is this possible? How are you even doing this?"
Karoth only wanted answers at this moment. He couldn't just believe there exist a human who can easily ignore all the attacks.
Is this even something that a human can possibly do?
A mere Great Saint at that?
Although Karoth had the soul of a human and body of the Divine Blood Race, his entire existence was actually influenced by the Heart of the Abyssal.
What is an abyssal?
Actually, no one knows the answer.
No one knows where Abyssal came from or how they even came into being.
The only truth recognized across the universe is that Abyssals are beings created solely for killing and destruction. Their purpose is not limited to destroying worlds or races but extends to the annihilation of the entire universe itself, and perhaps even the erasure of existence as a whole.
At this moment, Alex was not fully present.
Or rather, his body was here, but his mind was elsewhere.
This was the first time he had activated the Godfiend Phantom Body. The instant it awakened, Alex discovered that his consciousness could be split into two independent parts.
At the same time, he sensed an extremely strange and absorbing existence within his own mind. It was a silent lake, calm and unfathomable, yet filled with an indescribable pull.
Since he could now divide his awareness and control both parts without difficulty, his first action was to send one part of his consciousness toward that silent lake. The other part remained behind to maintain control over his physical body. In this way, he was handling two things at once.
While his body continued to evade Karoth's attacks, a part of consciousness arrived in front of the lake that existed inside his mind.
Even though the lake looked small at first glance, it felt boundless, as if it stretched without end. It was not like a lake at all, but more like an ocean with no shore.
Yet, Alex was completely certain that it was a lake, not an ocean.
He could not explain why.
There was no logic behind this certainty.
It was simply an instinct, a deep and unquestionable feeling telling him that this place was a lake.
"What is this place? And why does it exist inside my mind?"
Alex was filled with confusion. He could not understand how something like a lake could exist within his consciousness. If it had been there from the beginning, then why had he never sensed it before? Or was its appearance connected to the awakening of the Godfiend Phantom Body?
After all, Alex knew only basic things about this forbidden special physique. Everything he understood about it came only from what the System had told him.
"It looks like I will have to ask the Heavenly Spirit Stone about this later. But before thatโฆ"
Alex muttered softly, and at that moment, an information panel unfolded inside his mind.
[Name: Lake of Life and Death
Grade: โโโ
Details: ??????????????]
