Chapter 707: The Border of Hell

"If everything we encountered were past gods, then too many deities have died here already! Not a single one escaped. This place is nothing less than a graveyard for your kind! Are you still charging forward?!"

Lynn gritted his teeth, his gaze flickering, already prepared at any moment to sever his connection with the Colossus.

If they truly were in hell.

Then this was the deepest pit of that hell!

A place of true, absolute terror!

"I will not retreat. Since I have made it this far, then I will cross that border!"

Those Silver Pupils blazed with an oath of death. Clenching its teeth, dragging the battered, scarred body of the Colossus, it leaped upward once again.

It slashed its way forward with wild, desperate ferocity.

And as they swam further upstream, more and more remnant images and imprints began to manifest. Each one was twisted beyond recognition, more ancient than the last. By now, they could confirm with absolute certainty that these imprints of fallen gods had to come from the same era.

They were beings even more ancient, deities who, in the endless ages before this era began, had already fallen into this hell, consumed and absorbed.

It was like a deep sea!

Countless bones drifted with the current, becoming part of this abyss.

*Crack—*

Blood-red lightning bolts slashed across the thick black mist, each one carrying the vast, rule-bound power of law. And within this dense, oppressive mist, the colossal form of the Colossus seemed even more insignificant, like a tiny leaf adrift in the darkest depths of a fog-shrouded ocean, as if it could be swallowed by the waves at any moment.

"Close!"

"I can feel it! We're almost at the border!"

The Colossus's Brain's voice came through, its tearing emotions spreading throughout the entire consciousness.

It was right. Lynn could already clearly feel that the Hyper-Dimensional Link spanning the entire Dark World between him and the Colossus was showing signs of weakening.

They were about to see the staircase that reached the heavens!

Could the Colossus truly break free from the shackles of this hell?

No!

Lynn knew there was an even greater obstacle ahead. They hadn't yet seen that chaotic mix of colors, the true terror that spanned the world's boundary.

And it was at that moment.

*Crack—*

A blood-red bolt of lightning, splitting the sky, tore straight through the black mist and struck the Colossus with brutal force.

"*Ugh-aaahhh—*"

A shriek of agony, the most extreme pain imaginable.

For the first time.

Lynn swore this was the first time he had ever heard the Colossus's Brain let out such a piercing, blood-curdling scream. It gave him a vivid picture of the damage that single bolt had inflicted, far exceeding every obstacle they had faced below.

The entire Mental Space where Lynn resided shook from that blow. Even the countless Colossus consciousnesses screamed in anguish, with hundreds and thousands popping and extinguishing like bubbles.

"GET OFF!"

A savage, snarling roar.

The Colossus thrust out a giant hand, tearing apart the blood-red lightning that had transformed into chains stabbing into its body with a loud *crack*.

This was a suppression carrying the force of law, an eerie, annihilating thunder aimed directly at its divine nature!

And this time.

They faced a true trial!

Like a prelude, more blood-red lightning bolts surged toward the Colossus. Each strike was a targeted blow against consciousness and soul, giving it no chance to dodge. Every hit that landed left behind scarlet chains, binding it tightly.

The Mental Space where Lynn resided grew more turbulent, like an apocalypse was imminent.

"I will not fall! I will return to the Upper World! My fate will not end here!"

A deathly, savage obsession blazed in its eyes, nearly insane.

The eruption of its divine nature.

The crimson light surging from its body exploded outward.

The Colossus's Heart began to beat wildly like a war drum. The immense Strength it unleashed allowed it to snap the chains one by one.

Climb!

Burning its very source, it climbed upward!

Within the Mental Space, Colossus consciousnesses kept collapsing and withering under the heavy assault, the entire space collapsing uncontrollably.

From a higher vantage point within the black mist, one could clearly see the tiny figure wrapped in a myriad of lightning bolts. Layers upon layers of massive chains bound it, making every step a monumental struggle.

And with each step it climbed, Lynn felt the Hyper-Dimensional Link weaken by a degree.

It was truly approaching the border of hell!

And this shortest stretch of the journey was the greatest obstacle!

"There's something down below!"

Lynn's pupils constricted sharply.

He immediately noticed that deep within the black mist below the Colossus, countless ghastly, gnawing sounds could be heard. A wave of vast, chilling auras surged toward them like a sea monster rising from the depths.

*Hum—*

Almost instantly, the black mist below exploded. Countless twisted hands burst forth like a blooming rose, violently grabbing onto the Colossus's legs.

Immense force dragged downward. The Colossus's Flesh and blood corroded in patches wherever those hands touched. The black aura of the curse spread madly, trying to drag it back into the abyss.

Unwilling!

Lynn swore this was the first time he had ever heard the Colossus's Brain let out such a shrill, blood-curdling scream. It gave him a vivid picture of the damage that single bolt had inflicted, far exceeding every obstacle they had faced below.

In its eyes blazed a desperate longing for freedom, a mournful pain. Gritting its teeth, it reached out, struggling to climb upward.

It would absolutely not be dragged back down into that hell!

Not be imprisoned like a convict! Not be a useless Waste unable to do anything! That Darkness was still eroding that starry sky, had already destroyed their home, annihilated countless civilizations it had protected. Even if it had to die fighting in the Upper World, it would never sink into this hell!

*Shiiiiiiip—*

In an instant, it swung its long spear, severing its massive legs with a brutal slice. Blood sprayed wildly.

The scarlet blood splashed onto the spear, and the weapon suddenly exploded with a blinding, ten-thousand-foot radiance, shattering the chains binding its body into dust.

"*Ugh-aaaaaaaaah—!!*"

A roar of sky-piercing, desperate fury.

Brandishing its spear, using its surging blood energy, it tore through the endless black mist that blocked the sky. With one desperate push, a maddened gleam in those Silver Pupils, even Lynn was shaken by its sheer tenacity.

And in that life-or-death struggle, the massive Colossus leaped forward, clearing the zone bound by thousands of lightning bolts.

Like hope.

The Colossus stretched out its hand with all its might, its eyes bloodshot, staring at the heights above. It was the final leap, like a koi breaching the Dragon Gate, breaking through the dark clouds.

It thought it could finally see the light.

Could see the path leading to the Upper World.

And just as it had imagined, after breaking through the clouds, a dazzling radiance spread out at the boundary line of the black mist, flooding its pupils.

Blinding light. A riot of colors. A dreamlike light.

A maddening, extreme light!

*Hum—*

Its pupils instantly constricted.