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Chapter 471: Abyssal Rift
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Immense power was exerted on the spinning boulders.
After reaching their apex, gravity pulled the stones rapidly downward.
A strange force rose to meet the incoming stones.
Crack!
Crash!
The previously solid rocks shattered under the impact of the invisible force.
Reduced to fist-sized fragments, the debris still retained significant lethality.
Spinning as they fell, they struck the gathered orcs, throwing them into disarray.
The injured orcs' screams brought a faint sense of relief to Matthew.
Their reaction meant they still had self-awareness, dispelling Matthew's worst fears.
However, Matthew was deeply intrigued by that eerie forceānot because he wanted to claim it, but because it felt oddly familiar.
Sensing Matthew's intent to disrupt the ritual, the orc shamans began chanting at a faster pace.
Boom!
Crash!
The orcs being bombarded howled in agony, while the Bay Territory soldiers, initially elated, widened their eyes in shock at the ensuing scene.
The gathered orc soldiers suddenly roared, their already red eyes glowing fiercely.
They began emitting beast-like growls, their bodies undergoing "transformations"āgrowing larger, muscles bulging, and attacking anything alive around them in a frenzy.
The entire orc camp descended into chaos at an astonishing speed.
Orcs turned on each other, fighting like wild beasts, biting and clawing in savage frenzy.
Even Matthew was momentarily stunned, unsure of what was happening.
From such a distance, Matthew couldn't glean further details through observation.
Yet, Matthew faintly sensed that this sceneāso "familiar"āmust precede the manifestation of a higher-level being.
Through the ritual, flesh and souls were being converted into a signal beacon.
Then, the observing entity would expend power to descend upon this world.
However, what happened next was beyond Matthew's expectations.
Just as a swirling storm threatened to engulf the entire orc camp...
A twisted, jet-black figure brazenly stepped into the chaos.
Using his excellent vision, Matthew discerned the massive, distorted figure.
A chitinous dark-brown exoskeleton weathered wave after wave of the strange force's assaults. Standing nearly three meters tall, the figure was clad in thick armor.
A pair of backward-curving, ram-like horns made its demonic identity unmistakable to Matthew.
Such a deceptively strong form would mislead most adventurers, who might fall prey to its appearance.
In reality, this creature, despite its excellent melee capabilities, excelled in illusions and spells.
It could disguise itself as someone's inner desires, feign assistance, and offer to fulfill any wish.
In truth, it lured its victims into corruption, ultimately granting their wishes in twisted, agonizing ways.
This shattered their minds, allowing it to harvest their souls.
It was one of the most infamous demonsāan Incubus!
A large demon!
Weighing two tons!
Challenge Rating: 19+!
Among the strongest extraordinary demons!
This powerful Incubus now hid within the orc camp, having taken on the form of an orc.
It smugly turned, revealing a faintly humanoid abdomen.
Holding a staff in its four hands, it manipulated the chaotic and distorted forces around it into submission.
Sun Sheng rushed forward warily, staring at the Incubus in disbelief and muttering:
"Where did this extraordinary demon come from? What is it trying to do?"
Sun Sheng's body glowed faintly gold, his shadow resonating with the distant Incubus.
Fewer orcs remained lucid as more succumbed to madness.
Some of the crazed orcs noticed the Incubus and launched frenzied attacks against it.
Unfortunately, the Incubus merely waved its hand.
The surrounding mad orcs quickly surrounded those attackers.
Without hesitation, they slaughtered their former comrades.
The Incubus let out a triumphant roar. As it waved its staff, the swirling chaotic force, along with the blood flowing on the ground, converged into a complex, twisted pattern.
Feeling the situation worsening, Matthew ordered the trebuchets to continue firing and urgently sent a communication spell to Scarlet Pass:
"An extraordinary Incubus has been spotted at Scarlet Pass conducting a ritual."
"Bay Territory requests reinforcements!"
"Other orc tribes may also have similar situations."
Just as Matthew sent out these messages, he heard Yaya's incredulous exclamation:
"Wow, what is this Incubus trying to do?"
The eerie, massive blood-red symbol greedily absorbed all nearby energy and souls.
It even summoned a cloud of darkness, enveloping the sky above.
The ground began to quake. A narrow rift widened amidst a dazzling purple glow.
The terrifying power of tens of thousands of orc casualties solidified and expanded the rift.
Scorching heat and the stench of sulfur seeped from the horrifying fissure.
The Incubus controlled thousands of still-living orcs, lining them up to step into the twisted rift.
To Matthew, it felt like watching someone insert coin after coin into a vending machine.
Except this time, it was flesh and souls being "deposited," and what might emerge was anyone's guess.
In a shadowy black tent at the edge of the orc camp, Famir stared in horror at her white-haired mentor.
Once wise and handsome, his face was now wrinkled and covered in black sores.
His body was gaunt and skeletal, his cloudy eyes filled with despair and pain.
He seemed to want to die but couldn't.
He likely wished to live but was beyond saving.
Famir had just witnessed her mentor's controlled orc shaman transform into a terrifying Incubus in the blink of an eye.
It drained her mentor's life force and soul energy.
It also seized her mentor's legendary artifactāthe key to opening spatial gates!
With her research into demons, Famir recognized the Incubus's purpose.
It sought to open an Abyssal Rift at the cost of tens of thousands of orc lives and souls.
If it succeeded, countless Abyssal demons would pour through the rift.
The surrounding hundreds of kilometers would become a living hell.
Worse still, if a powerful demon lord or Abyssal god turned their attention here, they might create a permanently fixed Dark Gate.
This could lead to catastrophic calamities across the Material Plane!
Famir had long forgotten her original mission.
All she could think about now was escaping and notifying the Elven Council to intervene.
Otherwise, she would be the sinner of the entire elven race and the Material Plane.
She failed to notice the Incubus, having finished its spell, striding toward her!
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