Guided by the Demon Axe, the trio pressed onward. Along the way, Hysilens witnessed bizarre sights: flesh volcanoes spewing toxic gas, and colossal tentacles, withered and parched like dried reeds, as if they hadn't seen water for months.
She even spotted a few winged "Pterodactyls"—the Mother of Flesh's mutated creatures they had encountered countless times—flying toward them. As they passed over a toxic-gas-spewing volcano, the creatures were instantly dyed crimson, lost control, and crashed into the fiery crater.
The demons native to this layer had been rendered combat-incapable by the toxic contamination. Even the Mother of Flesh's own minions, despite their innate resilience, were severely weakened by the hyper-toxic environment. The situation was absurdly frustrating.
In essence, Arthur alone endured the toxic air, relying on his physical fortitude to withstand it. For Hysilens and Pan Ming, the journey felt like a leisurely stroll or a casual picnic.
After wandering aimlessly for what felt like an eternity, the Demon Axe suddenly declared, "We're here! This is it!"
Arthur scanned the surroundings. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead... Gag—!
After dry-heaving twice, he finally managed to ask, "This place doesn't look any different from the others, does it?"
Hysilens glanced down at the dark red, flat ground beneath her feet. The surrounding area was all the same terrain. She had originally imagined the entrance to the Eightieth Layer of the Abyss would be some kind of boundary—a cliff edge, a hidden cave, or something like that.
The Demon Axe scoffed. "I told you guys already, the Abyss is like a massive maze. Trying to get to the next layer the normal way is way too complicated. If you ask me, we should just find the right spot and hack through the maze walls! Much simpler!"
"Alright, kid! Just aim for this spot and chop with all your might!"
"Got it!" Arthur replied, raising the axe above his head and channeling his strength. He took a deep breath, then... Gag—!
Seeing this, Hysilens, the narrator, barely suppressed a laugh, her lips twitching slightly. Arthur, on the other hand, wore a pained expression. The foul stench had just entered his nostrils, causing him to momentarily lose focus and relax his grip. The thought of having to gather his strength again and take another breath made him feel ill.
But there was no choice. This time, Arthur was prepared. He deliberately inhaled less air, glaring at the ground beneath his feet as if it were a mortal enemy. With each furious swing, the axe slammed down with relentless force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions erupted where the axe blade struck the ground. With each strike, Hysilens and Pan Ming felt the ground tremble violently beneath their feet, like intermittent earthquakes.
Soon, the flesh on the surface was torn apart, revealing a massive fissure that cracked open the earth below.
"Keep smashing!" the Demon Axe roared. "Ha ha ha! Don't stop!"
Perhaps due to the immense shockwaves from Arthur's attacks, the surrounding toxic gas had been dispersed and thinned considerably. His breathing grew easier, and his strikes grew even more powerful!
During one particular strike, Arthur felt a distinct change in the axe's weight. The Demon Axe immediately declared, "We've reached the connection between Layers Seventy-Nine and Eighty of the Abyss! Come on, smash through here, and we can descend!"
As it spoke, a surge of flames erupted from the Demon Axe, engulfing Arthur's entire body and further amplifying his strength.
"Haaaaah!"
Arthur swung his final axe. This time, instead of the usual explosive roar, there was a crisp, shattering sound like glass breaking. Instantly, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he began to plummet downward.
Meanwhile, Hysilens and Pan Ming, having noticed the sudden cessation of explosions, cautiously approached the area. They found Arthur gone, leaving behind only a pitch-black, rhombus-shaped deep pit.
"Looks like this is the place," Hysilens said without hesitation. The pair leaped into the abyss.
Unlike teleportation, this was a brute-force passage through torn space. The experience was excruciatingly turbulent, like being trapped inside a violently spinning washing machine.
Arthur, who had jumped down first, face-planted hard into the ground. After a long moment, he slowly crawled to his feet, only to see Hysilens and Pan Ming descending from the sky.
His first instinct was to reach out and catch his teammates, but he immediately saw Hysilens swiftly adjust her posture mid-air, even taking the time to press down on her skirt with one hand. She landed as gracefully as a feather, the tip of her right foot touching the ground first with a crisp tap-tap before settling lightly on the ground.
Pan Ming also adjusted his posture mid-air. Upon landing, he rolled to dissipate the impact, smoothly stood up, and casually brushed the dust off his clothes, looking effortlessly cool.
(Barbarian joke time! Every class has its signature landing style: Wizards use Feather Fall, Monks employ their mastery of skills, Druids transform into birds, and so on. Only Barbarians jump headfirst with no preparation, crashing brutally into the ground. After all, with their massive health bars, they're too tough to die from a fall.)
Arthur, who had originally intended to catch his teammates, awkwardly scratched his head instead. The Demon Axe, embedded in the ground beside him, roared with laughter: "Hahaha! Are you trying to kill me with laughter?"
Arriving late, Hysilens missed the sight of Arthur landing headfirst. She glanced questioningly at Demon Axe, then at Arthur, who was scratching his head. Tilting her head slightly, she wore a puzzled expression.
Regardless, they had successfully reached Layer Eighty of the Abyss. Hysilens surveyed her surroundings. Unlike Layer Seventy-Nine, the ground beneath their feet resembled parched, cracked earth, riddled with fissures. Within these cracks, faint crimson lava flowed, and visible steam billowed upward.
The intense heat instantly dried Hysilens's damp clothing, including her soaked black stockings, within seconds.
Touching a strand of hair near her ear, Hysilens suddenly realized that this place seemed to impose even greater restrictions on her than Abyss Layer Seventy-Nine.
The Demon Axe, however, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Hah—is this what it feels like to be home? Look at this ground, look at this lava! The environment here is just perfect!"
The very next second, with a deafening BOOM, a colossal tentacle erupted from a nearby pool of lava, surging skyward!