Abyss Passage

After the battle with the Tier 10 powerhouses, the Zerg's advantage was thoroughly established.

A week later, the Swarm on the front lines had grown to four million. After a concentrated attack involving three million bugs, the first insect finally breached the Dawn Empire's mainland.

One million of them moved even faster, heading south from Novien on the west side, quickly invading the Enbo region, and finally entering the territory of Resco, a vassal state of the Dawn Empire.

This million-strong army then engaged in a massive battle against the Empire's two million troops in Resco.

The Dawn Empire's morale was severely depleted. Though they still possessed combat power, they could no longer compete with the Swarm in a war of attrition.

Even a magical general mobilization had to follow the basic principles of reality.

This pace of war, with shifts every few days and daily losses ranging from hundreds of thousands to a million, was unsustainable even for the largest of nations.

The high command of the Dawn Empire grew increasingly suspicious that the Zerg were actually the main force of the demons.

If Xia Jin knew what they were thinking, she would certainly scoff, "Just mere demons."

However, as the main force entered the Empire, subsequent events made Xia Jin heighten her vigilance.

Intelligence from the scouting mosquitoes showed that the Emperor was preparing to seek the help of the gods.

The specifics were unknown, but it prompted Xia Jin to decide... to keep her true body well-hidden.

...

In a corner of the underground world, a hive was writhing at the bottom of a pit several hundred meters deep.

Xia Jin's true body arrived here.

"Hmm, although the environment is a bit sanity-draining, it really does feel safe here."

Watching the endless mass of Zerg flesh pulsing before her, she rubbed her temples.

Starting tonight, her true body would rest inside the hive.

It might be dark and damp, but at least her safety would be guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the Swarm's new fleet finally crossed the ocean, transporting 300,000 combat bugs to the East Continent.

The bugs already there had been reduced to just over 10,000; they were nearly unable to hold on.

When this wave of 300,000 fresh troops landed, they brought an incredible amount of weaponry. Upon occupying the area, the Swarm immediately ordered the civilians to build rocket bug launch tubes to bolster their firepower.

A white-haired projection accompanied these 300,000 bugs as they stepped onto solid ground.

And this was just the beginning, as another fleet was on its way, which would bring another 200,000 new bugs.

With this scale and the hive hidden at the bottom of a small lake on this continent, they could essentially wipe out the entire East Continent in one fell swoop.

"The Yelu Empire was weak to begin with and spent so much time in a stalemate with the Dawn Empire. I might as well conquer it while I'm at it."

On the Orc Empire's side, large numbers of orc troops boarded ships. Some prepared to follow the Zerg to the East Continent to launch a landing operation on the Yelu Empire's northern border.

Another group planned to land in the Dawn Empire to support the Swarm's main offensive.

In the battles under the Great West Sea, the Zerg's advantage was limited to defense. Attacking the deeper reaches of the sea was still a bit of a stretch, and Xia Jin wasn't sure if any ultra-powerful sea races would show up. Thus, they maintained a maritime defense line between the coast and the primitive tribes.

Once the Swarm landed on the West Continent, the offensive began immediately.

Xia Jin's projection followed the main force northwest, entering the Yelu Empire and catching the Dawn Empire's main army—which was fighting a million-strong local force—completely off guard.

Originally, after defeating the local Zerg, the Dawn legions had split into several groups. Although most were sent into the Yelu Empire, their actual numbers didn't exceed 350,000.

This Zerg surprise attack from the rear immediately put the Dawn forces at a disadvantage.

After two days of fighting against the massive swarm, several legions were the first to surrender.

The Swarm then immediately betrayed the alliance and launched a fierce assault on the Yelu legions.

That day, 200,000 new bugs also landed at Huiwei. After going ashore, they immediately headed east and south, quickly crushing the Dawn Empire's garrisons.

It was evident that the Dawn soldiers on the West Continent had very little will to fight and were poorly prepared. Under the Zerg's pressure, some of their troops even retreated into the Mist Zone.

Xia Jin, believing she could now handle the monsters in the Mist Zone, immediately sent a hydralisk squad inside. After defeating some Tier 8 creatures, they located the Dawn Empire soldiers.

And there, Xia Jin saw a strange... altar.

Several Dawn Empire soldiers looked at each other, staring in shock at the altar's appearance.

"This is the Abyss Gate. So it was here all along," the legion commander, well-traveled and knowledgeable, immediately recognized the scene. "I see. So this is how the demons invaded this world back then?"

"What?" the adjutant beside him asked in shock. "This is the entrance to the Abyss?"

"To be precise, it's the passage for the Abyss to enter the physical world," the commander said grimly. "This place is dangerous. We must find a way to destroy it. No... perhaps we don't have to. If we can let the demons descend, the Zerg will surely face utter destruction."

"Sir, is that really a good idea?" the subordinates were terrified.

"The Zerg today are no weaker than the demons. Although the invading Abyss demons back then were only the weakest vanguard, the Dawn Empire was also weak at the time. With our current strength, we still can't stand against the Zerg, which shows these alien creatures are far more terrifying than we imagined. More importantly, we're at a dead end. I don't want to die so pathetically. At the very least, I want to do something significant before I go—something that will make history remember us."

Adjutant: "..."