Chapter 176: The Evolution Battle – Malzareth True Body.

Staring at the notification floating before him, Thoren was stunned.

Evolution?

“What is that?” he muttered.

Before he could properly process the unfamiliar word, a sudden stream of information surged into his mind.

The knowledge arrived abruptly, like a flood breaking through a dam.

Thoren instinctively closed his eyes, allowing his mind to absorb the information.

A few seconds later, he slowly opened them again.

A look of realization appeared on his face.

“So that’s it…” he murmured.

The truth behind the Abyss had revealed itself.

Defeating the Final Floor Boss did not only grant access to the Second Floor, it also provided the opportunity for humans to evolve into a higher lifeform.

Even though humans became stronger within the Abyss, they were still fundamentally mortal.

Their bodies still carried the limitations of ordinary flesh.

To break free from those shackles, they had to evolve.

Only through evolution could a human transcend their mortal limits.

However, evolving was not something that happened automatically.

There were strict requirements.

One of the most important requirements was that a person’s spirit must reach the maximum threshold.

One hundred.

Only those whose spirit had reached that level could trigger the evolution process.

“So that was the shackle I felt around my soul…” Thoren whispered quietly.

He had sensed it for some time now.

A strange, invisible restraint.

It felt as though something deep within his soul had reached its limit, yet remained bound by an unseen chain.

He had wondered how to break that mysterious chain but did not know how.

But now he finally understood.

The restriction existed because his spirit had reached the mortal ceiling.

But even reaching the limit of one hundred spirit was not enough to evolve.

There was still one final requirement.

He needed to prove himself worthy.

And the Abyss had only one method of testing a worthy person.

Battle.

Only through battle could one earn the right to evolve.

A new notification appeared before him.

[Would you like to partake in the Evolution Battle?]

[Yes | No]

Thoren stared at the message for a moment.

Then, without hesitation, he selected ’Yes’.

Of course he knew the Evolution Battle would not be simple.

In fact, it would likely be far more dangerous than the fight against the Final Floor Boss.

But he had no intention of declining.

Remaining at the Mortal Rank in the Abyss would only limit his growth.

If he wanted to survive the deeper layers and eventually dominate them, he needed to evolve.

There was also another important reason.

The Abyss Market.

Only those who had evolved were granted access to it.

Without evolution, many of the Abyss’s most valuable resources would remain forever out of reach.

The moment he confirmed his decision, the air within the ancient coliseum began to tremble.

A strange vibration spread through the ruins.

The surrounding space distorted as if reality itself had been disturbed.

Then, in the distance, the air twisted violently.

A swirling portal slowly formed in midair.

Thoren’s expression turned solemn as he stared at the portal.

From within the swirling darkness, a silhouette began to emerge.

Thud.

Thud.

Heavy footsteps echoed across the arena.

A massive figure stepped out of the portal and into the ruined coliseum.

A new notification appeared before Thoren.

[Demon Malzareth (True Body)]

[?? / ??]

[?? / ??]

[Note: Demon Malzareth — a prince from a long-lost ancient demon empire.]

Hmm?

Thoren frowned slightly as he read the description.

A prince?

The revelation shocked him.

While Thoren was still processing the information, Malzareth was also observing him.

The demon’s true form was far more imposing than the body Thoren had fought earlier.

He now possessed four massive arms, each one thick with terrifying strength.

His muscular frame radiated overwhelming power.

His crimson eyes burned with cold hostility.

He slowly folded all four arms across his chest while studying Thoren.

Disgust flickered across his face.

“A human necromancer…” Malzareth said in clear human language.

His deep voice rumbled across the silent arena like distant thunder.

Thoren’s eyes widened.

“You can speak the human language?” he asked in disbelief.

This was the first time he had ever encountered an Abyss creature capable of speaking fluently in human speech.

In fact, it was the first time he had ever met a sentient Abyss being.

Most creatures in the Abyss behaved like wild beasts.

But this demon was clearly intelligent.

Malzareth’s expression twisted with disdain as he looked at Thoren.

“A mere insect…” he replied coldly.

His voice carried pure contempt.

If the Abyss had not forced him into this situation, a prince of his once-glorious empire would never have been reduced to fighting a mortal.

And worst of all, a human.

The Human Federation believed they were the first humans to enter the Abyss.

But to Malzareth, such thinking was laughable.

They were nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well.

Ignorant.

Arrogant.

Just then, a system notification appeared once more.

[Evolution Battle has begun.]

The atmosphere inside the coliseum shifted instantly.

Malzareth slowly unfolded his four arms.

Before Thoren could issue an order to his undead forces, the demon moved.

“Blood Breaker Punch.”

All four arms launched forward simultaneously.

Whoosh!

Four massive punches made of condensed blood energy shot through the air like crimson meteors.

They arrived before Thoren and his undead servants in an instant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Ahhh!”

A painful scream burst from Thoren’s throat as the impact struck him.

His body was violently thrown backward.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

His ears rang loudly, as if a giant bell had been struck inside his skull.

For a moment, the world spun around him.

He felt disoriented.

If not for his exceptionally high spirit stat, he might have lost consciousness from that single exchange.

For the first time since entering the Abyss, Thoren found himself in truly dangerous situation

Yet even in that dire state, his mind reacted quickly.

He had severely underestimated the demon’s true body.

The strength Malzareth displayed now was far beyond that of the clone he had defeated earlier.

“Kill…” Thoren commanded hoarsely.

He knew very well that his three undead elites were unlikely to defeat Malzareth in this form.

But they could buy him time.

Time to recover.

Time to think.

On the battlefield, the Undead Rend Colossus charged forward.

Its enormous palm swung toward the demon with crushing force.

From the left side, the Undead Storm Tyrant rushed in, its massive hammer raised high.

From the right, the Undead Royalty Stonewall advanced swiftly, the Black Ember Sword gleaming with deadly sharpness.

The three elites attacked simultaneously.

But Malzareth merely sneered.

With utter disdain, he vanished from his position.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He reappeared directly in front of the Undead Rend Colossus.

One of his arms caught the massive palm strike effortlessly.

The remaining two arms launched a brutal barrage of punches.

Each strike carried monstrous power.

Flesh tore apart.

Bones shattered into fragments.

The enormous undead titan staggered, unable to withstand the ferocious assault.

At that moment, the Undead Storm Tyrant arrived.

Its hammer descended toward Malzareth’s head.

Whoosh!

The demon leaned backward with impossible agility.

One arm deflected the hammer to the side.

Another arm launched forward.

“Blood Breaker Punch.”

A devastating strike slammed into the Storm Tyrant’s chest.

The undead Storm Tyrant was sent flying through the air like a ragdoll.

Without even turning around, Malzareth sidestepped.

The Black Ember Sword of the Undead Royalty Stonewall sliced through the air where his body had been only a fraction of a second earlier.

The blade missed him by the width of a hair.

Malzareth responded instantly.

Two fists crashed forward.

Bang! Bang!

The Stonewall was blasted backward.

Its body smashed violently into the arena wall.

The Black Ember Sword slipped from its grasp and spun across the battlefield.

Malzareth finally turned his attention back toward the Undead Rend Colossus.

He lifted one of his arms as he was ready to finish it.

But at that moment, Thoren was already back on his feet.

His hair was disheveled. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

Yet his eyes burned with rage.

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