There was no light in the depths of the Arctic Ocean.
This was a place where life could not survive. Not even the tiniest plankton lived here.
The unimaginable pressure could crush a steel warship flat in an instant.
Absolute darkness and freezing cold reigned here without end.
Yet two figures ignored this realm where the laws of physics made survival impossible and descended straight toward a deeper Sea Trench.
Invisible wind swirled around one figure, pushing aside thousands of tons of seawater to form a passage through the void.
Behind the other, two pairs of pure white wings beat gently. Silver light flowed over every feather, shutting out the darkness and pressure completely.
They were Sword Master in the Snow and Senior Brother En-En.
"Ten thousand meters below us is Gregor's Soul Furnace." Senior Brother En-En's voice sounded directly between them, needing no medium to carry it.
His Feather of Void Piercing did more than grant him extraordinary speed. It also created a domain entirely separate from its surroundings.
"So much resentment." Sword Master in the Snow gripped the Blade Hilt at his waist, feeling the bone-chilling malice rising from the depths of the Sea Trench.
It was not mere killing intent, but Mental Pollution born of the pain and despair of countless souls.
Just then, more than a hundred ghostly blue points of light flared in the darkness below.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a hundred chains made entirely of ghostly blue light shot from the depths of the Sea Trench like venomous snakes. They tore through the water and lunged at the two of them.
Twisted faces surfaced along the chains, silently wailing in agony.
"Soul Chains..." Senior Brother En-En remained calm. "He's found us."
Sword Master in the Snow said nothing.
He drew his sword.
A