A green flood, reeking of sickening greed, swept toward the hallowed grounds of the Court of Sin Punishment.
From atop the high wall, Adams could clearly see the twisted faces within it.
He recognized many of them.
Mark, the Shield Warrior who had once fought at his side, now had one arm swollen into a grotesque mass, covered in a shell stolen from some unknown monster.
Sarah, the fire mage, had a sickly green light burning in her eyes. What coiled around her hands was no longer pure elemental fire, but filthy black energy.
They were no longer the people he had known. They had become monsters wearing human skin.
"That's Jackson's Wings of Freedom guild!" A player beside Adams trembled. "My God, what happened to them?"
"Look at their bodies!" another player cried. "It's like they were pieced together from a nightmare!"
Panic spread along the defensive line atop the wall.
The enemies before them were not mindless monsters from the Abyss.
They had been comrades, friends, rivals.
Many defenders' hands began to shake around their weapons. How could they bring themselves to strike?
"Hold your ground!" Adams roared, his voice cutting through the rising commotion. "Look closely! They aren't your companions anymore! They've been infected! Corrupted!"
His words did not entirely dispel the dread in their hearts.
The green tide drew closer. The sour stench in the air grew stronger, as though it could eat straight through their minds.
"Adams, my old friend!"
A voice amplified by sinister power rang out from the front of the green tide.
Jackson beat the phantom bat wings on his back and slowly rose into the air.
The green glow in his eyes burned brighter than anyone else's. He looked down at the guards on the courtyard wall with a mixture of