Brilliant morning light took on substance, and the shadows gradually gained physical form.
A floating island and a floating continent appeared in the Surface World, immediately blotting out vast stretches of land, yet they did not cause much panic.
"It's already this chaotic. There's war everywhere."
The peaceful paradise from their memories was gone without a trace. What lay before the returnees was still a living hell.
War—or rather, hunting—was everywhere.
Foreign invaders, those Rock Demon Monsters, Strange Shadows, deep-sea monsters, bizarre dragonfolk, and the Abyssal Swarm ran rampant here.
Lu PingAn even sensed the presence of some old acquaintances here—those monsters from the deep sea.
"The world's barrier was shattered. Its immunity is gone, so naturally every kind of virus came knocking."
Lu PingAn could not even calculate how many Plane Gates had been opened in this world, or how many kinds of monsters had emerged.
This was more or less expected. Though the war in the Underground World had been more intense, it had actually drawn the fewest invaders. Plunderers came for treasure and provisions, so naturally they chose the weakest points.
The only thing worth being thankful for was perhaps that this world's suppression meant their strength was not particularly high.
"Uh, looks like I can't be thankful. Why am I being suppressed too?"
Lu PingAn smiled bitterly. He had already been in terrible condition, and now he was suddenly being suppressed by the world.
The feeling was like that of a diver subjected to crushing water pressure. As the pressure around him continued to rise, swimming outward of his own accord had vaguely become an instinct for survival.
"But... it's not like there's no way around it."
Radiance blossomed from the island as the divine authority of "Redemption" shone within this world.
In a sense, this