His mind started to become muddled and blood came out of his nose.
The mental attacks were far from capable of killing Neo.
He withstood them with sheer will.
The towering, grotesque pillar trembled violently as if angered by Neo's defiance.
It began to shed chunks of decayed flesh-like material.
Thousands of mouths opened on its surface, releasing a deafening cacophony.
They puked countless maggots which advanced towards Neo, eating everything in their path.
The terrain they devoured turned into lifeless dust, leaving behind barren, ash-colored scars on the earth.
While Neo was busy concentrating and fending off the mental attacks, Beelzebub came out of his pocket to protect Neo.
He started to devour time.
His actions caused the maggots to freeze mid-air, and it bought Neo much-needed time.
Neo bit his lips, hoping to use the pain to clear his mind.
He could withstand the mental attacks and corruption of the Void thanks to his Eternal skill and his experience with the maggots in the fourth vision of Sphinx.
However, the body he inhabited in the fourth vision was much stronger, unlike his current one, thus it took him time to shake off the mental attack from the Angel of Outers.
[The Void corrupts you.]
The pain tearing through Neo's mind increased, but now he could move.
He clenched his teeth and turned around, rushing towards the North Pole.
[The Void corrupts you.]
Purple cracks began to appear on Neo's skin, much like the ground and the objects around him.
The cracks emitted a faint, sickly glow that pulsed rhythmically, as if alive.
Before the cracks could spread to the rest of his body, he slashed and cut away the corrupted parts.
He triggered the partial third-stage blessing and regenerated his wounds.
The maggots appeared on his path wherever he turned.
Their writhing, grotesque bodies squirmed relentlessly, emitting a faint, wet sound that made his stomach churn.
He slashed at them, but his attacks did no damage.
The best he could do was push away the maggots to clear a path.
[The Void corrupts you.]
Association Headquarters, Turkey
Dark clouds loomed heavily over the sky, casting an ominous shadow over the landscape.
Five grotesque pillars of fleshy mass surrounded the association building.
Their surfaces pulsated as if they were alive.
Quite a few awakeners had their heads burst open due to the powerful mental attacks.
Several dozen more were writhing in agony. Purple cracks spread across their skin like a deadly plague.
Inside the headquarters, Ares and Athena worked tirelessly.
The holy aura emanating from them shone dimly.
Two awakeners tried their best to alleviate the pain of the injured awakeners.
Although they couldn't use mana, their Concepts still.worked.
After all, Concepts could manipulate the laws of the world.
However, the absence of mana severely weakened the power of a Concept.
Even with their efforts, they could hardly heal anyone.
Outside, the flesh pillars heaved unnervingly and began spewing forth maggots.
The maggots varied greatly in size—some no bigger than a fingernail, while others were as large as skyscrapers.
They consumed everything in their path, leaving behind trails of devastation.
Ares tightened his grip on his greatsword.
"Athena, keep healing everyone. I'll stop those things," he commanded firmly.
"We are the only ones who can fight, but we need to leave someone behind to heal the injured."
Ares' tone left no room for argument.
Most awakeners had focused on upgrading their traits rather than mastering their elements.
Even fewer progressed far enough to form a Concept, since it was harder than upgrading trait ranks.
Ares stepped toward the main doors of the headquarters with heavy, but firm steps.
He noticed dozens of awakeners gathered near the entrance.
Their expressions were a mix of fear and hesitation.
"What is happening here?" he asked.
One of the awakeners began hesitantly before pointing to someone standing far outside the building.
"He ordered us to remain inside the building."
Following their gaze, Ares spotted 'Neo' standing resolutely far outside the headquarters.
Ares eyes widened in surprise.
'Why is he still here!? We need him to go to the North Pole!'
Before Ares could take another step, a voice resonated directly inside his head.
'I'm not Neo. I'm Thanatos, his intent clone he left behind to protect the Association Headquarters.'
'Yes,' Thanatos confirmed through the same mental link.
Ares scrutinized the figure carefully, trying to confirm if it was truly Neo.
He didn't stop walking.
Thanatos' voice echoed again in his mind.
'I've been given permission to stop anyone who tries to act foolishly and leave the building.'
'I can help you in the battle,' Ares replied through his thoughts.
'Please do that after this body dies,' Thanatos said curtly, cutting off further argument. 'Until then, my job is to protect you, not ask for your help.'
The darkness beneath Thanatos stretched ominously, enveloping the entire association building.
It solidified into a protective barrier of shadows, trapping everyone safely inside.
Thanatos turned around.
He faced the encroaching sea of maggots.
As Neo's intent clone, Thanatos could either be controlled directly by Neo or act independently within predetermined commands.
Currently, he had been ordered to protect everyone until Neo activated the World-Time Spell.
The maggots, now covering half the distance, devoured everything in their way.
Thanatos began weaving complex hand signs, and chanted a Spell under his breath.
Two massive magic circles materialized on either side of him, glowing with an eerie light.
From them two SSS-ranked shadow summons emerged.
The first was a towering humanoid figure with a charcoal-black body and the head of a dog.
The second resembled a massive lion with wings and a snake for a tail.
Both summons exuded a menacing presence as they stood ready for battle.
"Stop those things," Thanatos commanded.
The lion-shaped shadow summon roared fiercely before leaping into the sea of maggots, attacking with brutal ferocity.
The humanoid summon raised its arms.
It conjured massive tornadoes that pulled the maggots into their swirling depths.
Despite the summons' best efforts, Thanatos' eyes darkened.
'It's not working,' he thought grimly.
The lion-shaped shadow summon was overwhelmed and destroyed within seconds.
Meanwhile, the tornadoes only temporarily halted the maggots' advance and failed to inflict any lasting damage.
Thanatos had expected it.
Even though the shadow summons were as powerful as SSS-ranked awakeners, he knew they were not strong enough to harm the maggots.