A giant black tornado stood before them.
Its base had a diameter of thousands of kilometers, and its height seemed to pierce the sky.
The tornado—the entrance to the Abyss of Nightmares—emitted a powerful aura.
"Have you told them everything about the Expedition?" Zera questioned Kane.
"I will do that now," Kane replied.
"Okay. Make sure you don't forget any basic details. Even if we can't die in Tartarus, there are fates worse than death.
"They need to have all the information they can get to increase their chances of making it out through the Abyss in one piece."
She began to teleport the Grand Expedition to their current location.
Kane faced Neo and the others.
"Do you know Tartarus catches anything that floats on the Blood Sea and has high negative karma?"
"People aren't the only thing Tartarus captures ."
"You people should know it. Something else that floats on the Blood Sea. Something that is not 'beings' but has life."
An idea came to his mind, but the implications behind it were dangerous.
He kept his mouth shut and waited for Kane to continue.
"It's the Worlds," Kane said. "When a World gathers high negative karma, Tartarus swallows them.
"The Abyss of Nightmares is where those Worlds are imprisoned.
"They are now a former husk of what they once were. Tartarus uses them as a shield to protect itself from the prisoners it has captured."
"Here, we call each World Tartarus has captured a [Zone].
"The Abyss of Nightmares has three [Floors], and each floor has three zones.
"Everyone will be teleported to a random zone on the first floor.
"After all three Zones are cleared, you should be able to find a weak point in the Floor and use it to travel deeper into the Abyss and reach the next Floor."
If they had to fight nine worlds on their way to Tartarus, he could understand the need for millions of soldiers.
"Each Zone has a [Protector]. They are immensely powerful.
"Honestly, Protectors are the reason why the previous Grand Expeditions failed.
"More than half of the Dragon Clan Leaders who were slain inside the Abyss were done so by the Protectors," Kane explained.
"How were they slain? Isn't everyone immortal here?" Percival questioned.
"Trapped in ice, turned insane, turned into a monster, had their souls devoured. There are a lot of ways around that immortality," Kane said.
He noticed the grave expressions of the group.
A chuckle left his lips.
"Don't worry. This Expedition isn't going to be as hard as the previous ones."
He gestured at the millions of soldiers.
"Unlike before, where quality or quantity was prioritized, this time we have both quantity and quality soldiers.
"Each one of them is a famous elite of Tartarus. They have mastered their own techniques, and their names are well-known for their strength."
Then, Kane looked towards the Dragon Clan Leaders who were organizing the soldiers.
"The Clan Leaders of this generation are the most unique in history. Be it talent or personality. They are known as one of the best in their family's history."
Kane returned his gaze to Neo and the others.
"Lastly, all Protectors who were encountered by the previous Expeditions have been taken care of by the Expeditions themselves.
"Since those Protectors can't fight anymore, you can navigate through the Zones easily," Kane explained.
"Are you saying that Protectors have been defeated already?" Neo questioned, surprised.
"Not all Protectors have been defeated, but yes, almost all of them are. Only the last Protector, who stands in the 3rd Zone of the 3rd Floor, remains.
"The moment you defeat him, you will be able to enter the hidden fourth floor that hides Tartarus' Core," Kane replied.
Eight Grand Expeditions, and eight defeated Protectors.
The number was a bit too coincidental for his liking.
"Did the previous Grand Expeditions lose while taking down the Protectors?" he asked.
"You can say that." Kane shook his head. "Well, it's a lot more complicated.
"But if we're talking about overall results, each Expedition took out one Protector.
"The losses they took in exchange crippled the Expeditions, and they were forced to leave."
"I said it already, but don't worry. This time will be different.
"There is only one Protector. The Expedition won't try to save manpower and resources, since they won't have to fight more Protectors.
"We have scouted the last Protector already and prepared measures to defeat him.
"Our side has never been stronger," Kane explained.
"What about the Sacred Treasure of Tartarus and the God Weapon of Ares?" Percival questioned. "Where are they?"
"The Sacred Treasure of Tartarus should be near its Core.
"As for the God Weapon of Ares, it's on the 2nd Zone of the 2nd Floor.
"We don't know the exact location, but that's where it was last seen," Kane replied.
"How big are these Zones?" Percival questioned, feeling a sense of ominous premonition.
"They are Worlds. So, pretty big."
"Dammit," Percival muttered.
Searching for the God Weapon was not going to be easy.
"Oh right, if possible, don't die within Tartarus. You will be struck with random debuffs if you do. Permanent loss of strength, being randomly teleported to another Zone. Those kinds of debuffs."
While he was speaking, Zera returned.
"It's time. We are going to enter now. Did you brief them about the Abyss?"
He looked through his thoughts to make sure he had not missed any important detail.
When he was confident he had made no such mistake, he replied.
"I explained all major information they need. You can tell them about the minor details."
Zera nodded and turned to Neo and the others.
"After you are teleported to the Zones, follow the orders of the highest authority designated by the Dragon Clans.
"Make sure you don't start any infighting," she warned with a smile. "If you anger a short-tempered dragon, they might just gobble you up."