Netherworld, 1st Layer: Construction Site (Formerly Tongue-Ripping Hell).

  After the Slayer squeezed the coordinates out of the heart using nothing but sheer "interrogation" pressure, Daoist Singularity unleashed a level of productivity that bordered on the miraculous.

  Three days later.

  A colossal ring structure, towering over a hundred meters high, stood erect in the center of what used to be the Tongue-Ripping Hell.

  It was a wild, savage mashup of DOOM Aesthetics and Netherworld Industrial Style.

  The base was cast from Black Mystic Iron, crisscrossed with red spiritual energy pipes that pulsed like exposed arteries.

  The frame was constructed from the spinal columns of countless demons, fused together, with golden suppression runes carved into every vertebra.

  And at the very apex of the ring, Singularity—with his peculiar taste—had hung a massive, neon-lit skull sign.

  "Now this... is Violent Aesthetics," Singularity muttered.

  He stood on a high scaffold, holding the black heart that served as the "key," performing the final circuit checks.

  "Energy coupling... Normal."

  "Spatial stabilizer... Normal."

  The Slayer stood before the gate.

  He had been standing there for three hours, motionless, like a dark green statue.

  But the air around him was anything but calm.

  Every few seconds, a crisp metallic sound would click from his hands—the sound of him unconsciously breaking open the breach of his Super Shotgun, checking the shells, and snapping it shut.

  Click-clack.

  Click-clack.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Click-clack.

  This rhythmic, monotonous, yet mechanically satisfying sound echoed through the empty construction site.

  Singularity felt his scalp tingle. He knew what that was. That was the Slayer's "Standby Anxiety."

  It wasn't nervousness. It was the pre-overheat warning of an engine that had been idling for too long. If he didn't let this man move soon, the Slayer might just dismantle this unfinished gate out of sheer boredom.

  "Great Warrior! It's done! Ignition!"

  Singularity didn't dare dawdle. He slammed the black heart into the recess of the control console.

  HUMMMMM——————!!!

  A massive roar of energy resonated through the Netherworld. The Geothermal Power Plant on the 6th Layer instantly went into overdrive, causing all the lights in the facility to dim for a split second.

  The massive bone gate began to vibrate violently.

  In the center of the hollow ring, space began to tear and twist.

  It wasn't a water-like blue ripple.

  It was a dark red vortex, opening like a festering wound.

  A thick gust of wind, heavy with the stench of sulfur and rot, blew out from the other side.

  "Roar..."

  "Who is that..."

  "Fresh meat..."

  Faintly, the whispers of countless demons drifted from the other side of the gate. It was the prying gaze of the Abyss.

  The Yin Soldiers backed away in terror, covering their noses.

  The Slayer's helmet tilted up slightly.

  His air filtration system hissed as it took a deep intake.

  His shoulders dropped. It was the relaxation of muscles finally finding a point of exertion.

  He took a step.

  CLANG.

  His heavy warboot stomped onto the Black Mystic Iron base, producing a dull, heavy thud.

  Singularity suddenly jumped down from the high platform, holding a massive warning sign written in red Abyssal script, intending to hang it on the gate.

  "Wait! Great Warrior! To comply with international standards, we need to hang a warning..."

  The Slayer didn't stop.

  He didn't even glance at Singularity, nor did he look at the sign.

  He walked straight past Singularity, the wind pressure from his stride spinning the Daoist around like a top.

  He didn't need a warning.

  He didn't need a declaration.

  He just needed to go in.

  Singularity stood there hugging the sign, frozen, watching the green back disappear unhesitatingly into the red vortex.

  He looked at the sign in his hand. It read:

  [HIGH ENERGY WARNING: DOOM-LEVEL ENTITY INBOUND.]

  [ADVICE: RUN IMMEDIATELY.]

  "Forget it..." Singularity tossed the sign aside. "They wouldn't have time to run anyway."

  Closed vs. Open.

  The gates of the Netherworld were built to keep demons out.

  This gate was built to send him in.

  This was no longer defense.

  This was Invasion.

  As the Slayer's figure completely vanished, the portal let out a deafening boom. The red vortex stabilized, turning into a permanent tunnel leading straight to the depths of Hell.

  Singularity wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, grabbed the comms unit, and broadcast to the entire Netherworld:

  "Attention all units."

  "The Calamity has left the building."

  "Weld the door shut. Do not let him come back until he's killed everything on the other side (just kidding... mostly)."