Back in the abyssal ocean, Alex''s consciousness slipped deeper into the void of his soul space. Time itself even seemed to stretch and bend. The minutes bled into hours, though Alex couldn''t tell if this was an illusion or a side effect from the evolutionary process.

    The orean around his physical body continued to respond to his evolutionary transformation, with the faint pulsations from the liquid growing stronger, echoing and mirroring Alex''s heartbeat ominously.

    The luminescent blue patches began to spread, with their light weaving into intricate, web like patterns beneath the surface.

    If Alex were awake, he would be greatly shocked by what he was seeing — those luminescent blue lights weren''t separate like those insect like creatures that had attacked him up above, instead they were all apart of one larger object!

    Inside his soul space, Alex felt a strange presence — not hostile but probing instead. It was as if the system itself had taken form, observing his very essence.

    [Remaining time: 04:02:28]

    The words floated through the void like illusory lights. Nearly 20 hours had passed already, yet Alex felt like it had only bee seconds.

    His soul flickered, taking on the form of a glowing, ethereal silhouette. His memories, emotions, and experiences all swirled around him like threats of light, merging and weaving into the evolving structure of his soul core.

    But it wasn''t just pain he was experiencing — it was clarity. With every rupture, a new understanding flooded him. Concepts of existence, power, and reality expanded in his mind, far beyond what he had known before as a lower life form.

    Meanwhile, in the abyssal ocean, the luminescent blue patterns converged, forming a vast, intricate web stretching on, seemingly endlessly. The liquid around him began to churn, like something big was on the move.

    From the depths, a shape emerged — a shadowy, amorphous creature that seemed to be born from the liquid itself.

    Alex''s body slowly floated down into the depths of the ocean, nearing what appeared to be the ocean floor.

    Thud!

    However, this was no ocean floor...

    Rumble!

    Fwoooooooooom!

    The ''floor'' churned when Alex''s body made contact with it, and a deep and terrifying rumble shook the entire ocean.

    ***

    Rumble!

    "What do you mean alive? What are we standing on?"

    Before she could respond, the tremors intensified, and a deafening crack split the air.

    The ground started to splinter, and massive chasms opened across the battlefield. From fissures erupted geysers of thick, dark liquid.

    The same viscous substance Alex had fallen into.

    Yaron, keeping his arms interlocked with Captain Korn, shouted. "The planet is shaking itself apart!"

    Then, as if in response to his words, the sky above shimmered unnaturally.

    The atmosphere featured, and for a brief moment, the illusory field that cloaked the planet failed.

    Everyone on the battlefield froze, staring upward in awe and terror.

    The blue layers of atmosphere shifted, gradually giving way for the darkness of space and the stars in the backdrop.

    There, they could see the battle that was raging on above, near the wormhole the Lux had opened.

    But that wasn''t their main focus at the moment.

    "This isn''t a planet..." Mira muttered, but even she couldn''t believe her own words.

    ***

    "What is going on down there?"

    Althea looked down at the surface of the planet with concern, as the goings on down there were so shocking that they even grabbed her attention.

    Seeing how confused she was, the opposing S tier Lux also turned her gaze towards the planet, and her face assumed an equally bewildered look.

    The planet was fracturing apart...

    However, that was the least of it.

    The S tier powerhouses exchanging blows in the void of space froze, staring down at the planet in awe and terror.