"The 7th epoch is defined by a dimension and race called the Abyss. After the arcanists' disappearance, there was a brief period of 'peace' in the next epoch. To integrate with and survive the Gremor Empire, most civilizations change to using mana and the Magic Path. So, as soon as they had an opportunity, most of them rushed to claim as much of the arcanist's knowledge and technology as possible.
"They fought for these remnants, but compared to wars in past epochs or the absolute domination the Gremorians had, that time could be described as peaceful; Plus, most races and civilizations were focused on analyzing and recreating their newly-acquired technology.
"Sadly, the peace did not last long when a new race showed up."
The hologram showed three pictures stacked on top of each other: the lower one depicted this creature with claws, ten blue tentacles, dark red eyes filled with chaos and madness, and a dark blue aura that made everybody uncomfortable, even though they were just looking at a picture.
The second picture showed the same or a similar creature, but now with humanoid features such as legs and claws. The last picture showed a complete human creature with some abyss features, including a large wing made of tentacles, red eyes, and an almost purple aura. Honestly, if not for the lack of crystal on its forehead and the eerie aura, this creature could easily be mistaken for a Demon. It's no wonder the Abyss race is often referred to as Abyss Demons.
"The 7th epoch was the shortest, only lasting 25,456 years, but it is considered one of the darkest periods of the Astral Cosmos. In fact, it's often referred to as the Dark Age, and that's because the Abyss Race killed over 90% of life in the world, and they destroyed close to 80% of dimensions of life; the number of non-life dimensions they swallowed was too much to count."
Many students inhaled sharply. They thought the Arcane Epoch was bad enough, but they did not expect the Abyss Epoch to raise the bar even further. How many lives must have been lost in the process? If they took all the life that has ever existed on Earth, it would still be less than 0.000001%. Just thinking about this gave many students an existential crisis.
"We are in the 8th epoch, right? How were they stopped?"
"That's a good question, but before answering you, I must first explain the uniqueness of the Abyss Dimension," Professor Burbank explained. "Their Plane Consciousness — the Abyss Will — was born or maybe created from the remnants of countless destroyed dimensions. When a dimension is destroyed, the Plane Consciousness will disappear, but some residue or remnant will remain. However, the residual consciousness will be filled with resentment, hatred, and other negative emotions. After all, a Plane Will is like a mother, and no one can remain unaffected as they watch their children, i.e., civilization, die.
"So, you can imagine how chaotic the Abyss Will is after absorbing so much negative emotion — so much hatred. Furthermore, unlike other dimensions that gave birth to life before giving birth to a Dimension Will, the Abyss did the opposite; the Will was born, and the Abyss Race was created afterward. I don't think I need to spell out what kind of creature such a malevolent consciousness would create: a bunch of vile, chaotic things that destroy everything they touch."
Professor Burbank had a twisted expression, fully displaying his disgust. Which surprised Zane, since he could tell the professor tried to maintain an unbiased view of the other races he taught about — even the Demon Race, to some extent.
Professor Burbank swiftly regained his composure. "After they figured out they could receive feedback and infinitely evolve as long as they sacrifice souls and even entire dimensions to the Abyss Will, they began their endless path of slaughter and conquest: they killed all life in whatever dimension they discovered before sacrificing the world to the Abyss Will.
"This tactic of warfare meant that the Abyss Race grew more powerful with each conquest, turning them into terrifying war machines. And by the time the other civilizations recognized the threat and formed the [Astral Coalition] to combat their expansion, it was too late.
"The Abyss's momentum was too strong, and as time passed, they grew more powerful. Finally, when all seemed lost, when all hope had vanished, the Demon Race came to the rescue?"
"Them?"
"Right? I'm surprised they didn't join with the Abyss."
"The Demon Race suggested a plan called [Project Ouroboros]," Professor Burbank explained. "I don't have access to the details on this plan, but after its completion, the Abyss Race began uncontrollably killing each other until their race was almost extinct."
"Almost? After everything they've done, shouldn't such a threat be permanently neutralized?"
"How hypocritical! Weren't you the one talking about the morality behind the Gremorian Empire's actions?"
"And I still stand by my words, but there is a difference between dealing with a sentient race that can reason and a chaotic one that almost wiped out all life in the universe."
"Is it really that different?"
"Yes, there is, and if you can't see that, there is no point in continuing this conversation."
"Calm down," Professor Burbank said in his stern voice, and everybody quieted down faster than a mouse in front of a cat. "The answer to your question is that the coalition's Sages allowed them to continue to exist; they stopped the annihilation of the [Abyss Race] at the last minute."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know, but the current theory is that the existence of the [Abyss Dimension] served a crucial purpose to the existence of the Astral Cosmos. Their destruction might lead to something even more horrifying."
"Something more terrifying than the Abyss? The civilization that almost annihilated all life? You must be kidding, right?"
"This…I suddenly feel it may have been a bad idea to know about all of this."
"I know, right? How am I supposed to sleep at night after realizing the invasion of Demon Lord Shakurri is a minor matter in the grand scheme of things?"
"There is no need to worry about these things. Unless you become an Archmage, none of it will affect you," Professor Burbank reassured.
"That's not reassuring in the slightest."
"I second that."
Professor Burbank ignored these remarks, "Mr. Skylar, what's your question?"
"I'm confused about the time inconsistency. All this history is less than a million years old, but Earth Dimension is billions of years old. How were we not affected?"
"There are two ways to answer your question," Professor Burbank replied. "First, Earth is a dimension created in this epoch. Dimensions, planes, worlds — however you want to call them — are constantly being born throughout the Astral Cosmos, and it is this fundamental process that has allowed the universe to recover after countless calamities.
"As for the issue of time difference? It's actually very common for the speed at which time operates to be slightly different between dimensions. And when it comes to Pure Material Dimensions — or worlds with no connection to the Astral World, just like Earth was before — it's perfectly normal for the internal passage of time to be drastically different from that of everybody else. So, while billions of years have passed in your universe, only a few hundred years will have passed for everybody else."
"Now that we're also connected to the Astral Plane, will we also experience the same passage of time?" another student asked.
"It still depends on the dimension, but the difference will not exceed a ratio of 1 to 10," Professor Burbank nodded.
"What's the second explanation?"
"Earth wasn't detected. The Astral Cosmos is vast, and although many top civilizations have 'mapped' it out, that's usually a general statement. It's very possible that Earth wasn't discovered during all those events. It has been proven that during major crises and tensions in the Astral Cosmos, Dimension Consciousness will go above and beyond to hide their world's coordinates as a form of protection for their civilization. So, even a pinnacle civilization such as the Gremor Empire cannot say with absolute certainty that they have discovered every dimension with life during their reign."
"It seems that using the Plane Will to hide a dimension's coordinate might be one of the best forms of safety in the Astral Cosmos," Zane thought.
"Sir, you said Dimensions could be destroyed? How is that possible?" The idea that someone could destroy the entire universe was absurd to almost everybody present.
Professor Burbank sighed, "The Dimension Core and Dimension Will are quintessential to a civilization's existence. But if another civilization were to get its hands on it, it would be like controlling your lifeline. With the core, they can control all energy — extraordinary or not — in your dimension. And with the Plane Will? Well, believe it or not, the best case scenario is to have all your souls branded with a slave mark, ensuring your civilization's eternal servitude for generations to come."
"That's the best case scenario?"
"There is no need to panic. While the core is relatively easier to find, Plane Will typically requires a 9th-tier entity."
"Typically?"
"Well, higher civilizations such as the demon race have created weapons to help detect and subjugate Plane Will. And if Demon Lord Shakurri has the financial capabilities, he might have acquired one. However," Professor Burbank hurriedly said. "The tower will also train you on how to counter these methods. More importantly, Earth is a unique dimension — even among Pure Materialistic Ones. It is abnormally vast, but only one planet has life, which means the Plane Will can focus on protecting one area while having plenty of room to hide and protect itself.
"More importantly, it's hard to tell if the entire dimension can even be destroyed. A few planets and stars —that's doable—but the entire universe? That's hard to say."
"Our world doesn't have any aliens?"
"At this point, does that even matter?"
"Of course it does. I had a dream of entering a polygamy relationship with an elf and a sexy green-skinned alien with tentacles in her head."
"Dude, those are inner thoughts."
"I have no shame."
"Clearly."
"Professor, how effective will the tower's training be?" a student asked, trying to refocus the conversation.
"No need to worry. Lord Drakken is one of the best in the business. He has one of the highest success rates of saving dimensions, a few of which were in even more dire situations than Earth. He has perfected his craft."
"Let's hope he's telling the truth," Zane thought.
"Let's get back on the topic at hand, "Professor Burbank stated. "Any more questions?"
"Sir, both the Innate Gods and the Abyss Demons were created by Plane Will: what's the difference? Well, besides their nature."
"Your question is a bit complex," the professor answered. "There are countless debates about whether there is a fundamental difference, with different studies and experiments conducted on both sides. However, this is not my field, so I can't give you any answer or even my own opinion."
"Fair."
"Sir, I want to know the relationship between the Abyss Race and the Demon Race?"
"That's a good question." Professor Burbank switched the hologram, this time, showing a video. Everybody saw a black pool with countless tiny eggs; sprinkles of light descended from above into the pool, and immediately afterward, all the eggs hatched into these ugly worms. As soon as these worms hatched from their eggs, they began fighting and devouring each other. In a few minutes, billions of eggs were reduced to a little over 100,000.
And the only reason this number wasn't smaller was that a new change was happening to the worms. Their bodies began to twist and morph into ugly, animalistic creatures with wings—birds, bats, and everything else —along with tentacles, plant spores, and countless other features. Of course, all of them had that dark blue aura that made everybody uncomfortable.
"What you're watching is the natural birth of Abyss Demons," Professor Burbank explained. "From the eggs in the [Birthing Pool], to the baptism of shattered souls, the birth of Abyss Worms, and the evolution to Minor Abyss Demons. This chaotic race grows through slaughter, devouring, and evolution.
"Abyss Demon Biology is fascinating. By studying these eggs, mages have discovered that they can adapt to survive in any environment. They cannot reproduce, but they don't need to since the [Birth Pool] will keep giving birth to more of them as long as there are enough souls for the baptism.
"More importantly, they have assimilated the bloodline of other races, especially the demon race, which they have used as the core blueprint for their genes, hence why they share similar physical features but also the talent to swallow souls."
"What about negative energy? Can Abyss Demons also devour it?"
"Yes and no. They will swallow any flesh or soul, no matter what state it is in — but that's only because they don't care what effect it has on their mind. However, they don't have the Demon Race's ability to manipulate, purify, and control negative emotion."
"Light Magic should be effective against them, right?"
"Highly effective," Professor Burbank nodded. "The soul of these vile creatures is chaotic, to say the least. So any attempt to purify it will be highly effective."
"If light magic is so effective, then how did the coalition lose so badly against them?"
"He said they could assimilate the DNA of powerful creatures. Maybe the Abyss race did it to a race that had high resistance to Light Magic?"
"It's not as complicated as you imagine," Professor Burbank explained. "While light can disperse darkness, an intense enough darkness can consume all light. Powerful Abyss Demons have a higher resistance to light magic; many of them even train for that purpose.
"Of course, the most crucial thing is their numbers. You saw that video: in just a few minutes, the Abyss gave birth to 100,000 Minor Demons, on par with those of some of the best transcendent apprentices. And in just a few hours, these creatures can slaughter each other to give birth to 10,000 Lesser Demons, on par with one-ring transcendents.
"At that level, their intelligence has returned to normal, so it's harder to force them to kill each other. But that's fine. Send them into another dimension with enough flesh and soul to absorb, and it will only take a few days to reach the 2nd-rind, a month or two to reach the 3rd-ring, and about a year to become a Great Demon on par with a Grand Mage.
"Meanwhile, the average age for a human to become a Grand Mage is 42, 47 for an Orc, 67 for a Dwarve, 220 years for an elf, and even longer for dragons and titans."
These students were speechless. The difference was so astonishing that everybody finally understood why the Abyss almost destroyed the Astral Cosmos. The ability to train a Grand Mage-level creature in just one year gave them too great an advantage.
"Sir, is there a way for me to become a hybrid Abyss and Human?"