I worked in silence and placed a pocket space, then moved forward and created another, laying them out carefully like hidden anchors along my path. Once I was satisfied, I made one final jump and landed on the second layer itself.
This place felt different the moment I arrived.
Unlike the demon defenses, this layer was not built for recovery or order. It was packed with abominations and phantoms, layer upon layer of them, waiting in restless clusters. There were no barracks, no structure meant for living beings. Everything here existed only to delay, corrupt, and kill.
The defenses were far stronger than before.
Deathmist saturated the entire layer, so dense it felt almost alive, flowing in slow, heavy currents through the void. It pressed against my Essence like a hungry thing, trying to seep in through the smallest cracks. Anyone without a powerful Essence shield would be corrupted within moments simply by staying here.
This was not a place meant to be held.
