The air before the portal thrummed with a raw, savage anticipation. Kaelen raised a gauntleted hand, his eyes, glowing with cold resolve, sweeping over his transformed army. They were a grim, terrifying sight, their Abyssal armor humming with an eager, predatory life. There were no grand speeches, no final rousing calls to arms. There was no need. With a sharp, downward motion of Kaelen's hand, the Imperial forces surged forward, plunging into the swirling chaos of the Abyss portal.
They emerged not into the expected chaos, but a landscape of crystallized rock and vast, shimmering webs spread across a sky veiled in corrosive mist. The very air gnawed at unarmored flesh, stinging their exposed skin. Ahead, the remaining forces of Vorenza awaited, utterly motionless. They didn't surge or roar; instead, they simply gazed at the invaders, their multi-faceted eyes fixed, as if waiting for a pre-arranged signal.
