We shifted our base from the third layer to the core layer, settling directly beneath the headquarters in the core layer, the zone under Saleos's direct control.
Once again, everyone gathered to discuss the next phase.
For now, we deliberately avoided testing whether the Eternal had noticed the loss of its anchors. I was confident it hadn't sensed anything unusual, and until we were ready, it was better to let that silence remain untouched.
Above us, both forces had pulled back.
But today, they had pulled back far faster than usual.
The reason was sitting to my right.
Ragnar.
He was grinning from ear to ear, his massive frame still coated in dried blood, fragments of abominations, and scorched deathmist residue. Despite repeated requests, from Dravon, from Aurora, and even from Mazikeen, he had stubbornly refused to wash it off.
"It's good luck," Ragnar had said cheerfully. "Shows my achievement."
No one had bothered arguing after that.
