Just as the soul-piercing echo of the bell had yet to fully dissipate, an abrupt change erupted in the plaza!
From the gaps in the ancient, weathered stone floor, thick, ink-like black smoke suddenly oozed out without warning, rolling and squirming incessantly! These smoke clouds seemed to possess a life of their own, quickly converging from all directions to the center of the plaza, starting to distort, condense, and form shapes...
In the blink of an eye, dozens of bizarre figures appeared abruptly on the plaza!
Their forms were roughly humanoid, but entirely pitch black, as if composed of the purest shadow, with faint black mist swirling and rising from their surfaces. They were enveloped in large, tattered black cloaks, thoroughly concealing their entire bodies.
