Ash fell like snow. The ground sizzled with residual energy from the Big One.
Troops from both sides had either retreated or perished—only the bravest dared move toward the glowing epicenter.
And within that silence...
A slow, wet cracking sound echoed.
The rune in the center pulsed—then shattered.
Black ichor spilled onto the cracked stone.
And rising from the crater, skin sloughing off like molted armor, was Valtross.
But not as a man.
"Wasn't expecting it... that soon," he rasped, voice now deeper, layered—like a thousand voices stitched into one.
His flesh shimmered with obsidian cracks, faint veins of cursed light running beneath like molten glass.
[System Update: Valtross has activated Dormant Race – "Abyss-Touched Warlord"]• Trait: Essence Division – Can fragment consciousness to control battlefield clones• Passive: Last Bastion Protocol – Survive lethal attacks once per 48 hours by shedding outer form
Tier Advanced to: B-
He exhaled.
The smoke obeyed.
Valtross was still here.
And he was far from finished.
"Damage report!" Iden barked.
"Frontline traps holding. Builders moving to reinforce."
"Six summons down—four recovering. Missile system temporarily offline for cooling," Arlen responded.
Kael had his palms on a revival glyph as bone-light surged into a downed Tank skeleton.
"I'll bring two more up in under an hour," Kael said.
Iden, standing still, was already deep in the Battle Overlay Interface, his new Tactician Core system syncing to energy frequencies.
Each summon's positioning. Each trap. Each mana fluctuation in enemy terrain.
He closed his eyes. The System pulsed again.
[Upgrade Options Detected for Defense Perimeter]
→ Unlock: Auto-Repair Sigils (Consumes 15 RP)→ Blueprint Unlocked: "Resonant Shield Weave" – Can be used for layered mana defense.
Available Resources: [Stored from battle loot, +300 RP]
"Do it," Iden whispered. "Activate everything. We're not resting — we're advancing."
Rael and Nyra moved in silence, faces masked, glyphs pulsing on their boots for silent movement.
Each had a familiar perched behind—Rael's was a graceful phoenix-owl hybrid, Nyra's a feline serpent with silent wings and night vision enchantments.
Ahead: the small camp of Candidate Yurein, known for enslaving dungeon denizens to extract mana.
Three tents. Four guards. One glowing node where he slept.
"This one won't be missed," Rael murmured.
"He deserves worse," Nyra replied.
They nodded.
And moved.
Rael's familiar glided across the treetops, casting a low-frequency dampening field.
Nyra vanished with a shimmer, reappearing inside the enemy's ward before it even noticed.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Blink]
Cooldown: 20 seconds
"Now," Nyra whispered.
The two struck like storm and silence.
Nyra slit the rune-stabilizer with a twin dagger combo while Rael launched a compressed sunbolt into the main tent.
[Candidate Yurein Eliminated – World System Updated]
[RP +150 Acquired][Skill Scroll Dropped: Dungeon Grasp]
The flames caught nothing but stunned guards too slow to react.
Within moments, the camp was silent.
"One down," Nyra said, voice breathless.
"Let's not stop now," Rael replied, her eyes glowing silver.
The familiars shimmered and took point again.
The night welcomed them.
Iden stood near the southern wall.
He didn't smile.
But he saw the rising smoke in the distance—the marker Nyra left behind.
He turned to the new arrivals—civilians armed with spears and hope, lining up for training.
Valtross had survived.
But so had Sanctum.
And now it had teeth.