The path to the Holy Capital was guarded by the Fortress of Iron, a massive citadel built into the side of a mountain. It was led by General Valerius, the man who had trained Aris and personally supervised the "Sacrifice" ceremony.
Ren stood before the fortress gates, his presence chilling the air. Behind him, the fifty villagers he had branded as Void Serfs marched like tireless puppets, followed by his ten Abyssal Archons.
"Open the gates!" Valerius roared from the battlements, his golden armor gleaming. "You are but a ghost, Ren! The Light has already judged you!"
Ren didn't speak. He simply raised his hand.
[Skill Activated: Void Siege - Earth Shatter!]
The ground beneath the fortress groaned. Massive spikes of obsidian erupted from the earth, piercing through the stone walls like needles through cloth. Ren walked through the rubble, his eyes locked on Valerius.
The General lunged with a flaming sword, but Ren caught the blade with his bare hand. The "Holy Fire" hissed and died against Ren's cold touch.
"Your Light is flickering, General," Ren whispered. He squeezed, shattering the legendary blade into a thousand shards. With a swift movement, Ren drove a claw into Valerius's chest, not to kill, but to infect.
[Notice: General Valerius (Level 45) has been 'Shadow-Corrupted'.] [Status: New Commander added to the Void Army.]
The Fortress of Iron fell in a single night. Not by a siege, but by a transformation. The soldiers who survived were branded with the Mark of the Void, their silver armor turning a sickly, abyssal black.