The broken tower stood silent in the depths of darkness, its body covered in mottled, crisscrossing scars. Several terrifying cracks slanted across it, as though some dreadful creature had raked it with its claws.
A bonfire piled from white bones burned as it neared extinction, sparks drifting off from time to time before vanishing in an instant.
Gilena glanced back at the bonfire and could not help sighing.
They had used every method available, yet they simply could not keep the Primal Fire burning any longer.
Before long, the bonfire would go out.
Once the barrier vanished, they would face enemies that were nearly endless within the black fog.
No one wanted to experience that feeling again.
Enemies surged from the black fog like a tide. The moment one area was cleared, those behind them filled it at once, as though they could never be completely wiped out.
Even someone of formidable strength would feel despair in the face of a battle with no end in sight. In the end, they would most likely have to retreat.
Infected.
Those made up most of the enemies. There were also some corrupted, polluted creatures, like undead, yet fundamentally different from them.
As for the traits of the Infected, there was no need to say more. So long as there was enough Calamity Energy, even death could be followed by endless rebirth.
And the black fog surging around them was, in truth, a manifestation of Calamity Energy.
It was perfectly normal for the same energy to take on different forms.
Just like water, ice, and water vapor—liquid water was no different in essence. They were all the same substance.
"Gilena, where do you think the captain is right now?"
A woman came to Gilena's side. In her arms was a silver-metal weapon resembling