The moment Ang stepped into Beast Mouth Fortress, Slock hurried over, his eyes full of anxiety. "My lord, are you all right?"
Ang waved a hand, signaling that there was no need to worry. "I'm fine. The situation is just more complicated than expected." His gaze swept over the surrounding soldiers, his expression grave. "Slock, gather all off-duty soldiers immediately. I'll be conducting an inspection shortly to make sure no one inside has been possessed by the Black Magic Society."
Slock did not dare delay and immediately carried out the order. In less than fifteen minutes, all the off-duty soldiers had assembled in the fortress square. Ang stood before the ranks, took a deep breath, and pulled out the array plate for the Anti-Magic Field from his Magic Waist Pouch. After setting it up on the ground, a faint, unfamiliar scent spread through the air.
"Everyone, pass through this passage one at a time." Ang's voice was calm yet unquestionable. "Once you've been confirmed clear, you may leave."
Though the soldiers did not understand what was happening, military orders were absolute. They followed the instructions one after another. As each of them passed through the magic array, Ang's sharp gaze remained fixed on the line, missing no sign of abnormality.
Time slowly passed. Half an hour later, all eight hundred-plus soldiers had been inspected, but the results made Ang's brows knot tightly—more than thirty soldiers still had dark energy lingering within their bodies! Even more unsettling was that without exception, every one of them was a personal guard to one of the North Wind Warband's commanders.
Under the suppression of the Anti-Magic Field, the dark energy lurking within the soldiers was quickly dispersed. The affected soldiers looked stunned, seemingly unaware of their own condition.
Slock approached with a solemn expression