The horn of war sounded sooner than Benjamin had imagined.
Less than a month after he registered at the junction point, the Magic Network Terminal emitted a shrill alert—the notice ordering them to assemble was prominently listed.
The efficiency far exceeded Benjamin's expectations.
He swiftly inspected every arrangement inside and outside the Golden Garden. Once he confirmed that nothing was amiss, he contacted Viola through the Magic Network communication rune.
There was a faint excitement in Viola's voice. She said she had received the notice as well, and they agreed to meet at the designated location in the junction point.
Stepping onto the teleportation array once more, Benjamin and Viola materialized amid the warped fragments of space within the junction point.
The place remained as grotesque as ever: vertical streets, floating shops, and all manner of bizarre creatures from other worlds and servants, all maintaining a strange harmony like a frozen oil painting.
Yet now, amid the bustle in the air, there was an added chill of solemnity and tension before battle.
"Are you ready?" Viola asked. She wore a black, form-fitting leather armor that allowed easy movement, two metal staffs crossed over her back, and a confident smile on her face.
"Any time." Benjamin nodded.
He wore a black Wizard Robe, while an array of six Floating Cannons flickered in and out of sight behind him like wings.
Viola's smile faded slightly. Turning to Benjamin, her tone became serious. "Benjamin, once we enter the war plane, aside from the plane's Natives, you must be especially wary of the wizards from the Tower of Silence and the Chaos Cult.
"Although our Noren Workshop is cooperating with them, we do not belong to the same faction. On the battlefield, interests always come first. In order to seize spoils, it would be