"Woooo..." Tang Qi's gaze followed the direction of the horn call into the distance. In his memories, that should have been an endless expanse of yellow sand.
Yet the heavy night appeared gray-white before his eyes, and at the end of that gray-white expanse, blackness surged toward Wind Sand Islet like ink spreading across a canvas.
The black tide was mixed with the low growls of Beastfolk. Heavy footsteps howled continuously alongside dull horn calls, while the trampling of giant beasts erupted with thunderous roars, making even the earth tremble. The sand beneath their feet rose in waves, swept by the gale into a storm.
"They're here," Damon said quietly.
"They're here!" a soldier cried out.
"Stay calm, stay calm!" Damon spread his arms and drove his long staff into the ground. A spark burst from the crystal at its tip and shot toward the gloomy sky, blossoming high overhead and briefly illuminating Wind Sand Islet.
A halo fell across Tang Qi's face. He noticed that the Spice embedded in the city wall beneath his feet flickered along with the light. On the nearby towers, bald Psionics users in robes floated in midair. A faint ripple spread upward from beneath the city wall, washing over the entire city.
"Listen! Those Green skins have invaded this land time and again, trying to spread the flames of war to the home beneath our feet.
"But time and again, we have stopped them outside these walls. This time will be no exception!"
Damon looked toward a distant tower and gave the guard there a slight nod.
The war drums suddenly thundered, and a resounding voice burst from that small figure, carried by the wind into every soldier's ears. **"Just as before, we will break their battleaxes, crush their hounds, and drive every last