Zong Shen swept his gaze over Blackwing Fortress below.
It was indeed far grander than Little Blackie's territory in Black Scale Marsh.
Up close, the settlements around Acid Lake resembled a dense honeycomb, stretching all the way to the inner walls of the crater.
"You certainly have considerable assets."
Zong Shen finished surveying the area and turned to speak to her.
The Black-Winged Tyrant shifted her enormous body slightly.
Her molten-gold slit pupils reflected her territory below.
The towers, walls, and settlements she had spent centuries painstakingly building had now all fallen under this human's control.
The grief of her loss burned her throat like acid.
Yet deep in her heart, all that remained was numb exhaustion.
Even before this, the long war of attrition against Avalon's army had already drained her fighting spirit.
And the power this terrifying human had displayed made it difficult for her to muster even the thought of resistance.
She could only follow Zong Shen's lead and obediently explain.
"Of the three main defensive lines, the outermost thorn trenches and the Thorn Wall in the middle have mostly fallen."
Her voice was dry and strained.
"All that can still hold are the Black Rock Bastion surrounding the central fortress and the fortress's own defenses."
"My followers have also suffered heavy casualties."
"That bastard Algernon never fights me head-on. He just wears down my strength bit by bit."
Zong Shen ignored her complaints and continued moving slowly at a very low altitude, gliding overhead like a ghost.
He carefully examined the defensive nodes.
Mana-absorbing runes carved into the black walls flickered faintly in the dim light.
Several enormous pipes beneath the main keep connected to Acid Lake, evidently serving as devices for channeling eruptions of ley-line energy.
Atop some towers in key positions stood Totem Poles