"Still no contact with the Faithguard Army on the island?"
Erwin shook his head. "My lord, ever since they sent word that they were going to shut down the Stellar Furnace leak, we haven't heard from them again."
"How is the assault team doing?"
"They're ready. Lord Ash is leading fifty Banshees. With their combat strength, breaking in shouldn't be a problem—but it will inevitably cause the battle to fully erupt. That Faithguard Army squad will definitely get dragged into it, and... the Stellar Furnace probably won't be saved either."
Theus pursed his lips. "What is the Stellar Furnace's condition?"
"We can only monitor it remotely and see the general situation. As things stand... the leak still hasn't stopped."
"My lord, should we continue waiting?"
"Wait." Theus forced the word out through clenched teeth. "I believe in them."
Several staff officers in the command room exchanged glances, then lowered their heads.
They were aboard an airship near Castel, watching the familiar island from afar.
The Stellar Furnace problem was far worse than they had initially anticipated.
After years of operation, Castel's engineers had long since established a complete set of automated procedures for the Stellar Furnace. Even without control, it would merely shut down gradually according to the contingency plan.
Yet not long after the ritual began, contact with the Stellar Furnace was cut off. Kyle's team had only managed to call in once, reporting the worst possible situation—all stationed engineers had died, and his team was preparing to force their way in and shut down the leaking Pollution.
If they managed to shut it down, things would be fine. They would only need to clear out the monsters on the outskirts.
If they failed, Castel would become the main battlefield. They would have to bring in heavy weapons and