"I have failed you." Ferran, commander of the Cold Iron Knights, knelt on one knee, cold sweat beading at his temples. His face was thunderous.
The edges of his Battle Aura armor had yet to fade, clearly showing that he had only just escaped a dangerous environment.
"I reached the end of the altar's First Stone Step," he reported quietly. "Beyond that, my mind began to cloud, and my senses became distorted. Even my protective Battle Aura was difficult to maintain. If I forced my way through, I fear I would go mad."
Silence fell over the temporary camp.
Louis stood before the table, his gaze resting on the coordinates circled in red on the map.
Only after a long while did he sigh softly. There was no blame in his voice, only gentleness. "Don't blame yourself. You've already done very well. Even a Peak Knight might not be able to penetrate that mental blockade."
Ferran froze briefly and looked up at Louis.
Ever since Duke Edmund's fall, the entire Northern Frontier had been without a single true peak-level powerhouse.
Ferran was a high-ranking Transcendent Knight, the strongest individual combatant in the entire Red Tide Fief-and perhaps even the whole Northern Frontier.
For this investigation, Louis had specifically recalled him from the Northern Line's front to uncover the secrets of this strange altar.
Yet... even he had been stopped at the entrance.
In other words, no one in the Empire's Northern Frontier could uncover the truth of this ancient altar alone.
"This is no longer an ordinary ruin." Louis's gaze turned cold. "This is an Evil God's altar. We must hit it hard!"
His words sent a jolt through everyone present.
But Louis had already picked up his pen and written a line on the tactical briefing: Tactical operation revised