The Centurion fell. Against such an overwhelming difference in strength, it was no surprise that he and his soldiers perished together on this unfamiliar land.
His corpse grew cold, and a merciless dark aura enveloped everything. Then his body slowly rose again.
It was the Void. The ancient ruins had been built directly above the Abyss.
On top of that, he had already spent a long time wearing himself down on the Scar Trail, where the concentration of the Void was considerable.
Unsurprisingly, after his death, the Centurion's corpse became a puppet of the Void.
Soon, the other soldiers rose as well, their battered corpses swaying as they stood in the shattered plaza.
With black wisps from the Void constantly coiling around their bodies, they gathered before that being once more.
"This won't be the end," the being said provocatively, gazing contemptuously at the Sunfire Charm in his hand.
The being looked upward, his gaze seemingly piercing the rock strata to stare straight at Ashen City, radiating a terrifying light that seized the soul.
He only needed to wait a little longer. Just this last stretch. A little longer.
Throughout the empty ruins, figures rose one after another. Some were mangled, others devoid of souls. Whatever their condition, they stood.
Then they began to advance, following the route the Centurion had taken to get there.
Three days later.
The Centurion had been out of contact for thirteen days. Counting the preliminary surveys, twenty days had passed since the discovery of the Scar Trail.
Not long after the fifth exploration team lost contact completely, a letter encrypted at the highest level was dispatched from the Smelting Plant.
It bypassed every checkpoint and inspection along the way, heading straight for Ashen City's Torch Council.
After yet another territorial expansion, everyday concerns,