High Archbishop Kael, the Grand Mage from the Holy Human Race, had witnessed everything from beginning to end.
His expression was solemn, and a stirring of emotion lay hidden in his eyes, as though he, too, had been affected by the atmosphere of this last stand.
"My lord." The knight attendant's voice pulled Kael out of his daze.
"It is time."
Kael's body trembled slightly.
He glanced at the Portal, its light already dim, then at the army before him, its morale soaring, and sighed with a complicated expression.
Staff in hand, he walked toward the Portal, step by step.
He stood before the circular archway, which measured over three meters in diameter.
Lin Mo, Zhao Gang, and the others also hurried over and had the soldiers stop transporting supplies. The conveyor belt stopped as well and retracted.
On the stone tiles beneath their feet, the supply of energy crystals ceased, and the ancient runes carved into them lost their luster.
Kael closed his eyes and began chanting an ancient, intricate incantation.
His voice was not loud, but it carried a peculiar rhythm, as though resonating with the pulse of the entire space.
The crystal at the tip of his staff lit up, radiating a soft, pure white glow.
As the incantation continued, the stable Portal began flickering violently. Then, as though gripped by an invisible hand, it rapidly collapsed inward.
Humm-
A long, drawn-out sound rang out.
The light vanished completely.
The gate connecting two worlds finally closed after remaining open for ten days.
The world fell quiet.
Everyone in the Forward Base instinctively held their breath.
An unprecedented sense of isolation and loneliness settled over every heart.
They truly could no longer go back.
At least until the Portal opened again, they had become an isolated army in