Vorus raised his left arm above his head, leaning his shriveled hand behind his shoulder. “Let this be a lesson for all the fools who think they can prevail against the darkness. You are nothing but a speck of dust in front of the Lord of Decay. And to dust you shall return.”He was about to strike Ezra down with the shadow orbs when suddenly, a bright golden spear pierced his chest, going straight through his rotten heart. “Not so fast, you dirty old bastard!” Aurelia’s voice rang out from afar as she soared over the dark clouds with her Spectral Companion standing guard behind her.The blindfolded angel radiated a divine aura that swept the shadows away, illuminating her surroundings and repelling the corrupted Necro Bats and Stirges.Vorus grimaced as he looked at her. The holy spear impaling him disrupted his dark spell, causing the two shadow orbs to disappear. “I had almost forgotten…about you,” he muttered, placing his shriveled palm over his chest. “Dark Lord’s blessings: Unh

**Two hours ago****Inside the Grand Observatory**Ezra blasted his way to the roof of the Grand Observatory, half a mile away from the industrial complex, and immediately encountered five hooded cultists who were making preparations for a summoning ritual.“It’s over. Stop what you’re doing if you want to live!” He barged onto the scene, interrupting their dark prayer.Seeing the blood-splashed Gunner, the cultists stopped chanting and gasped in horror.“It’s the blasphemer.”“The one who killed Lorelai and Malodor.”“He finally found us.”The hooded figures whispered among themselves, casting nervous glances at Ezra. Each of them was holding a human skull and standing inside a chalk circle enchanted with dark runes and cryptic sigils.The oldest among them stepped forward and pulled out an enchanted obsidian dagger from inside his long black sleeve.“How dare you interrupt our unholy prayer, blasphemer?” he bawled raising his voice to a fever pitch. The curved blade of his polished d

Vorus was the last necromancer in Zepheroth’s dark cult, and with his death, the corrupted Gunners patrolling the streets of Stonewell lost their powers and crumbled to dust.Every bird, beast, and hybrid touched by the rot succumbed to the same fate as the necromancer’s dark influence dissipated. However, the summoned undead still roamed the lands like rabid predators, stalking and hunting any living prey foolish enough to cross their path.Ezra felt a dull pain rising in his chest as he remembered his first encounter with Marlin. Back then, he had plenty of doubts about the old Gunsmith and wanted to get rid of his cursed eye as quickly as possible.But now that Marlin was gone forever, Ezra felt like he had lost an old friend. Despite latching onto Ezra like a mere parasite, Marlin had quickly grown into a loyal companion. Not only had he taught Ezra the art of Gunsmithing, but also saved his life on more than one occasion. Ezra looked at his arm again, and the scars on his wrist

Marquis Desmond volunteered to stay behind and defend Stonewell while Count Gressil and Aurelia joined Ezra, ready to venture into the Everglades and rescue Tanya.However, as soon as Flavius heard their plan, he immediately objected to the idea.“The Violet Everglades is a perilous swamp haunted by malevolent specters and damned elven warriors who were cursed to roam this world forever. Chaos magic flows in its murky depths, twisting everything it touches and distorting the surroundings. Aberrations and magical anomalies are as common in the Everglades as trees in a forest. It is not wise to willingly venture into that death trap.”“The cultists have Tanya, and they are going to sacrifice her at the Fountain of Chaos. I don’t care about the dangers!” Count Gressil retorted, his fatherly feelings pushing all thoughts of caution out of his mind.But Flavius, being a distant guest, could look at things objectively without getting overwhelmed by his emotions. He looked calmly at the Count

A weary traveler lost inside the Violet Everglades was an easy prey for the creatures of the dark, and Ezra had just encountered one such nefarious entity. But instead of fear, his eyes lit up with a strange hopefulness.“You called out to me in Tanya’s voice, so you must have seen her passing through. Point me toward the Fountain of Chaos, and I won’t kill you,” he spoke in a cold, emotionless voice, without even turning to look at the creature creeping toward him.The creature laughed at his words and rushed through the darkness, moving like a shadow to play with his mind. Her voice echoed from different directions as she disappeared like smoke and danced around Ezra.“You are in my home, youngling. The dark ones told me you’d be coming,” she cackled. “But you won’t be walking out alive. So, forget about your friend and save yourself if you can!”As Ezra stood there motionless, a howling shadow rushed past him and gathered on a dry patch of grass overgrown with violet tulips that glo