The Forbidden Peaks never knew the warmth of daylight. The sky over this desolate region was perpetually choked by a dense, suffocating layer of storm clouds that resembled a blanket of volcanic ash. The ambient temperature lingered at a point where every inhalation felt like swallowing hundreds of jagged ice shards that violently tore at the lungs.Aroan and Silas scaled the nearly vertical ice cliff at a constant, grueling pace. They utilized no climbing equipment. Their fingers, coated in dense magical auras, plunged directly into the solid ice wall, hoisting their massive frames upward like agile spiders. Beneath their dangling boots, a bottomless canyon yawned wide open, ready to swallow anyone who lost their grip.Aroan reached the summit of the cliff first. He pulled his body up and stood upon the vast, frozen tundra. His black duster whipped violently against the raging blizzard. Silas followed a few seconds later, landing with a heavy, resonating thud that caused the surroun

The colossal cavern beneath the Frostfang Mountains fell into a heavy, exhausted silence. The three ancient beasts—the Glacial Behemoth, the Silver Scaled Basilisk, and the Moon Crazed Manticore—lay motionless on the damp stone floor. They were not dead, but the forced extraction of the Liquid Silver poison from their soul meridians had plunged them into a deep, comatose state of recovery. Aroan stood near the entrance of the hidden tunnel through which Morana had escaped. He stared into the pitch black abyss of the passage. The urge to activate Shadow Step and blindly chase the treacherous woman down was incredibly tempting. His Abyssal Obsidian Bones ached with unspent kinetic fury.However, Aroan forcefully unclenched his fists.A mindless beast chases its prey into a snare, Silas spoke softly, stepping up beside his disciple. The former commander had sheathed his massive battleaxe. Morana is a viper. She intentionally left this tunnel open, hoping you would sprint into whatever

The War Room within the Alpha Palace felt significantly colder than usual. The massive wooden map sprawling across the center of the chamber was now dotted with black pawns marking the various quarantine zones.Aroan stood at the head of the table. His face was pale, and his breathing was slightly heavier than normal, a direct consequence of the grueling Void Core extraction hours prior. Yet, his posture remained perfectly rigid, projecting an aura of absolute, undeniable dominance.Across the table, Silas stood with his arms crossed, while Gael and Lyra had just returned from the primary water pumping station. Their clothes were damp with sweat and condensation."The shadow panacea has completely permeated the western and northern districts, My Emperor," Gael reported, bowing his head respectfully. "The civilian mutations have ceased. Those who had partially transformed into monsters are now unconscious, and their core body temperatures are rapidly returning to normal levels."Lyra n

The night wind sweeping across the Black Mirror Lake felt like a barrage of invisible razors slicing across the skin. Beneath the boots of Aroan and Silas, the thick layer of black ice—which had perfectly sealed the highly toxic Liquid Silver—creaked softly. They did not sprint like panicked soldiers rushing into battle. They walked with a measured, lethal rhythm, their gazes locked squarely upon the small island in the center of the lake that now served as Morana’s final fortress.Atop the crumbling stairs of the island’s temple, Morana slowly backed away. Her rising panic could no longer be concealed behind her façade of sweet, venomous smiles. Ten Vanguard Knights—the absolute elite assassins of her dark faction—formed a layered defensive wall at the very edge of the island."Do you honestly think that thin sheet of ice will save you?!" Morana shrieked, her voice cracking as she desperately tried to mask her terror. "Shatter the bridge! Let them drown in the poison!"The two knigh

The subterranean river carving through the bedrock of the Forbidden Peaks did not flow with ordinary water. The further Ouroboros swam against the current, the more viscous the surrounding fluid became, slowly transitioning into a sickly, grayish-green hue that emitted a toxic luminescence within the absolute darkness.Aroan stood steadfast atop the colossal serpent’s head. His black duster remained completely dry. Ouroboros’s scales passively absorbed the moisture and perfectly neutralized the corrosive Liquid Silver attempting to touch its master's skin."Halt," Aroan commanded through their mental Pack Link.Ouroboros smoothly arrested its momentum, holding its massive body perfectly still amidst the rushing, turbulent current.Aroan narrowed his dark purple eyes. Approximately five hundred meters ahead, the subterranean river tunnel expanded drastically, opening into a gargantuan cavern. The cavern was not a natural formation. Its walls had been heavily excavated and plated with t