The brutal execution of Morana in the Royal Cemetery Gardens the previous night had fundamentally altered the atmosphere of Silver Peak. The fear deeply rooted within the populace was no longer born of a mysterious, creeping shadow, but rather an absolute, terrifying respect for the unwavering law of the Abyssal Sovereign.This morning, the air in the capital felt distinctly sharper. The howling blizzard had subsided, replaced by a still, overcast gray sky, as if nature itself was holding its breath in anticipation of the next move.Inside the War Room of the Alpha Palace, Aroan stood perfectly still before the massive wooden map table. The map was now heavily populated with black wolf pawns, indicating the strategic positioning of The Hollowed forces and the two thousand Obsidian Shadow Hounds guarding the northern border lines. However, Aroan’s attention was entirely focused on the hundreds of golden sun pawns that their intelligence network had begun assembling in the southern ter

Aroan’s footsteps echoed softly through the copper-lined corridor as they ascended toward the surface of Silver Peak. In his arms, he carried the lifeless body of Alpha Kaelor. The corpse of the former ruler of the Northern Continent felt unnervingly light. The manual extraction of mana and life essence required to deactivate the Solar Engine had completely drained Kaelor, leaving behind nothing but skin and brittle bones. There was absolutely no trace of the golden majesty that had once defined him.Aroan stared straight ahead. His severely charred right arm, where the Abyssal Obsidian Bones were exposed, throbbed with a dull, biting ache. However, the Void Prime System was already hard at work, utilizing a steady stream of Void Points to rapidly knit new muscle fibers and pale skin back over the blackened bone.As the secret door in the palace basement slid open, Silas was already standing there, waiting. The former commander froze for a fraction of a second upon seeing the lifeles

The sky above the Grand Canyon, which had previously been a clear, piercing blue, now mutated into a nauseating, bruised purple-black. The clouds were violently sucked toward the south, aggressively spiraling into a colossal vortex that appeared eager to devour the sun itself.The wind sweeping through the gorge no longer carried the frigid chill of Silver Peak nor the scorching heat of the Solari desert. The wind carried a profound emptiness. It was an absolute, suffocating pressure that made the very air feel lethally heavy.At the bottom of the canyon, the thousands of feral monsters Aroan had just forcefully subjugated began to whimper in sheer, unadulterated terror. They pressed their bellies flat against the rocky floor, trembling violently, absolutely refusing to stand. Even Nyx, the Rank B- Primal Lord, let out a low, vibrating growl laced with a profound anxiety he rarely displayed.Aroan stood paralyzed. His glowing purple eyes were locked dead onto the darkening southern ho

The southern border of Silver Peak was typically a quiet, desolate expanse of frozen tundra and jagged ice formations. Tonight, however, a thick, unnatural fog rolled across the snow, carrying with it a nauseating stench that made the stationed guards gag. It was the distinct, unmistakable odor of rotting flesh that had been frozen and thawed a hundred times over.A platoon of fifty Hollowed warriors stood atop the thirty-foot-high ice barricades they had hastily erected. They drew their weapons, their eyes scanning the impenetrable gray fog. Beside them, their Obsidian Shadow Hounds growled nervously, the fur on their backs standing on end."Hold your positions," the platoon captain ordered, his voice tight with tension. "Do not engage until you see their eyes."From within the dense fog, the sound of dragging footsteps and wet, guttural rasps began to echo. Suddenly, a massive figure burst through the mist. It was a Snow Bear, but its physical state was entirely grotesque. Large pa

The Grand Canyon was now entirely under the absolute control of The Hollowed. Thick, black smoke from the corpses of the Sun Knights, incinerated by Void Fire, billowed high into the sky, serving as a dark, ominous warning to anyone daring to approach the northern borders. Aroan stood atop a pile of shattered golden armor. He did not waste a single second celebrating the victory. In this world governed by magic and monsters, winning a single skirmish did not win the war."How many Obsidian Shadow-Hounds did we lose when the Pack Link was severed?" Aroan asked without turning his head, casually wiping residual blood from his leather gloves.Gael stepped closer, holding a glowing magical report crystal. "Approximately three hundred hounds were destroyed, My Emperor. However, the rest of our forces did not sustain any fatal casualties. Lady Lyra is currently treating the wounded at the mouth of the canyon."Aroan gave a slow nod. Three hundred out of two thousand was an acceptable tact