Shadow of the Evil God

Legosius said he could harness the Dark Tide, but that was the kind of thing he didn't dare endure. Actually, harnessing the hordes of corpse-eaters was pretty close. Every step he took treaded on the edge of the abyss—not just in reality, but in his soul. He avoided villages and settlements whenever possible, hoping to find some solace, to make his sins seem less severe.

Cesar was trying to avoid falling into the abyss, a fact he knew well. Trampling the villages and settlements along the way with his corpse-eaters was easy; it only took a few steps. Though this was evil and terrifying, the barrier between Cesar and it was as thin as a veil. A single scratch from a finger would tear it apart, oozing out the foul, evil blood. After that, the bleeding would be impossible to stop.

Chapter 315 It Remembers You

Cesar became anxious when he thought that the Gural Fortress was under siege. He became even more annoyed when he thought that Diana couldn't find him.

His dreams had recently returned completely, but the wasteland hadn't responded. He didn't even know how long the Eye of the Furnace would pursue him. Would it chase him until he had nowhere else to go? Or would it chase him north along the edge of the abyss, then south toward the abyss in the direction of the steppes, and finally back to the city of Neuen?

Cesar always felt that the Eye of the Forge shouldn't exist forever for him, nor should it constantly follow him. People say that the price the Temple pays to bring the light of the gods into reality is unimaginable. Even to Grandmaster Ferriers, it is merely a deterrent. To maintain its existence, it must incur an even more horrific price.

So why did it follow him across the mountains, casting its searching light on the edge of the abyss? He didn't understand. Or was his existence already extraordinary, more terrifying than the threat from Firiels in the north of the empire? He couldn't believe it.

......

When Cesar woke up from his dream again, he couldn't help but stare at the girl in his arms for a long, long time. The eternal pursuit and the phantom of the unreachable stars made him unable to let go for a long time. He almost immersed himself in the illusory imagination and forgot that he was being hunted.

If it weren't for the Eye of the Furnace that always tore apart his dreams at the moment he was about to indulge, and burned the abyss with its fierce light, he would have fallen into the deepest part of the dream.

Cesar brushed Soyin's brown hair away from her forehead, almost unable to see her as herself. He looked at her still childish face, her dreamy brown eyes, and felt that he saw the endless starry sky, the broken history and the fallen country, as well as his endless pursuit in his dreams.

All this made him feel extremely melancholy, and the pursuit behind him became distant and vague.

But the darkness encroaching from the edge of the abyss reminded him that he could not indulge in dreams. On a realistic level, he had to be grateful to them. If they had not forced him forward with their deadly invasion, he would either be lost in gazing at the stars, unwilling to wake up, trapped in an eternal pursuit, or fall into the sight of the Eye of the Crucible, burned to ash in the fierce light, and turned into nothing.

There was no doubt about it. If Analik's path tested his soul at the level of desire and animality, this eternal pursuit tested his soul at the level of the soul and divinity. Whether it was the desire for flesh and blood or the pursuit of ideal illusions, both things would make him forget the present, and he himself lived in the present with a skeptical attitude.

Under the blazing sun, Cesar found a stream in the mountains. The hunters chasing him lately were more formidable than the beastmen. He was so hurried that he barely ate or drank. Soin slept, hanging on him like a koala. At first, she wasn't used to it, but later, she got used to falling asleep while he was on his long journey.

The dog fed him some blood, which he drank, then offered the remaining dried meat to Soyn, letting her swallow it with the stream water. These were the rations that had been left beside Miriel's body during her escape, and now they were almost gone. Iskellig's longbow had long been useless, for not only the beasts on the road, but even the eagles and birds had vanished. Whether the disturbances in the abyss had scared them away, or the Eye of the Furnace had driven them back, Cesar had no idea.

The mountain wind grew increasingly sharp, and he continued to traverse the stream, only catching his breath when night fell again. He still felt the threat the invisible assassin had warned him about lingering behind him. It seemed he would not be able to survive tonight, just as he had when the corpse-eaters had first chased him to the Clefas territory.

Of course, such incidents could no longer dampen his spirits. Not only did he realize he would have to make a decision sooner or later, but he had already achieved his goals. All that remained was to return to Gural Fortress and end the stalemate in the defense. Once he reached the location he and Diana had agreed upon, he would end his escape and put an end to this matter.

César couldn't say he could let go of this girl from the past. Perhaps before the dream, he could, but afterward, he couldn't let go. The dream, in some incomprehensible way, had etched her distant, untouchable impression into his heart, calling him to pursue her. But she remained in the inaccessible night sky, her companions among the stars. Therefore, he felt that this pursuit would never be completed; in other words, it was an eternal and hopeless pursuit.

It's like Sisyphus pushing the rock that can never be pushed up the mountain.

Soin was among the stars, and he didn't dare to judge whether this was a dream or a reality. So much had happened since the fall of the Kuna people, and this incomprehensible spell connected the past and present. He could only believe that anything was possible, but none of these possibilities meant much to him in his current situation.

He must choose between the present and the past.

These thoughts raced through Cesar's mind until midnight, when he stood before the cliff, trying to find the spot Diana had marked on his map. Soin sat on his shoulder, gazing into the distance, offering to help. He was too tired to think much. Seeing the steepness of the nearby mountain severely obstructing his vision, he grasped the cliff face and climbed, carving claw marks into the surface with his steel-clad claws.

After reaching the top of the cliff, Cesar looked ahead and was surprised to find that the

The wilderness at the edge of the world disappeared, and he saw a group of buildings.

Although he had visited many unfamiliar places, he had never seen anything like it. Not far away, he saw a broad road winding down the hillside. The rock was mirror-smooth, as if newly built, without a crack. He examined it carefully and discovered that the road was made of ribbon-like obsidian. The road was spotless and stretched into the endless distance, looking like a miracle.

Is there a complex of buildings here? Is there a winding road like this?

It couldn't exist, Cesar thought. Diana had passed by this place when she was wandering on the edge of the abyss, and only places she had been to could she use the teleportation spell to travel back and forth. In other words, if she had seen them, she would definitely remember everything here and tell others about it in her later life.

As he gazed into the distance in silence, he noticed the girl on his shoulder silently shedding tears, which slid down her cheeks. He reached out his hand, carefully wiped away her tears with his sharp claws, and then asked her what was wrong.

"I don't know..." Suo Yin grabbed his sharp claws, lowered her head, and hugged it tightly to her chest. "I grew up on the edge of the abyss," she murmured to herself, "but just now, I suddenly felt nostalgic and empty inside."

"You must have accomplished something in your past, Soyn," Cesar told her. "My beloved once told me that the earth is not without feeling. People may have forgotten you now, but this land still remembers you. It remembers all the suffering you endured, and all the glory you brought. When you returned here, even though the people were dead, the cities were deserted, and the buildings were in ruins, it still responded to you, returning those feelings to you in a language you could not understand."

The mountain was terrifyingly high, the temperature plummeting, and the surrounding area was covered in layers of lingering ice and snow. The girl shivered with cold, so Cesar tore off a large piece of his cloak and wrapped it around her, telling her to hold on tightly. She gazed at the buildings in the distance, puffs of white mist from her mouth, and her expression gradually became dazed.

......

Cesar didn't want to cause any trouble, but the winding road led him to the spot Diana had marked. He felt like the Eye of the Furnace was still exploring him from behind, so he didn't dare to think too much and could only continue down the road.

At the time, it seemed incomprehensible that a house would be built on the edge of the abyss. Later, he discovered that Miriel's family was seeking refuge, far from human habitation. Considering the situation the Franks had been trapped in, the practice of human sacrifice, it all made sense. However, he could not understand why a city would be built on the edge of the abyss.

But he couldn't think about it for too long, nor could he stand at a distance and deliberate, wondering whether he should go in.

As for the corpse-eaters, everything went as Cesar had expected. He had already left the horde far behind in Cleface's territory, where they were locked in a bloody battle with the army the old man had gathered, robbing him of his own resources. They were unable to track him. However, after this, the Eye of the Forge and the monks who followed him replaced the corpse-eaters and their pursuit.

The temple friars behind Cesar held on tighter than the corpse-eaters, and were far more difficult to defeat. And unlike the corpse-eaters, if they caught him, they would thoroughly rip his flesh and soul apart. The Eye of the Forge would also surely penetrate his path, uncover his existence, and then everything would be over.

If it weren't for the giant eye, he might have considered turning back and killing them all.

"Did you see that?" Soyin suddenly said, pointing into the distance. "Look, Cesar, that statue is holding a bow and arrow that looks a lot like the one I have."

The girl said it was a statue. Cesar craned his neck and strained to see, but he could see nothing. He walked, peering, until he finally saw only a protruding gray rock. Then he realized it wasn't quite a statue—it was a hand left in the rubble after the statue collapsed. The girl saw all the shattered parts of the statue, reconstructing them in her mind as a complete statue, while he could only see a few broken pieces of rock.

As he walked along the path, he gradually made out the fragments of the statues she had seen at first glance. The severed hand, as big as a house, held a stone longbow pressed into the weed-covered earth. He didn't have time to carefully assess its resemblance to the bow on Soin's back, because the mist on the mountaintop behind him suddenly surged like a wave, forming a massive vortex and a burning sensation. However, he didn't feel the Eye of the Forge's gaze upon him.

It was this strange city that made it react.

Chapter 316 Everything is normal

......

For a moment, Altinia surveyed the complex of buildings, their outer walls and upper floors strewn with rotting blood and corpses. Gural Fortress seemed like a crimson alien world. Even if they could survive the coming trials, cleaning up the filth would be an unimaginably massive undertaking. She turned back and sat at the desk with Diana, lost once again in the series of visions Castari had conjured.

Once this ordeal was over, the final attack would come. Although she had prepared much for her own considerations, she would still wait until the last moment to reveal them.

It was difficult enough for the defenders to resist the corpse eaters, but adding the Imperial army charging into the battlefield would make it impossible. To do this, she had to use any means necessary. No matter how evil it was, she had to do it.

"The high priest has already agreed to help," Diana said, moving Castari's chess piece. "Just as Cesar said, he's an old knight with a certain foolishness. He's the one who handles all the troubles in the Temple of Hierre. He was in Upper Noyen discussing the post-war strategy, but when it was all over, he didn't join the battle and had to leave in silence. Perhaps out of guilt, he agreed to everything before I could fully explain the fortress's predicament."

"It will take time for the temple's aid to arrive," Altinia said thoughtfully. "So, what about your school?"

Diana nodded. "My mother and some other wandering mages will arrive first, but most will first meet up with the temple to represent the school's determination to resist the corpse-eaters. In other words, our fight won't be about the school's war, but about resisting the invasion of evil creatures."

"That's a good excuse indeed."

"But panic and anxiety are growing, and there are more and more opponents in the city." Diana stared at her and said, "The voices questioning Cesar's whereabouts are increasing, and a large part of them come from Brother Keith, who once looked after you."

"Everything is normal."

"Are they all within your expectations?"

"This is a test for all those who waver," Altinya said with a smile. "They will pay the price later. And I think that time is not far off."

......

Although the follow-up troops and their logistical supplies were trapped, it also meant that no one could compete with him for this achievement. Old Cleface was not there, and neither were his brothers who wanted to make military achievements to shake his position as emperor - they were all in the rear dealing with the beastmen in the territory.

Trisius was rarely so happy. When he saw the bloody and brutal situation in the Gural Fortress at the hands of the old wizard, he felt more at ease.

"It seems my sister is in dire straits." He nodded at the image in the red-robed wizard's hand. "When our army arrives, the corpse eaters will surely storm the fortress, wizard." He reined in his horse and turned to Laelius. His young squire looked listless, as if he had lost his soul without Clefas's strict discipline.

This guy's reverence for Cliffords was like worshiping a god. If the old man asked him to lift his butt, he might just take off his pants as well.

"Leilly," Trisius sighed, "you have been trained in the Sanctuary. How would you view the various aspects of this war? Although we are going to capture the Gural Fortress, we will also save them from harm and from a tragic death at the hands of the Corpse Eaters, correct? Then tell me, in the history of the future, how many people will think that we are saving them?"

Laelius frowned, as if the word "history" was difficult for him to interpret. "The historical record of future generations depends on our political needs, Your Highness. Even without the act of salvation and the reason for salvation, it can still be salvation. If I were to ask you, you're overthinking it," he said.

"No," Trisius said. "We always have to consider the greater implications of something," he told Laelius. "That's why I'm going to strike a fatal blow to both sides at the crucial moment. We'll first capture the corpse-eaters' lair, then advance on the besieged fortress. With my sister's soldiers suffering heavy casualties and their morale low, those with foresight will naturally support me in taking over the city."

Astride his warhorse, he saw the footprints of the corpse-eaters, which led from the main road deep into the mountains. The flesh puppets crushed the trees along the way. This was also good news for him—the large group of corpse-eaters besieging the city had actually been greatly reduced. Behind him, in addition to elite cavalry and a large number of heavy artillery, were all the mages of the Hisai School, their military slaves, and even many templars like Laelius.

They advanced along the road, forming a neat formation, capable of utterly decimating the Gural Fortress and the remaining corpse-eaters. However, to bring Altinia to his knees in their marching tent, he had to act strategically, executing their deadly assault at the perfect moment. The fact that a diversion of corpse-eaters had miraculously made its way deeper into the mountains, avoiding direct confrontation, was a testament to fate's blessing, and soon, this blessing would bring him to the beginning of great deeds.

Trisius was not only happy, but also very satisfied. His brothers who wanted to compete with him for military merit were already locked in a bitter battle with these corpse eaters in their territory. The Gural Fortress was also tortured by the remaining corpse eaters and became like a strange place. The corpse eaters themselves were also caught in the dilemma of fighting on both sides. There is no more perfect time than now.

The blocked city, the empty monster lair, and the achievements that no one could compete with him for, everything was exactly as expected.

Even if people knew he would arrive with his army, they couldn't have imagined they would arrive so quickly. Not only did his sister not know, but a large portion of the corpse eaters who had been separated from him also didn't know. However, even if they knew, it wouldn't matter. This sharp spear would pierce the backs of an entire army, splattering bright red blood everywhere.

It had been a long time since Trisius had been able to relax under the pressure of Clefas. In many ways, this was a unique opportunity. Once he had established himself in the fortress, stood on the city wall overlooking the incoming troops, and greeted his hurried brothers with a smile, what would the old man say? What would they say?

Often, fate would change everything at this moment. The war began with him, and it would continue throughout the rest of his turbulent life. Of course, the war wouldn't end there; it would continue, first sweeping southward across Olidan, then reaching the southernmost tip of the Southern Confederacy to seize control of Neuen. Once the steppe barbarians were forced to sue for peace for the sake of their trade routes, they would march westward to the Chancellor's domain, ultimately heading north to seize the final piece of the empire, where the Grand Master resided.

Chapter 317: Family in front of the fire

......

The vortex formed by the Eye of the Furnace trapped Cesar, or rather, it trapped this complex of buildings, this ruined city that shouldn't exist. Considering he hadn't been in the wasteland for so long, Diana would undoubtedly use a teleportation spell to find him. However, Cesar knew full well that the Temple was relentlessly pursuing him, and that the Corpse Eaters would soon follow.

In order to prevent Diana from falling into despair, he could neither leave nor leave.

Cesar wandered through the complex, obscure buildings, lost in thought. This place had become a prison, and the monks would soon enter as jailers, searching for him. He was observing the city's structure, searching for a safe hiding place, while also contemplating a counterattack, using his pre-existing preparations to dispose of the temple monks searching for him one by one.

The complex was indeed deserted. He searched everywhere, hoping to find something useful, but he found nothing. This place was completely an inhabited city, without any unnecessary meaning. When night fell, he still hadn't found anything decent, so he had to wrap them up tightly in his cloak and sleep with Soin in a dark bedroom for the night.

The next day, Cesar realized they were out of water and food. Figuring he could drink blood from the dog, he fed some from his wrist to Soin. Though she was utterly shocked, after he sliced ​​open her wrist, she brought her thin, dry lips to his, licking the blood oozing from the wound like a timid little animal. She was calm, showing no resistance. It seemed as though as a hunter in the remote region, she had learned from childhood to consume animal blood.

Finally, the girl's lips and tongue turned bright red. She pursed her lips and looked at the lip and tooth marks on his wrist. Suddenly, she didn't dare to raise her head. At some point, the temperature gradually dropped, becoming bitterly cold, and the air became thinner, as if foreshadowing that they shouldn't stay here for long.

Cesar reached out and wiped the blood from her lips, then picked her up and wanted to take her out to continue exploring. She had fallen asleep on his arms all the way, and now she was particularly energetic and said she could show the way.

"I dreamed of this place last night," Soyin said. Then, nimbly, she climbed onto his shoulders to show him the paths she had seen in her dreams through the unfamiliar city. They followed the winding roads of her dreams, weaving through endless clusters of buildings. The higher they went, the taller buildings seemed to float in the air. "That's it!" she whispered, unable to conceal the joy in her words, but only lowered her voice out of consideration for their situation.

She must have had a wonderful dream. If people could see the scenes in their dreams in reality, they would surely be as happy as she was.

Could this be some kind of guidance? Cesar wasn't sure. Although he had never seen Itris, he believed its architecture bore traces of that city: clusters of towering towers, soaring spires, buildings that seemed to float in the air, and winding roads that stretched from the ground to the sky.

An ancient city, perhaps the prototype of Iris.

"Look, those eyes!" Soin said again.

Cesar observed carefully and found that some of the towers were actually huge statues, made of metal or rock, polished to a very smooth surface, carved into many fully armed warriors. He had originally thought that this was an ordinary town where people lived, and the style was different only because of its age. But now it seemed that he had not climbed high enough and could not see far enough.

"The scale of these statues," Cesar said, "is something not even an ordinary emperor would have. At the very least, they would be great monarchs who have accomplished great things. Don't you think they are like someone's guards? They are waiting under that person's house, or rather, waiting at that person's knees. They will destroy anyone who wants to offend them."

"Will it destroy us too?"

"It's a terrifying thought, don't you think? That person could crush you and me like two squeaking mice. If such a person had no fire and no family to be around, but was just a lonely individual, I think he would be more like a natural disaster than a human being. Because morality has no meaning to him anymore."

"Then the family should always be together in front of the fire," Soin agreed.

Cesar continued along the winding path through the buildings. Perhaps because the terrain was getting higher and higher, or because the air was getting thinner, his breath condensed into a white mist. Suddenly, he saw the statues slowly rise to their feet, like true sword-wielding guards. They raised their right arms to the sky, as if welcoming the return of their master. But as he lost consciousness, the statues returned to silence, and it all seemed like an illusion.

He tapped his clawed iron boots on the steps and entered a hall. A snapping sound echoed from his feet, gradually fading into the vast hall. He saw metal figures clad in black armor standing on both sides, like ancient knights forgotten in the long river of history. As the two of them walked through the hall, their shadows became distorted, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. In fact, there were many windows on both sides, some of which were blocked by the statues of knights.

As you gaze at the statues covering the windows, they sparkle brilliantly in the sunlight.

.

Cesar couldn't tell whether this city was ancient or new. Ancient buildings should have fallen into ruin; even dragons were subject to the erosion of time. However, the buildings in this place seemed sealed, as if no one had ever been before their arrival. Not only was it mysterious, but it was also completely silent.

They looked as if they had been built just a few years ago, but disappeared in an unimaginable accident. No one had lived in them, and no one had used them. Everything was brand new, as if waiting for someone to open it.

Ancient and new coexisted here. He could sense the passing of history and time, yet he could see no roofs collapsing, no vines climbing the walls, no weeds struggling to crawl through the masonry. Who were these buildings for? He didn't know, but their architecture resembled neither temples nor fortresses, nor houses nor tombs, nor even any of the other structures he was familiar with.

Maybe it was the wizard's tower. After all, he had never seen a wizard's tower.

They were unadorned and not particularly exquisite, but their construction possessed a certain elegance, and their structure suggested a mysterious purpose, perhaps related to their location on the edge of the abyss. If the darkness of the abyss invaded, it would surely not follow its winding path and devour the towering towers.

Cesar reached the hall's entrance and saw two exceptionally tall, imposing statues standing at either end, like swordsmen in a military council chamber. Their movements and gestures were so powerful that for a moment he felt they weren't sculptures but real people. A terrifying cold wind suddenly blew, freezing everyone's soul and flesh.

Soin leaned forward over his shoulder, reaching out to touch the black-armored statues, looking at them in a trance. Cesar had never understood the origins of this city, nor its significance, but it seemed to be closely connected to Soin, judging by many current signs.

Is it guiding her forward?

Cesar watched Soin's outstretched hand, feeling a sense of strangeness. But now, with the Abyss, the Crucible, the Temple, and the Corpse Eaters at its back, this strange city couldn't be any worse. He continued on, feeling the winding road rise higher and higher, the air thinner and thinner, as if the heights of the buildings stretched to the clouds. He hadn't seen the buildings so high before, but now he thought, they must be broken off, their highest points floating in the clouds.

At this altitude, there was no dust to speak of. He felt everything was indescribably clean, and he felt no one should be in such a place overlooking the mortal world. Of course, the Origin Society, which had suspended its tower of wizards in the sky above Istrias, surely had different ideas. Perhaps the owner of this residence, like the Origin Society's mages, would attract strange phenomena around him that disturbed mortals and even the world itself.

If Soyin hadn't been pointing ahead, if she hadn't been holding his neck and sitting on his arm, Cesar would have wanted to turn around and leave, waiting to consult Diana and Sister Mira before making a decision. The strangeness and unknown nature of this place had exceeded his expectations, but with her guidance, he felt a sense of responsibility to fulfill her vague hope.

He heard the vortex created by the furnace roaring above his head, and as he climbed higher, the sound became more and more intense. He had not known the meaning of the vortex before, but now he realized that it was probably the eye of the furnace trying to pierce the sky of the city and bring the place into a scorching light.

Cesar felt a web slowly tightening, his own struggles with the Corpse Eaters and Cleaves paled in comparison. Perhaps this vast web had lingered from the depths of forgotten history, barely conscious of its existence. But the moment he lifted Soin, the web suddenly tightened, each strand a tough, incomparably strong piece of steel forged in a furnace.

"I... I don't know..." She suddenly made a low sound, "I just suddenly felt that I had to come here. I'm sorry, Cesar, I..."

Cesar touched the tears at the corners of her eyes with his knuckles, being especially careful because they were covered in steel. "Don't cry, child. Listen to me. You can cry for your lost family, but if people cry all the time, their tears won't be as precious. Understanding this means you've taken the most important step in your life. Besides, it was you who showed me the way, leading me to avoid all threats along the way. If entering this city is your destiny, then it must be mine, too."

Chapter 318: String Battle

......

Diana, clutching the high priest's reply, stood on the upper floors of the tower, gazing at the approaching giant nest. It was nearly dawn, and everything was dim. Whether it was the top of the city wall or the platforms on either side of the bastion, they were piled with an unprecedented amount of rotten blood, making it completely impossible to stand.

Although the bombardment and heavy rain caused landslides, and the flesh golems of the corpse eaters could not gain a foothold on the mountaintop, they had already bombarded the mountain all day long, as if to empty the rotten blood. When dawn approached, the flesh golems began to drag their giant nest forward.

The sound of the big bell and the bugle call woke people from their dreams, so as soon as they arrived at the city wall, they witnessed the scene before them - the firepower of the city defense artillery was almost reduced by half, and people could only rely on the artillery in the tower to continue bombarding, so they could no longer hinder the movement of the puppets as they did at the beginning.

Diana walked past groups of soldiers donning armor, realizing that each one was aware of the battle they were about to face. Some held a despairing expression, believing they could wait until reinforcements arrived before facing their first assault. But many also held a look of relief. The horrific plague, the stench of rotting blood, and the stench of burning flesh were unbearable, and they simply wanted this nightmare to end quickly.

Most of the people were either peasants with only temporary military training or mercenaries from the Southern Kingdom, experienced only in interhuman wars. Fortunately, many Imperial soldiers remained, responding to Altinia's call and taking up their assigned weapons to fight the monsters ravaging their homeland. The city held only a few thousand Black Sword mercenaries, veterans of the Empire's campaigns. Their leader was One-Eye, a wizard who had defected from the Hisai School. A large portion of their earnings went to Black Sword.

War always requires a core, and according to their current situation, this core can only be a Black Sword.

Diana walked through the crowded tower corridors, seeing many men gripping their weapons so tightly, their fingers clenched as if sinking into the handles. Descending the steps, she saw an officer on the tower's mid-level shouting at the artillery to load their shells. Another officer was admonishing the soldiers with rifles, urging them to prepare for battle against the monsters scaling the walls. Everywhere she went, the scene was filled with anxiety. Many soldiers, spears and shields drawn, crowded the corridors, unconcerned with the rotting blood on their boots, ready for a fight to the death.

The excitement and manic mood infected everyone.

A drizzle blanketed the distant Great Nest, shrouding the mountains in a gray-black veil. Though the puppets dragging the Great Nest fell one after another, the Nest continued to draw closer to their walls. Diana could see hybrid beastmen surging frantically among the towers, which resembled siege towers. A horde of twisted creatures wielded bloodstained Imperial blades and wore tattered armor stripped from corpses. Behind them were the few remaining rat heads.