Vashno sensed the sudden change within the emperor. He glanced down toward the palace and saw that all the undead were dissolving into dark, oily liquid.
"What is happening…?" he muttered. His expression darkened.
His experience in this secret realm had always been dangerous, but never this strange. There were battles before, but nothing as twisted as what he was witnessing now. No undead outbreaks. No random surges of corrupted power. No inexplicable phenomena unfolding at the same time.
Yet now, everything felt wrong—unnaturally wrong.
...
Meanwhile, Doranjan, Eztein, and Esriel descended once more into the depths. The underground chamber greeted them with a cold draft and the faint thrum of dormant power. Runes carved into the stone floor flickered like dying embers around the circular platform, exactly where the teleportation array lay in silent anticipation.
Esriel's gaze lingered on the unstable glow. "We're actually going to use this…?"
