The world inside the anomaly zone had transformed into a sprawling battlefield, marked by rivers of scorched earth, shattered mountains, and forests twisted by uncontrolled magic. Where once there had been only silence and lurking danger, now the air thrummed with the residual power of countless battles. For twenty days outside—five years within—they had trained, fought, and survived together.
From a jagged peak that pierced the clouds, Chen Yu stood, winds lashing at his cloak as he looked down upon the land they had reshaped. His eyes burned with the intensity of someone who had weathered endless trials. The storm clouds above mirrored his fury, streaked with violet lightning, rumbling like the voice of a slumbering god.
