After the Durns' betrayal, their numbers had already thinned, their unity shattered. Now, standing before a being like this, everyone understood, if the Lord of the Ruin chose to strike, none of them would even have time to scream.
Slowly, all eyes turned toward the key figures who had yet to speak, the people from the academy.
They stood at the front, unmoving. At the center, the elder's face was calm, but his eyes gleamed with something deeper, a blend of fear, awe, and grim realization.
He stared unblinking at the throne, as though trying to pierce the shroud of black miasma concealing the figure seated upon it.
"That name…" the elder muttered. "Azeroth…"
"Elder," Princess Ling Yan called softly. "What should we do?"
For a moment, he didn't answer. Finally, his dry lips parted.
"…It is as I feared," he murmured. "The Lord of this Ruin, no doubt is a Greater one."
His tone hardened. "We'll withdraw. That presence is not one we can afford to confront right now."
