Ash fell first.
Slow. Relentless. Silent.
Gray flakes drifted across the ruined mountainside, settling over shattered stone and melted terraces like the world had been buried beneath a dead sky.
The wind carried the smell of burnt earth and scorched metal. Somewhere beneath the drifting haze, embers still glowed faintly in cracks torn through the mountain.
Nothing moved.
The battlefield that had once roared with explosions and screams now lay buried under a thick ocean of dust.
For a long moment, even the sky seemed afraid to breathe.
High above, the Dark Pearl hovered within its golden barriers, its runes humming softly as the massive ship steadied itself against the fading shockwaves.
Inside the ship—
No one spoke.
Dozens of disciples stood pressed against the crystal viewing panes, staring down into the gray sea below.
They saw nothing.
Just dust.
Just silence.
Luo Chen leaned forward slightly, his fingers tightening around the railing.
