The eastern sky grew pale. Morning light fell upon the ruined valley entrance.
When the giant Puchi self-destructed, the destructive force tore through the gorge in both directions. It swallowed most of the valley mouth, and the shockwave collapsed the cliffs on both sides.
The once narrow, defensible choke point had become a wasteland of shattered stone and earth. The cliffs had caved inward, blocking the only passageway. The unstable structure looked ready to collapse a second time at the slightest disturbance.
Between the cracks of the rubble, one could faintly see broken armor fragments, snapped weapons, and patches of dried, blackened blood.
Under the harsh commands of Sigmund’s deputy, a large group of demon soldiers dug through the ruins. These were the ones who could not enter earlier due to the narrow passage. Ironically, they had become the bulk of the surviving fighting force.
Aside from them, a few demons positioned farther back, ones who had some strength, had escaped. Many bloodborn elites who fought along the cliff walkways had also managed to return after the explosion.
But the biggest problem was clear.
Sigmund was buried inside.
“Why bother digging? If he is alive he will crawl out himself, and if he is dead you will not dig up anything anyway.”
Leaving those words, Velariss departed with her surviving troops. Her entire troll unit had been wiped out, and she was in a foul mood.
Sigmund’s deputy, however, would never give up. He continued ordering men to dig through the rubble.
But in truth, Velariss was right.
The digging was pointless.
The not-dead Sigmund came out by himself.
A mound of boulders suddenly blasted apart from within. Shards of stone and dust shot outward.
Sigmund stepped out from the cloud of debris.
He was in a miserable state.
The enchanted armor that once represented his authority and power was twisted and mangled, like scrap metal ravaged by impossible force. It barely clung to his body.
His usually immaculate silver hair was caked with dirt, hanging loose and messy, covering half of his pale, round face.
He stood there, breathing lightly. Though his posture was weak, the dangerous aura radiating from him forced every nearby demon soldier to step back instinctively and bow in fear.
Only his deputy ran toward him, voice trembling with excitement.
“My lord, you are safe. Thank goodness.”
Sigmund slowly turned his head. His red pupils glimmered through the curtain of dusty silver hair.
“Casualties. Report.”
“Frontline is completely wiped out. The center also suffered severe losses. We cannot even form a proper formation. Only the rear… is still intact.”
The deputy spoke with deep grief. Even when they captured Highkeep Fortress, they had not lost this many troops.
Dust-covered Sigmund simply listened without expression. He turned back to the collapsed valley entrance.
“Prepare to depart. We return to Highkeep Fortress.”
“My lord… what about the Prince?” the deputy asked hesitantly.
“At worst I will receive punishment,” Sigmund replied. “With our remaining strength, we are useless in the battle at Three Peaks City.”
The deputy did not know the truth.
Sigmund’s condition was far worse than it appeared.
His internal energy was chaotic. The backlash from the Dusksworn Curse throbbed painfully.
More importantly…
He had too many questions left unanswered.
Why were the storm elementals being controlled?
What secret was hidden in that one Puchi that drove his roommate into a frenzy?
And that cryptic roommate himself, always vague, now muttering things like “He who obtains the Puchi obtains the world”…
Logically, since they shared one body and lived or died together, it should have been impossible for his roommate to hide anything from him.
Yet there were many things Sigmund could not explain.
He was sick of being kept in the dark.
He needed to investigate everything.
But the biggest problem was how to do so without his roommate noticing.
Inside the valley, now nothing but a ruined basin, the survivors were busy moving supplies and tending to the wounded.
“Inanna is directing. We are almost out of healing potions. The healers with us have long since overdrawn their strength. Many of the severely wounded may not…”
“Do not give up. Use mycelial symbiosis. Try to stabilize them.”
“Commander, the cliff walls near the valley mouth have many cracks. They are extremely unstable and may collapse again at any time.”
“Move the entire camp farther in. We no longer need to defend that entrance.”
“Inanna, about the food supply…”
Alama was gravely wounded and unconscious. Lorenzo was also heavily injured with his mana depleted. No one even knew how he had managed to survive Velariss’s murderous rampage after his staff shattered. The soldiers who guarded the cliff paths had practically all died.
Now, within the valley, the person with the highest status and the most authority was unexpectedly Inanna.
She was the commander who brought reinforcements, the only daughter of Alama, rightful heir to a ducal title, and the hero who summoned the giant Puchi that reversed the battle and pulled everyone back from the brink of annihilation.
Even though she had not stepped forward to issue orders, the officers brought every decision to her naturally, treating her as the temporary leader.
For this reason, Lin Jun pulled Saku and Spark into the mycelial network as her behind-the-scenes advisors, whispering guidance through the mycelial link. It worked extremely well.
As for Lin Jun himself, he was fully absorbed in churning out escort Puchi, ensuring the Knight Puchi carrying the Sunstone fragment could return safely to the underground city.
In truth, if she had a choice, Inanna wanted to hide somewhere and cry her heart out.
The Knight Puchi who lived beside her, protected her, and accompanied her every day, had thrown themselves into death for her and her father.
And her father now lay gravely wounded…
“Gravely wounded…”
She subconsciously picked up a passing ordinary Puchi and gently squeezed its cap, pressing out spores.
Holding the Puchi, she stepped into the tent where Alama rested.
She stood by his bed, looked at his pale face, and lifted the Puchi to bring it closer to him.
“I do not plan to become a Puchi-handler just yet.”
A weak but clear voice sounded.
At some point, Alama had opened his eyes. He was watching her quietly, expression complicated.
“Boring…” Inanna muttered. She pulled the Puchi back, but her eyes reddened.
“Maybe so.”
Alama did not argue. His voice was soft.
“What is the situation outside?”
Inanna explained the status of the camp, the casualties, and the plans moving forward.
“The Sunstone?” Alama asked.
Inanna shook her head.
“Buried under the valley entrance after the explosion. No one has dug it out yet.”
Hearing the Sunstone was temporarily lost, Alama did not show anger or regret.
For him, the fact that so many people survived at all was already a miracle.
His gaze fell upon his daughter.
In those eyes were pride, relief, and a lingering worry he could not hide.
Finally, he spoke gently.
“You did well. Child, I need time to recover. The next few days will be hard on you. Go ahead and do what must be done, and if you encounter trouble, come ask me.”
“Okay.”
Inanna nodded firmly and hugged the Puchi in her arms even tighter.
(End of Chapter)
