"Now," Ren said, and sheer determination in everyone's eyes washed away everything else.
He turned toward the Darkness dragon looming just a few miles away, then glanced at the three girls standing ready by his side.
"It is time," he declared, "to crush the indecisive corrupted lady and a northern Dragon!"
And for the very first time in this campaign, launching an offensive did not feel like a desperate gamble; it felt like a genuinely earned advantage.
♢♢♢♢
Ren's Vanguard detachment moved and launched their assault.
The moment they broke the stealth protocol they had maintained throughout a long day of travel and waiting, they were already pooling immense energy to deliver the opening blow. This was no probing maneuver or cautious scouting attempt.
It was a direct, heavily concentrated strike designed to incinerate the saturated layer of corpses choking the swamp, along with every single live mutant standing on top of them.
The primary strike force was united once again…
