Lucas froze the moment he felt their collective energy. His body tensed, his instincts screaming that this was no ordinary fight. He turned to the Empress, but she was already advancing.
"More Ascendants," she muttered, her tone filled with disbelief and fury. "Dozens of them… as if they were mere pawns."
The realization struck Lucas like a blow to the chest. The power behind the rot had elevated its influence far beyond what any of them had imagined. To command an army of Ascendants was to command devastation itself.
One of the soldiers, his voice a guttural echo of something no longer human, spoke from the front line. "By decree of the new power, the old order shall fall. The Empress of Lechia is hereby condemned."
His words were met with the silent hum of energy as blades began to glow, and Qi flared throughout the room.
The Empress's eyes darkened with sorrow and rage. "Condemned?" she repeated softly. "Then let judgment fall upon you instead."
The hall erupted in violence.
