The air above the central quadrangle smelled of pulverized limestone, sulfuric ash, and dark gravitational mana.
High above the torn earth, the four-story administrative building hovered thirty feet in the sky, suspended by four churning vortexes of black arcane energy.
From the subterranean rift beneath the floating building rose the true form of Warden Rexar, towering fourteen feet in height and clad in jagged obsidian plate armor.
"Look at the mana density radiating from his core," the frost specialist warned, her monitoring crystal glowing with intense azure light.
"That is not a ward avatar like the construct we destroyed in the East Wing... that is the true regional dungeon master of Zone 004!"
"So the creature we slew on day two was merely an outer security vessel," the dark-haired striker analyzed, resting her hand on the hilt of her cutter.
"The real boss was sleeping beneath the foundations the entire time."
