[Timeline: Time skip Year 4 (One Month Later)]
[Location: The Ashen Belt – Hidden Base "Zero"]
The Ashen Belt was a desolate stretch of grey rock and eternal fog, located in the unclaimed territory between the Northern Wastes and the Human Kingdoms.
It was a place where nothing grew, and no one lived.
Perfect for an army that didn't exist.
Deep within a labyrinth of slot canyons, a fortress was rising.
It wasn't built with cranes or laborers. It was carved directly into the cliff faces by wind magic and bone claws.
On the valley floor, Unit Zero, the twelve Valkyries were drilling.
They moved in perfect, terrifying unison.
They wore new prototype armor: sleek, matte-black plating that absorbed light, crafted from the carapace of Void Beasts and reinforced with Elven enchantments.
"Strike!" Lyra commanded from the ridge.
The twelve Valkyries blurred. Utilising their[Void Step] ability, they blinked forward ten meters in a pulse of purple mana.
SLASH.
