The heavens darkened.
What had once been a realm bathed in eternal golden light now stood divided between radiance and corruption. On one side, rivers of liquid mana shimmered beneath floating islands covered in crystal forests. On the other, darkness consumed everything in its path, leaving behind twisted landscapes where only crimson lightning illuminated the sky.
Between those two worlds...
John hovered in silence.
Before him floated an army.
Hundreds of corrupted champions filled the air in disciplined ranks, their black armor reflecting the crimson glow of corruption. Each warrior carried a different weapon—greatswords, spears, war hammers, twin daggers, bows forged from living crystal—and every one of them radiated an aura far stronger than the ordinary guardians they had fought inside the Archive.
Behind the legion stood twelve towering commanders.
The same elite guardians John had sensed earlier.
