On the second day after the fall of Grey Rock City, Victor set up a temporary command center at the Earl's Mansion, arranging for the injured soldiers to be transferred into the city for treatment in batches, while multiple squads were dispatched to clear the streets and bury the bodies.
That evening, he climbed the West City Wall alone. The setting sun was like blood, casting a dark red hue over the broken parapets and charred walls. Victor stood on the wall, looking down at the city he had just conquered, holding the statue he brought from the camp.
The sapphire in the statue's eye sockets glowed with a cold and eerie glimmer in the twilight, and the internal radiance was much brighter than before the siege.
The Duke hovered below the clouds, taking in the entire scene.
For the next five days, he maintained a safe distance, continuously observing the changes in the statue.
Although the war had ended, the energy absorbed by the statue did not stop.
