Chapter 727: Home is calling
Vlad and Jormungandr moved through the newly restored streets with casual ease, their expressions calm but warm. As they passed by the many soldiers and workers tending to the city, they offered nods of acknowledgment, especially to those warriors who had fought alongside them during the brutal battle to take the Voidheart Fortress.
They returned every respectful gaze with a smile or a silent gesture of appreciation. Many of those who now looked at them with awe had once stood back-to-back with them in the fires of war.
It didn’t take long under William’s guidance to reach the newly constructed core tower. Towering over the rebuilt city, it pulsed with energy—more than enough to serve as the command center of the fortress now under Graecian control. Runes danced across its surface, and the hum of stabilized power echoed from within its walls.
The trio entered and climbed steadily through its spiraling interior until they reached a pair of massive golden gates. They opened slowly, of their own accord, in recognition of those who approached.
Beyond them lay a throne room as grand as any found in the Golden Sky Fortress.
Before they could fully take in the scene, a booming voice echoed through the chamber:
"Good—you’re here!"
Marshal Maximo sat atop the great throne at the end of the hall, flanked by a number of Graecian Legends, each seated at lesser—but still ornate—chairs. Just like when Vlad and Jormungandr had first encountered him, Maximo radiated authority and command.
But there was a difference this time.
As Vlad and Jormungandr stepped forward, all of the Legends in the room rose to their feet and gave respectful nods of greeting. These were not the nods of casual peers. They were gestures of recognition—of military greatness, of nearly unparalleled survival and battlefield might.
They all knew: the duo might not be the strongest in terms of raw power, but when it came to durability, resolve, and unpredictability, not even piercing their hearts had been enough to kill them.