Chapter 340: Back to Gravestone
[Timeline: The Morning of the Advance]
[Location: The Dwarven Kingdom]
The subterranean silence of Ironforge’s guest quarters was a rare luxury.
Damien Voss opened his mismatched eyes, the twilight-purple irises split perfectly by cross-shaped pupils.
He took a deep, steadying breath. For the first time in over sixteen years, he had slept without one eye open, without his [Sensory Intent] desperately scanning the horizon for Void beasts or Demigod threats.
He sat up on the edge of the plush mattress. Deep within his chest, his 8th-Order Eclipse Core spun in perfect, absolute harmony .
The suffocating exhaustion that had accumulated during his long, blood-soaked campaign in the Abyss had finally washed away. He felt revitalized, his Physique humming with a pristine, boundless vitality.
Damien stood and effortlessly shrugged into his signature black combat coat, the fabric woven with protective elven enchantments and shadow mana [5]. It was time to move.
When he stepped out into the stone corridor, he found Theron and Elizabeth waiting for him. The two 9th-Order Demigods radiated a serene, absolute stillness, a stark contrast to the apocalyptic pressure they had unleashed in the 9th Layer of the Abyss. Theron’s right arm, flawlessly restored, rested comfortably at his side.
"You’re leaving already?" Elizabeth asked softly, her piercing blue eyes filled with a mixture of maternal warmth and tactical calculation. "The main Vanguard is still assembling in the lower foundries."
"I have to," Damien replied, offering them a reassuring smile.
"If the Black Thread is going to swallow the Dragon Empire whole, we need to sever their eyes and ears at the border before the main army marches. If the three of us move together right now, it will be a disaster."