The Mad Dog of the Duke's Estate

Caron set foot on land, marking a historic first step. This was the Demon Realm, a land ruled by ancient enemies, once home to a flourishing civilization.

The entire coastline reeked of charred meat. Ruthless bombardments had torn the shore apart, leaving behind a landscape scarred and broken.

"Hmm."

Caron's expression remained calm. Though this was the moment he had long awaited, he knew well that this was only the beginning—a prelude to vengeance, not its culmination.

Tap.

Following behind him, the others also stepped onto the shore one by one.

Seria, wary of any lurking threats, whispered a brief blessing over her companions. "May they find their path even in the darkness where not a single step can be seen."

With the short prayer, divine light cloaked the party like a fragile veil.

Perhaps because an immense wave of mana had already swept through this place, no threatening surges of dark mana lingered. Only faint traces of it remained, weak and fractured.

"Land the troops!"

"All forces, disembark!"

Behind Caron and his companions, the vanguard soldiers surged forward and planted their boots firmly on the frozen shore. Mages cast spells that sealed the ocean with a sheet of ice, and the troops advanced in orderly formations over the frostbitten surface.