A few others laughed at his failure… Not cruelly, but with the kind of mockery reserved for equals who had failed publicly.

Neylan finally spoke. "You weren't there."

Gyn raised an eyebrow. "No, I wasn't. Because I was assigned to deal with those sneaky bats that others couldn't find..."

"The curse was probably prepared for a long time. It worked so well against us. They have a great understanding of how the Chaos Energy works." Neylan explained...

"They used a huge Formation Array, the Divine Crystals with an annoying attribute, and three Time Manipulators. It wasn't a battle… it was a trap. It's not my fault!"

Arin shrugged. "Then you should've sprung it better."

Nyssa was done with this conversation and changed the topic. "Where's Kent?"

Gyn's grin faded slightly. "Still within Mennena's Temple... I'm not sure what's going on but that terrifying entity wanted something from him..."

"Then I assume he hasn't heard about this yet," Nyssa said. "Because when he does…"

Neylan didn't flinch. "Let him hear it. I'll report it myself."

The room quieted.

Despite the laughter, they all knew the truth.

The defenders of Eustace had prepared for this. The Soul Curse wasn't improvised, it was a calculated move.

And Chad, the Dragon Immortal, had proven that raw power combined with home-field advantage could turn the tide.

Gyn stood and walked toward the table. "We at least achieved what we needed to do. They must be terrified right now, waiting for our attack… The Chaos Beasts outside the region must've scared them as well."

***

In the meantime, within the northern region of the continent, Mennena's temple was quiet.

But it was not the kind of silence born from reverence… it was silence brought by being emptied, repurposed, and completely changed.

Kent entered the temple where the old symbol of Krogas had once hung. This symbol was a hand and a grain, carved into polished stone.

Now, this symbol was cracked and was about to fall off… After all, this was no longer the Temple of Krogas.

It was Mennena's Temple now.

The Chaos Immortals had annihilated the original congregation months ago.

The Followers of Krogas had been harmless, simple farmers who prayed for seasonal blessings and offered grain to the sky. They weren't part of the orthodox church, and they had no military power. But their temple had been built on a convergence point, and Mennena had claimed it the moment the last follower fell.

Kent walked slowly across the inner chamber and felt Mennena's presence growing stronger…

Soon, he stopped at the altar.

It was no longer used for prayer. The surface had been hollowed out, filled with fragments of broken relics, faded scrolls, and a single obsidian bowl that held nothing but a faint light…

"You're late," a voice said. But it was not spoken aloud, but directly into his mind.

Kent didn't flinch. "I was overseeing the assault."

"And it failed." The voice continued.

Kent didn't respond.

The voice belonged to Mennena.

At this time, she still had no body.

Her Red Crown had been stolen by Vale's avatar during the last conflict, and without it, she couldn't manifest physically. That theft had forced her into this slower path, one that required sacrifices to obtain a body…

Unfortunately, the sacrifice was not blood or lives, but special items…

To be exact, she needed Arcana! Nine of them. Only then could she forge a new vessel.

Kent looked at the bowl where Mennena could at least show a trace of her presence…

"I brought one."

The glow inside the bowl slightly brightened.

"Show me."

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a sealed case. It was a spherical case… He placed it on the altar and opened it.

Inside was a spherical item. It was the Mirror of Drenhal, an Arcana that once allowed its wielder to reflect any spell cast upon them. It had been broken during a skirmish in the northern provinces, and Kent was able to repair it…

Mennena's presence surged.

"This will do."

Kent closed the case. "You still need eight more."

Apparently, the reason they attacked the Elemental Arts Faction was to find their Arcana!

They were hoping that the Grand Arcanists or Immortals on their side would use those Arcana in their possession, and they would have a chance to steal them.

However, the Elemental Immortals weren't carrying Arcana!

Furthermore, the ones who had them didn't dare to fight on the front lines.

"Where did you get this?" Mennena suddenly asked.

"It's from the Marquis we ransacked… his vault was deeper than expected. We recovered resources, relics, and one item that reacted to the curse seal."

Kent said as he looked at the crystalline sphere, no larger than a fist.

Across the continent, more than fifty Chaos Immortals were already moving quietly… Their goal wasn't conquest. It wasn't territory, but Arcana.

They needed nine, and it doesn't sound much, but Arcana wasn't something anyone could easily possess.

Furthermore, it would be difficult to obtain the ones held by the great factions, those were too well-guarded, too politically entangled.

The Elemental Arts Faction had proven that. Their Arcana were either hidden or kept far from the front lines. Even the Grand Arcanists refused to carry them into battle.

So the Chaos Immortals changed tactics.

They began targeting the overlooked.

Human kings with ceremonial relics passed down for generations. Dukes who kept ancient tomes in private vaults. Arcanists who had inherited forgotten artifacts. Small churches that had no idea their sacred objects were Arcana at all.

At this time, they didn't want the Shadow Domain to realize what they were doing…

By surrounding the Shadow Domain with Chaos Beasts and launching sudden raids, they forced them to be on the defensive… Because of that, they had no idea what they were planning.

"We're not going to underestimate his intelligence ever again… That time when he stole the Red Crown would be the last." Kent swore.

He was determined that the blunder they made at that time would be their last.

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