"Stygian Shell. It'll hold against these monsters… but Monster Lords?"
Lucien exhaled slowly, shrinking the tortoise shell in his hand until it became no larger than a pendant. "Never mind."
He scanned the battlefield below.
Bodies... human and monster alike... littered the crimson soil.
The stench of blood and burning mana thickened the air, making even the wind feel heavy.
Lucien's chest tightened as his gaze lingered on the fallen soldiers. He saw men and women who once laughed beneath sunlight now strewn across the shadow of war.
He closed his eyes briefly. A bitter smile ghosted across his face.
"I thought this would be easier… We had the advantage."
A deep sigh escaped his lips.
"Tch. I lack experience in large-scale warfare."
He clenched his fist. His divine energy swirled violently within his core.
Earlier, he had barely escaped death. If even one of his failsafes hadn't triggered, he'd have been erased by the three Monster Lords.
