"We should get ready," Ian said, opening his eyes. Thesaya quickly turned to him.0

"Ready? So we’re really surrounded?" she asked.0

"I think so," Ian replied.0

"Then I was right about being the most capable," Thesaya said with a smile, though she was the only one who found it amusing.0

Ian exhaled and stood up, abandoning any attempt to calm the fragment's resonance. Perhaps what Thesaya sensed was the source of its agitation. Maybe things would settle down once they killed them all.0

Soon, silhouettes emerged through the yellow toxic fog. 0

Philip, looking behind the carriage, let out an inaudible sigh. "By Lu Solar... please let me die rather than become like that."0

Even the ones visible at the back numbered in the hundreds. Covered in mold and glowing bluish even in the yellow fog, these creatures were the minions of decay and disease. Their forms varied widely—some had twisted bodies wrapped in vines, some had mushrooms growing from their heads, and others crawled on all fours. As the toxic fog spread ahead, the blue light they emitted shimmered like heat waves.0

"... Looks like they won’t just stand by and watch this time," Charlotte muttered, adjusting her grip on her ax. She scanned the vineyards on both sides.0

The figures emerging from the...0