"Escape? No." Enzo's voice was extremely low, like the friction of rocks. "Mark, my blood is boiling, but not for returning... for the 'Deep Furnace'. They must leave that ice cave!"
The fire in his eyes had no temperature, only a will of steel.
"Chief Torge... He chose to become part of the seal, stuck there like a nail! They chose to dedicate themselves to their tribe, and outsiders have no right to reap their lives. We, the Graybeard Dwarves, have no tradition of abandoning our compatriots! I must save them!"
He quickly looked around to confirm that no one was eavesdropping, and then he told Mark all the information that he had not been able to fully convey to Monica and Anna before.
"The Dark Church has already laid out the plan! They regard Monica, Anna, and me as the 'keys' to the ceremony!
"Anna and Monica's shadow magic can obscure the sight of the gods cast upon the Arctic Icefield at a critical moment, and the dark magic bestowed upon me by the God of Darkness can temporarily suppress the violent erosion of the 'Heart of the Star Remains'.
"This is the real reason they let us live and let us join! When we entered the detention center that day, we were taken away by a group of people. In fact, they had already received a prophecy from the Dark Church headquarters.
"That Saru, after bringing me into the camp, used a secret technique prepared in advance and remotely controlled by a legendary dark magic master to plant an undetectable location mark deep in my soul! I think Anna and Monica must have been tampered with as well.
"We are now like feathers tied to an arrow. No matter where we flee, they will always find us. They just need to draw the bowstring to the full extent and shoot us at the target."
A hint of gloom flashed across Enzo's eyes: "The only 'good news' is that, as far as I know, the legendary dark wizard in the Arctic Ice Field seems to be restrained by someone and has no time to come in person.
"Also, he seemed to mention that even Legendary beings wouldn't dare approach the Frostwhisper Rift. Because if a being of that level approached the core of the 'Heart of the Star Relic,' it would instantly detonate the Star Relic's power, causing unpredictable disasters. This is why they need a 'medium' like me."
He paused, his voice filled with unquestionable determination, "The mark on me cannot be removed, at least not now. Forcibly staying or escaping will only immediately trigger an attack from the Dark Church and alert their enemies."
"We must follow their script and strike back at the last moment before the ceremony actually begins, when they think they have won! This is our only chance! I can't control Monica and Anna, but I need you outside!
"The moment we are 'ignited' as sacrifices and become the center of the ritual's vortex, the storm is bound to descend! You must remain awake at the very edge of this storm and become the variable that breaks the deadlock! Brother, do you understand?"
Mark stared at the unyielding fire burning in the dwarf's eyes, and without hesitation, he nodded simply: "I understand. Take care, Enzo. I'm outside, waiting for your signal at any time."
He didn't even ask what the signal was.
When the time comes, it will surely be an earth-shaking explosion.
Without saying another word, Mark's figure slid silently into the deeper shadows of the attic again and quickly left the core area of the Dark Church.
The wind and snow swallowed up his traces again, as if he had never been there.
Enzo silently closed the window and sat down with his back to the guard at the door. He was like a solid rock, with only his clenched fists revealing the raging fire in his heart.
…
Time flies.
When Mark sneaked back to the once bustling construction site at the edge of the Frostwhisper rift, the scene he saw was completely different.
Those huge fortresses have been fully completed, like several cold and ferocious metal beasts, firmly nailed to the steep cliffs of the rift valley.
The rough and rigid lines exude an unquestionable sense of power in the wind and snow, exactly the kind of brutal structure described by the professionals on the construction site as "born only to conduct energy."
But at this moment, the area surrounding the fortress was filled with a desolate and dead silence.
The icefield wanderers and hired craftsmen who once filled this place have long since disappeared.
Instead, there were mixed armies that followed strict discipline and maintained a well-organized appearance.
Like iron plows plowing the land, they used the fortress group as the core and drove away all non-combatants within a radius of 100 miles.
Mark had witnessed several evictions himself, and they were swift and brutal.
In the cold wind, the sporadic pleas and cries of wanderers were fleeting, and were soon swallowed up by the cold sound of wind, snow and armor colliding.
Judging from the flags and armor styles, this so-called coalition army is still mainly composed of the Silver Crescent Arc of the Star-Moon Church and the Dark Gold Blasphemous Emblem of the Dark Church.
The Black Anvil Dwarves act more like auxiliary craftsmen and supervisors, blending in among them and being inconspicuous.
However, just observing the military appearance of the outer patrol team and the occasional energy fluctuations was enough to make Mark feel awe-inspiring.
The elite level of these church armed forces far exceeded his expectations.
The squad is tightly organized and the soldiers' actions are coordinated as precisely as a machine.
The rune-enchanted armor they wear is of extraordinary quality and can effectively resist the extreme cold and magical erosion at the edge of the rift.
Mark even sensed several times from the team commanders he passed by that his energy level was no weaker than that of the core officers of the 13th Holy Knights of the Holy Light Church (level 5-6).
This force is by no means a guerrilla force or an ordinary crusader army, but more like the real core legion of these churches, deployed to this bitter cold land to carry out critical tasks.
If it weren't for the extremely special nature of Mark's magic, his control and concealment of energy reaching the highest level, and Xiao Mu's perfect environmental mimicry, he would never have been able to sneak up on the fortress in such a strict security network.
Mark seemed to have merged into the shadow of the rock, lurking deep in the ice crack less than a hundred meters away from the fortress's cordon.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, and his soul perception spread out carefully like invisible tentacles, scanning over and over again the subtle patterns of energy flow, personnel deployment and guard rotation in several fortresses.
After several days of patient and dangerous repeated exploration and comparison, a clear message emerged in his mind.
The real high-level decision-makers of the three parties, Black Anvil, Star Moon and the Dark Church, finally gathered not at the largest newly built fortress, nor the one with the best location, but unexpectedly chose the earliest completed fortress, which was also the original fortress where Mark jumped into the abyss.
The metal on the surface of the fortress seemed to dim a bit under the erosion of wind and snow, but it was deeply embedded in the base of the mountain and the huge dome on the top. In Mark's soul vision, it was like a strong anchor point, emitting cold fluctuations that faintly echoed the heart-pounding starlight deep in the rift valley.
At this moment, several "cores" inside the fortress, whose magical strength far exceeds that of ordinary soldiers or even officers, are gathering near a core chamber in the deepest part of the fortress.
And the auras of Monica, Anna and Enzo all appeared there!
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