The commanders from both forces were gathered discussing their next move.

"What now?" one of the generals asked, voice rough with exhaustion. "Do we pursue them inside?"

"Or retreat to the surface?" another countered quickly. "We've lost too many already. The Durns' betrayal shows this place is far beyond what we can handle."

A third slammed his fist against his chest plate, eyes blazing. "If we retreat now, what about our fallen brothers!"

The argument ignited like dry tinder. Voices clashed, anger, fear, pride, each louder than the last. Soldiers shifted uneasily, glancing between their leaders as the shouting grew.

"Enough," Ling Yan said.

Her voice was not loud, yet it cut through the chaos. The commanders fell quiet.

A gentle aura pulsed from her, slow and even, as if syncing everyone's hearts to her calm.

"Before we decide anything," she said softly, "we must understand what we're stepping into."

She turned to Lina.

"Lady Lina, do you know anything about the layers beyond this one?"

Lina hesitated before speaking. "T-the layers ahead… are unknown. The elders who once scouted this place never made it past the seventh layer. But whatever lies inside is very powerful."

Her words settled like cold mist over the group. Even the hardest commanders felt the weight of them.

They had come too far to easily turn back. The Durns' betrayal had been sudden, and now the path forward was wrapped in danger.

But retreating would mean leaving the ruin to fully rise, and letting its miasma spread for miles, poisoning land, cities, and countless lives.

It was either stay and risk the unknown.

Or retreat and doom the surface.

The silence stretched.

At last, one general spoke. "Then… we settle this with a vote."

Commanders from both sides nodded.

"Those who choose to move forward, pursuing the Durns into the next layer, raise your weapon."

"Those who choose to retreat, remain still."

The sound of shifting armor echoed across the chamber as the commanders made their choice.

When the shuffling of armors ceased, the decision was clear, most had chosen to retreat.

Ling Yan's gaze drifted across the chamber to where Reynold and his men still stood motionless. They didn't shift, and didn't whisper a vote.

Seeing that, her brows furrowed. "Marquis?"

He gave no answer. Instead, he faced the gate ahead, the massive arch, still pulsing faintly with the lingering energy of the miasma.

Then, with a single gesture, Reynold raised his hand. His soldiers moved instantly, boots striking in perfect rhythm.

The echo of their steps filled the hall like the tolling of war drums.

"Wait-" one of the Yan commanders shouted.

But Reynold's soldiers were already marching. Straight toward the open gate.

"It doesn't matter," Reynold cut in, his voice steady as stone. "Retreat if you want. I'm going."

"That's suicide!" someone else shouted. "The Durns clearly know something we don't. You're walking right into their trap!"

Reynold stopped listening.

Ever since the gate had shattered open, he had felt his sister's presence, faint, but calling to him from somewhere deep inside the ruins.

He knew the ruins could play tricks on the mind, that the feeling could be nothing but a trap. And from everything he'd seen, almost no one could survive down there alone.

But he was still going.

Even if all that waited for him was her body, he had to bring her back.

Just then, Lina stepped forward, the faint glow of her staff cutting through the heavy air like moonlight through mist.

"T-then I'll follow senior," she said, her voice calm but steady. The ethereal runes swirling around her staff pulsed once, echoing her resolve.

She added, "We still haven't found the ruin's core. If it isn't destroyed soon, this entire place will merge with the surface."

The elder standing beside her gave a solemn nod. His weathered eyes gleamed under the shifting light.

"She's right," he said slowly. "Once the core fully awakens, even the seals will collapse. The corruption will spread far beyond these ruins."

Before the silence could settle, a clear, confident voice cut through the chamber.

"Then my army and I will march deeper as well," declared Princess Elize. Her words sent a ripple through the gathered ranks. Her personal guards stepped forward at once, their armor clanking in alarm.

"Your Highness, it's too dangerous! We should retreat to the surface and regroup-" Her attendants spoke, but Elize raised a hand to silence them.

"No," she said firmly. "The Durns' betrayal is grave, but the ruin itself is a greater threat. If it fully emerges into the world, no empire will remain untouched. We can't afford to turn away."

Her gaze shifted, locking onto Ling Yan. "And you, Princess? What will you do?"

Ling Yan's eyes lowered briefly. Doubt flickered for a heartbeat, then hardened into resolve.

Retreating would mean safety, but it would also mean abandoning the world above to ruin.

She met Elize's gaze.

"I'll go," she said firmly. "But some of my soldiers will return to the surface. They must warn the others about the Durns' betrayal."

Elize nodded in agreement. "Then we do the same. A message must reach the academies and the council. They need to know what's coming."

The chamber came alive with motion. Soldiers began dividing their ranks, half preparing for the long ascent back to the surface, the rest standing ready to follow their commanders deeper into the unknown.

Soon, a portion of soldiers were divided to sent outside. Before the departing squads could move, Lina lifted her staff once more.

The runes along its length flared to life, spreading a warm, resonant hum through the chamber. Circles of light formed beneath her feet, spinning slowly, then extending outward like ripples across water.

"Follow the light," Lina's voice whispered, not aloud, but within their minds, a gentle thread of thought. "I-it will guide you safely back to the surface."

Moments later, tiny motes of golden light appeared along the floor, as if someone had punched hole across the floor, forming a narrow path that led toward the far wall.

Ling Yan blinked, astonished. "These markings… they weren't here before."

Lina gave a faint, knowing smile.

"I set them earlier," she said quietly.

Elize's expression softened, a touch of admiration in her eyes. No wonder she held the Third Seat of the Emperor Academy. Her mastery of formations, and her foresight, were beyond compare.