The silence in the war room felt like a second death for the fallen. No one said a word after Sarissa read Shinji's message aloud. Kalem's broken sobs echoed down the ruined train station's stone halls, and the leaders of the allied guilds stood frozen, shocked, uncertain, and quietly terrified.
"We sent twenty of our best…" Vyle said at last, his voice low. "Nineteen are gone."
"We underestimated the Dungeon. Or we underestimated him." Wei-Ling nodded, her brow furrowed.
"No." Sarissa said, her voice like iron. "We underestimated what he found in there."
She looked down at the scroll once more, as if the neat, elegant writing might bleed secrets if she stared long enough, but there was no hidden message.
Shinji had not taunted them, he had not gloated.
It was just a flat, merciless response, a declaration of war.
"I'm going in." She said suddenly.
Heads turned.
