Up in the sanctuary, Red watched the structural integrity of the dome rapidly dropping. He prepared to channel his telekinesis, but a secondary transmission immediately flared on his console.

Ignisar’s shifting crimson form appeared on the screen.

[ Sovereign. The toxic authority of those anomalies will turn this entire sector to sludge. I will not let them dissolve your army on my doorstep. ]

"Can you move them?" Red asked, watching the Vanguard’s position. "I thought your trait was in cooldown. I can take care of this."

[ I am opening the deep roads. Send them underground. ]

A mile away from the Vanguard’s position, at the very base of the capital’s towering stone spires, the earth violently fractured. Ignisar used his absolute territorial authority to split the bedrock wide open, revealing a massive, ancient subterranean highway constructed from smooth, dark stone.

Inside the dome, the ground collapsed inward, forming a steep, stabilized tunnel leading directly toward the newly opened highway.

"Move down!" Iron-Scale ordered, seeing the escape route forming. "Get the infantry underground!"

Torix and his Deep-Weave Hunters scrambled down the tunnel first, followed quickly by the Blood-Mane warriors and the Kingdom Knights. Krax and Gulag held the rear. The Orc general glared up at the sizzling ceiling of the dome.

"I’ll remember that arrogant little rat’s face," Krax growled, gripping his greataxe before sliding down the escape shaft. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Gulag dropped the mana supply to the dome and instantly sealed the earthen tunnel behind them. Seconds later, the obsidian shield completely dissolved. The acid rain flooded the empty crater, melting everything into a toxic lake, but the Vanguard was already gone.

Deep beneath the surface, the army marched onto the massive, ancient highway. Glowing crystals embedded in the smooth stone walls illuminated a tunnel wide enough to fit ten wagons side-by-side.

[ The tunnel runs directly beneath the southern desert, ] Ignisar’s voice echoed through the deep stone, guiding the commanders. [ It bypasses the remaining dunes and the toxic storm entirely. It will deposit you directly beneath the foundations of Aethelgard’s southern naval fortress. ]

[ The tunnel runs directly beneath the dunes, ] Ignisar’s voice echoed through the deep stone, guiding the commanders. [ It bypasses the toxic storm entirely. It will deposit you safely inside the inner walls of my capital. ]

Iron-Scale looked down the endless, glowing corridor. A cold smile formed on his draconic face. "Keep the pace. We prepare the city for a siege."

High above the desert surface, Tyler lowered his hands. The green clouds dissipated, revealing a massive, bubbling crater of toxic sludge where the Vanguard had stood just moments before.

Tyler laughed, crossing his arms over his golden chest plate. "Nothing left but soup. They didn’t even have time to scream."

Jessica wrinkled her nose, hovering a few feet higher to avoid the rising toxic fumes. "It’s disgusting. Let’s just go back, I need to clean my armor."

Before Tyler could respond, the sky warped. Two violent flashes of golden light materialized beside them. Brandon and Ashley, the other pair of Heralds dispatched by Voranthar, floated into view.

Brandon’s armor glowed with a volatile, heat-distorted red aura, while Ashley was surrounded by rings of crackling blue energy.

"Did you leave anything for us, Ty?" Brandon asked, cracking his knuckles. He looked down at the bubbling lake of acid.

"Just melted metal and dead lizards," Tyler smirked. "You two are late. The King’s little beastman problem is handled."

Ashley crossed her arms, her blue eyes scanning the horizon. "Voranthar is losing his mind back in the map room. He doesn’t just want the army dead. He wants the entire region flattened so the natives stop rebelling."

Jessica sighed. "We already ruined the desert. What else does he want?"

Brandon pointed a gauntleted finger toward the horizon. A few miles away, the massive, golden stone spires of Ignisar’s capital kingdom pierced the sky.

"The King’s orders were to consolidate our firepower and crush the native resistance at its core," Brandon stated, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "We level the Sand God’s capital. We wipe out his followers, tear down his temples, and turn the whole city to ash. That breaks their morale permanently."

Tyler’s grin widened. Green energy began to spark between his fingers once more. "Fine by me. Let’s go knock down some sandcastles."

The four heralds surged forward, streaking across the sky directly toward the towering gates of the capital.

Deep underground, the Vanguard marched relentlessly. The glowing crystals of the ancient highway illuminated their rapid pace, but the sheer distance to Ignisar’s capital meant they were still hours away from the surface.

Up in the sanctuary, Red watched the scene on his primary screen.

The green cluster of allied life signatures was moving steadily beneath the crust, but four blindingly bright radiant dots were streaking across the sky, completely ignoring the desert hazards. They were closing in on the capital at terrifying speeds.

’The Vanguard won’t reach the city in time to man the walls,’ Red calculated, gripping the armrests of his obsidian throne. ’Four Heralds with unchecked domain authorities can level that entire kingdom before Iron-Scale even breaches the surface.’

A secure transmission flared across the secondary terminal. Ignisar’s voice echoed through the sanctuary speakers, completely calm despite the impending annihilation of his capital.

[ Rubedo, ] the Sand God spoke. [ The Earthlings believe my kingdom is a static target. They think they can simply burn my temples from the sky. Watch how the desert welcomes invaders. ]

Down on the Third Continent, Tyler, Jessica, Brandon, and Ashley hovered over the massive golden gates of the capital city. The towering stone spires gleamed in the sunlight, completely unprotected by any visible shields.

"Look at this primitive garbage," Tyler sneered. He raised both hands, condensing a massive, bubbling sphere of concentrated acid overhead. "I’ll melt the front gates. Brandon, burn whatever crawls out."

"With pleasure," Brandon grinned, his red aura superheating the air around him.

Tyler hurled the massive sphere of acid toward the golden gates.

Before the toxic payload could strike, the earth beneath the city shook violently. The massive golden gates detached entirely, sinking rapidly into the sand.

The immense sphere of acid splashed harmlessly against the empty desert floor.

"What?" Tyler blinked.