[: 3rd POV :]
Hearing Arcturus's words, the entire assembly stiffened.
Disgust rippled through the crowd like a plague.
Hardened mercenaries clenched their jaws, seasoned guild warriors tightened their grips on weapons.
Even the younger recruits—who moments ago were brimming with nervous excitement—now stood pale and grim, drowning in the horror of it all.
But disgust was not the only fire that burned.
For many present, this was no distant atrocity.
Some of them bore scars that traced back to the Zero Organisation's hand.
A few had lost comrades during previous raids.
Others had watched families vanish overnight, only to later discover their loved ones had been slaughtered for rituals.
And among the ranks, there were warriors who had come not for coin, nor honor, but for vengeance.
Faces darkened with grief.
A dwarf clutched a silver pendant hanging at his neck—his daughter's.
