The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Mia staggered, gripping the wall for balance as cracks split through the marble pillars. Dust rained down like mist from the ceiling. Across the shattered hall, Hiro steadied himself, his sword buried deep in the chest of a half-reformed devil. Its body dissolved into black smoke, only for another to claw its way from the floor where the blood had pooled seconds ago.
It wasn't stopping anymore. The devils were no longer trying to win—they were overflowing.
"...It's done," Hiro muttered, his eyes fixed toward the direction of the throne room beyond the corridor. His voice was low, almost drowned by the echoing hum that filled the air. A pulsing vibration—ancient, rhythmic, and suffocating. "That power… it's awake."
Mia's breathing hitched. Her instincts screamed at her—the same way they had once before in the Tower of Obelisk, when the air itself had turned against them. But this time was worse. This wasn't just mana. This was domination.
