The battlefield fell into a brief, suffocating silence.
Neither the legions of Emerald Castle nor the remaining forces of the Phoenix Empire moved. All eyes were locked on the figure wreathed in blood-red flame.
Phoenix Queen Ignara's power had shattered every expectation.
This wasn't just strength.
It was dominance—an overwhelming, sovereign presence that crushed resistance before it could form.
Drake's pupils contracted sharply.
He knew better than anyone what kind of poison had been used on Ignara back then—formulated specifically to target her bloodline structure and energy cycle. It wasn't meant to kill her outright, but to suppress her strength and regeneration long-term.
And yet the woman standing before him now, cloaked in Undying Flame—
Showed no signs of weakness.
In fact, she was more dangerous than she had ever been.
Before Drake could even process the full weight of what he was seeing, Ignara stepped forward.
