"Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!"
The sound of a diamond structure grinding through tempered steel, bone, and flesh echoed through the night sky…
…
The night wind blew down from high above, carrying mine dust and the bloody stench of scorched metal.
The terrace jutted out over the Obsidian outer wall, with a bottomless Abyss beneath his feet, while the distant basin was lit by an unnatural golden radiance as bright as day.
The Duke gripped the high-magnification alchemy telescope mounted on the railing with both hands.
He saw Kaelin standing in the golden molten flow, saw the sword that symbolized imperial authority shatter the moment it swung out.
He saw five thousand Imperial Knights lifted like scattered iron filings, men and armor alike torn into that Abyssal maw made of diamond.
Every act of devouring was accompanied by the screech of metal and the snapping of bones.
The veins on the back of Raymond's hand bulged, as if he were about to crush the telescope tube.
