And then the cocoon began to crack. It split with a sharp, bone-deep KRRRRRAA-THUM, like metal screaming, like stone collapsing.
The mantras pulsing from inside became unbearable, echoing through my bones, my teeth, and my eardrums .
Lines of radiant fissures raced across the milky shell, glowing veins of crimson, gold, and pitch-black mana intertwining like a living nebula.
Bratan staggered back, barely steadying himself.
From within, a voice—layered, multi-tonal, distorted—rumbled: "—you dare… interrupt my ascension—"
The cocoon exploded outward.
A shockwave of divine mana flattened the trees, pulverized boulders, and sent half the mages to their knees as they struggled to hold the barrier intact. Even the reinforced air wall Lord Zedd created vibrated violently, its surface warping from the sheer force.
And then, out of the cocoon, Bagu… emerged.
He was no longer the Dragon they had fought before. Not even close.
