Dray slowly raised one arm.
Dark mana gathered around his hand.
A complex magic circle unfolded before him.
Layer upon layer rotated silently.
Its intricate runes glowed with a deep violet radiance.
His voice remained cold.
"...I have tolerated..."
"...that overconfident attitude of yours..."
"...long enough."
Aldric glanced at the formation.
Then let out a quiet sigh.
"...Do me a favor."
He lazily pointed behind himself.
"...Aim that thing at those monsters instead."
"...Unless—"
He stopped.
His crimson eyes suddenly narrowed.
Across the chamber—
one of the Rift Breakers slowly raised its massive head.
The crimson fissures covering its body blazed with brilliant light.
Dark purple Abyssal mana converged toward its open jaws.
The surrounding space distorted.
The air itself screamed beneath the overwhelming pressure.
Aldric's expression changed instantly.
"...Crap."
The creature's jaws opened wider.
The condensed sphere of Abyssal mana rapidly swelled.
For a single heartbeat—
everything became deathly silent.
Then—
**BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!**
A colossal pillar of dark purple energy erupted from its mouth.
The beam tore through the ceiling of the ancient ruins as though it offered no resistance at all.
Layer upon layer of enchanted stone exploded apart.
Ancient formations shattered instantly.
The beam continued upward—
Ripping through the earth above.
Straight toward the surface.
---
Above Dresvalle—
the city carried on as it always had.
Merchants bargained loudly.
Carriages rolled through the busy streets.
Children laughed as they ran between market stalls.
Soldiers patrolled the avenues.
Then—
without warning—
**BOOOOOOM—!!**
The ground exploded.
A colossal pillar of dark purple energy burst from the earth.
It shot toward the heavens.
Everything caught in its path simply ceased to exist.
Stone.
Steel.
Wood.
Buildings.
All of it was erased in an instant.
The beam continued rising.
Piercing the clouds high above the city.
The surrounding atmosphere exploded outward.
A terrifying shockwave swept across Dresvalle.
**BOOOOOOM—!!**
Windows shattered.
Roofs were ripped away.
People were hurled from their feet.
Horse-drawn carriages overturned.
Market stalls collapsed.
Countless eyes instinctively turned toward the impossible pillar of Abyssal energy stretching into the heavens.
Silence followed.
Throughout the city—
soldiers stood frozen.
"...What..."
One dropped his spear.
"...What in the world...?"
Civilians stared in horror.
Several pointed toward the sky.
Others simply trembled.
"...The ground..."
"...It came from underground..."
"...What is that...?"
Far beyond the city walls—
travelers halted in their tracks.
Adventurers climbing nearby hills instinctively turned toward Dresvalle.
Even distant monsters fled as the terrifying pressure spread across the land.
Everywhere—
people stared.
The beam slowly weakened.
Its overwhelming brilliance gradually faded.
Until only drifting remnants of dark purple light lingered high in the sky.
An eerie silence settled over the entire region.
No one spoke.
Because everyone understood one thing.
Whatever had just happened beneath Dresvalle...
...was far beyond anything they had ever witnessed.
---
The earth surrounding the blast site had become unrecognizable.
Smoke drifted upward.
Broken stone.
Shattered timber.
Fragments of steel.
Debris littered the streets in every direction.
Where the beam had erupted—
a colossal crater now yawned open.
Its depths disappeared into darkness.
Dust slowly settled.
Scattered along the crater's edge—
people lay sprawled across the ruined streets.
Some slowly pushed themselves upright.
Others remained where they had fallen.
Their eyes never left the enormous chasm.
A male demi-human rubbed the back of his head as he struggled to his feet.
"...What the hell..."
He stared blankly at the devastation before him.
"...What just happened?"
Nearby—
a woman crawled out from beneath shattered wooden beams.
Blood trickled down her forehead.
She looked toward the crater.
"...The ground..."
"...It exploded..."
Several soldiers hurriedly climbed back to their feet.
One of them raised a trembling hand toward the crowd.
"...Everyone..."
"...Stay back!"
Another stared toward the sky, where the last traces of dark purple light were slowly fading.
"...That..."
"...That wasn't ordinary mana..."
People closest to the blast groaned in pain.
Some clutched bleeding wounds caused by flying debris.
Others simply stood frozen.
Unable to process what they had witnessed.
Only fear remained.
---
Several streets away—
two cloaked figures stood atop the roof of a tall building.
Their cloaks fluttered gently in the lingering wind.
Neither looked away from the distant crater.
The taller figure—
Illyria—
slowly narrowed her eyes.
"...What..."
She continued staring toward the destruction.
"...What was that?"
Her expression gradually grew more serious.
"...That energy..."
"...It felt..."
She paused.
"...Dark."
She turned toward the smaller cloaked figure standing beside her.
"...Princess?"
The smaller figure remained perfectly still.
Her hood concealed most of her face.
Only a few strands of golden hair escaped from beneath it.
She silently stared toward the distant crater.
Without speaking a single word.
---
Deep beneath Dresvalle—
within the ancient ruins—
the violent tremors finally began to subside.
Dust continued drifting from the fractured ceiling.
Small fragments of stone rolled across the ancient corridors.
Kaelira steadied herself against the wall.
Her wolf ears twitched uneasily.
"...What was that?"
She looked back toward the chamber they had left behind.
Ryke slowly lowered the hands covering his head.
His breathing remained uneven.
"...I..."
He swallowed hard.
"...I was scared to death."
He looked up at the cracked ceiling.
"...I seriously thought..."
"...the whole place was collapsing."
Several cultists exchanged uneasy glances.
The trembling beneath their feet had not completely faded.
Faint vibrations still echoed throughout the ancient ruins.
Pythia silently looked back toward the direction of the ritual chamber.
Her expression remained calm.
But her crimson eyes had grown noticeably more solemn.
"...The battle..."
She spoke quietly.
"...Has already begun."
No one answered.
From somewhere deep within the ruins—
another distant roar thundered through the ancient corridors.
It was far louder...
...than before.