But Kael Vi-rel roared, a guttural sound of pure defiance, forcing the last of his magic into his strike. His body screamed in agony as his mana reserves drained dry, leaving him feeling hollowed out and empty, yet he swung with everything he had. With a brutal arc, his sword severed the ghoul's head in one clean motion. The creature's body collapsed, writhing for a moment before dissolving into a black mist that scattered into the night air, carried away by the wind like smoke.
For a single, long heartbeat, silence reigned. The battlefield was littered with the horrifying scars of warped space, whole sections of the ground erased as though carved away by a careless god. Selene and Clara stood frozen, their bodies slack with disbelief, unable to comprehend the sheer, raw power they had just witnessed.
