The cut was too clean.
A perfect diagonal slice ran from the base of the neck down through the shoulder. There was no jagged edge, no half-torn plates. Just a smooth, perfect line.
The body stood for a second longer, as if confused. Then the glow along its spine flickered.
Cracks of light ran across the scales like breaking glass.
The entire construct shuddered once.
Then it began to come apart.
Not like before. Not slow, regenerative adjustments.
This was collapse.
Plates crumbled into drifting shards of Eon. Wings dissolved into threads. The whole huge shape unraveled, peeling away into bright particles that rose and faded into thin air, leaving only scorch marks and deep claw grooves behind.
The head went last.
The cracked blue eyes dimmed. For a heartbeat, Raizen thought he saw something like… Relief in them.
Then they became light and were gone.
Silence hit the training ground like a second impact.
The bell finally stopped ringing.
