The golden breath beam slammed into Kael's head like a miniature sun erupting point-blank.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
Light swallowed the world.
The surroundings shook violently, the ground cracking further, chunks of stone flying around like birds fleeing from a predator.
Selene shielded her eyes.
Lyratheia fell back a step, feet scraping on broken stone.
Even Evethra, unwavering as she was, narrowed her eyes… but her feet never moved.
The Dire Sovereign's beam lasted five full seconds—
Five seconds of pure annihilation, a straight line of molten gold carving through the cavern, erasing everything in its path.
When it finally ended…
Silence.
Smoke choked the air around Kael's head, thick and swirling, completely obscuring the dragon's enormous face.
And still—
Kael's massive claw remained locked around the beast's neck.
Unmoving.
Unshaken.
As if nothing had happened.
The Dire Sovereign, however, burst into laughter—wild, triumphant, hysterical.
