Anthony's palm swept across with blistering speed, and the Demon's head ceased to exist.
Black blood, shattered bone, brain matter, and broken teeth rained onto the frozen desert, splattering against the ice and sand like grotesque paint upon a vast, unholy canvas.
The headless corpse toppled forward with a dull thud, lifeless before it struck the ground.
Then — it came.
The world froze.
It was as though time itself had halted, suspended in a moment of breathless anticipation. Whether this was from fear, reverence, or something far more primal, none could say, only that the flow of reality seemed to have paused.
Above, space shivered. At first, it quivered subtly, then shook more violently before it began to tremble with an ominous rhythm, as if resisting something trying to break through.
Then, at last, it shattered, splintering apart like fragile glass, unable to restrain the overwhelming force pressing against it.
