The Dragon Empress and the Harbinger faced each other in brittle silence. The Dragon Empress stood ramrod‑straight, her gaze glacial, while the Harbinger hummed behind a saccharine smile. The moment they unleashed their layered, escalating mana through honed skills, their earlier contrast shattered.
The Empress's robes fluttered of their own accord, long sleeves billowing as raw mana spilled from her curves like scaled violet dragon tails. Opposite her, the Harbinger's mana writhed across the stone floor in black tendrils braided with pale‑green, tentacle‑like strands that slithered from beneath her short skirt, obscene and revolting in equal measure.
The Harbinger stretched out her hand and splayed her fingers, a wet, bone‑scraping tear splitting the air. A thin cut bloomed across her palm, coughing up a spiked club studded with the fangs of countless species. She wrapped her bleeding hand around the hilt and rested the weapon on her shoulder.
