Kael's breath did not cease.
It continued—a sustained beam of annihilation pouring from his maw like the judgment of a dead god.
The black flames roared forward, not dispersing, not thinning, but feeding on the very act of destruction.
Above the ruined town, the warped sky continued to open.
One human stepped out.
Then another.
Then two more.
They emerged from the distorted portal-like fracture in reality—armored figures brimming with compressed mana, auras flaring as they stabilized themselves in midair.
They didn't even finish orienting themselves.
The black breath hit them head-on.
One who didn't have armor vanished instantly.
Another tried to raise a barrier but was too slow. His scream lasted half a second before being swallowed, his existence erased without even the mercy of ash.
A third twisted away, only for the edge of the beam to graze him.
That was enough.
His body disintegrated mid-motion, mana unraveling like mist in sunlight.
