The battlefield outside the collapsing palace had descended into pure chaos.
Humans and devils clashed beneath the endless storm of dust and debris thrown out from the palace interior. The gates—once towering and imposing—were cracked, half-destroyed, the ground torn and rearranged as if a giant hand had crushed it.
But for a moment—
just one brief, breathless moment—
everyone froze.
Because the palace behind them…
was gone.
A thunderous blast had torn it apart from the inside, sending a shockwave ripping through the air. What had once been a fortress of dark marble and ancient mana now stood as a skeleton of ruins and splintered stone.
The elite human forces, battered but alive, turned their eyes toward the wreckage.
"What was that…?"
"Did someone unleash a forbidden spell?"
"No—there was ice… and darkness… mixed together."
"Who could have done something like that?"
Devils shouted orders.
Humans tightened their formation.
