The nine-headed drake clearly hadn't expected Ethan to move that fast—
Let alone that he could maintain the bell's power while simultaneously conjuring something as devastating as that radiant sword.
Pain and fury exploded together.
It snapped.
Unleashing every ounce of power in its vast, monstrous body.
The air turned heavy. The world shook.
High above, a colossal phantom of the drake formed in the sky—its body etched in writhing shadow.
But this wasn't just elemental force.
Woven into it was something older. Stranger. A corrupt, ancient rune energy that pulsed through the projection like a curse.
It clashed with the golden rune hovering near Ethan.
And the moment their powers collided—
BOOM—!!
The blast was deafening. Space writhed and tore open, cracks webbing outward like shattered glass.
The shockwave hurled both of them backward.
Ethan was forced back through the air, but his expression stayed icy sharp.
No hesitation.
