High above the gloomy terrain, the air itself trembled from fear.
Yaro, the Blood Marquis, hovered effortlessly in the sky, his crimson cloak hanging weightless around him like a frozen spill of wine. Below, the land had been carved open: gouged, warped, half-consumed by an invisible will that pulsed like a living heart.
"This monster…" Yaro murmured, eyes narrowing.
It really had turned out to be troublesome.
Not because it was stronger than expected, no, that much he could tolerate, but because it was also cunning and calculating.
Every exchange between them thus far had been a test, probing, learning, and adapting.
The creature retreated when pressured, advanced when opportunity appeared, never wasting strength.
'I truly underestimated it.'
But then again, this was inevitable.
After all, this thing had already formed its Resonance Domain.
