She took a slow breath, drawing her Qi inward as power surged through her meridians, and her presence changed instantly, the air around her becoming dense and oppressive as her cultivation flared without restraint.
"This is where I step in," she said, her tone resolute and unyielding as she unsheathed her weapon and began walking forward, placing herself squarely between the injured ice belle and the approaching dragon. "She's done enough. The rest is on me."
Behind her, the soldiers obeyed without hesitation, resuming their desperate push toward the portal, while Henrietta advanced alone into the shadow, fully aware that from this moment onward, she would be the one standing against the fury of the abyss.
