The moment the Crimson Abyssal Lion lowered its massive head, the world seemed to shrink around it.
Its mane ignited. not in a sudden burst, but in a slow, deliberate surge, as if a furnace deep within its chest had finally been unleashed. Abyssal fire and crimson flame intertwined around its body, licking across armored scales and sinking into the ground beneath its paws.
The mana pressure intensified violently, pressing down on the battlefield with such force that the air itself warped, heat distortion rippling outward in visible waves.
The Lion exhaled. The breath alone scorched the land. Trees at the edge of the battlefield blackened and crumbled into ash; stone softened and cracked; and the mana in the air screamed as it was violently displaced. This was no longer a test for them; this marked the beginning of extermination.
Valeria slammed her blade into the ground and roared, her voice cutting through the chaos.
"Second formation! Rotate pressure....now!"
