Lieutenant Kross attacked first.
Fire erupted from his hands – A-rank battle magic, intense enough to melt stone. The flames roared toward Damien in a wave of superheated death.
Damien raised one hand, and shadows condensed into a shield. The fire hit the darkness and simply... stopped. Not extinguished or absorbed. Just ceased to exist where it met the shadow barrier.
"Impossible," Kross breathed. "Fire can't be – "
Damien flicked his wrist. The shadow shield transformed into spears, launching toward Kross faster than the mage could react. One punched through his shoulder, another through his thigh, pinning him to the wall behind.
[DEMON SLAIN x0, MAGE INJURED x1]
[SHADOW COMPREHENSION: Level 43]
The demons attacked en masse – thirty trained soldiers moving in coordinated assault. They came from all directions simultaneously, weapons raised, mouths open in battle cries.
Damien's shadows exploded outward.
