Claudia limped toward the group, her serpentine eyes still burning with venomous frustration despite the agony written across her charred features. She stopped before Claude, her jaw clenched tight against the pain radiating from her ruined arm. The blackened flesh crackled with every movement—crinkle—and the smell of her own burned skin made her stomach turn.
Claude stepped forward, his masked face tilted downward at her. "Now, tell me what the fuck happened down there."
Claudia's voice was strained, forced through gritted teeth. "The formation was shattered. Everyone combined mana to break it. I moved to seal the flame with the Soul-Sealing Jar, but the flame was sentient. It detected the jar and reacted. It went berserk." She paused, swallowing hard. "Then some bastard walked directly into the flame and it went completely insane."
Claude's head tilted slightly behind his mask. "Walked into the flame?"
