Chapter 222: Acknowledgement of Strength

The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning ozone, the ground still trembling from the magical explosion that had just torn through the Demon Lord's defenses. The night sky above the Broken Cliffs was painted with the fading remnants of the arcane blast, leaving behind a haze of smoke that swirled around the combatants like a ghostly shroud.

Vincent stood over Duchess Elinalese, his breathing steady but eyes locked onto the figure slowly rising from the smoldering crater. The Demon Lord, once so imposing and untouchable, was now battered, his once-gleaming armor marred by jagged cracks where the magic-infused missile had struck. Dark energy still crackled around him, but there was a noticeable dimming in its intensity.