章 430: Never assume you've spotted all the threats

For a brief moment, silence reigned.

The combined assault had left a crater in the domain's floor, smoke and debris still climbing skyward like a monument to their power. Ceil maintained her defensive stance in front of Adrian, while Elara and the others watched the impact zone with unwavering focus.

"Did we—" Cedric started to ask.

"No," Adrian cut him off, already pushing himself to his feet. His legs trembled with exhaustion, but his eyes remained sharp. "Everyone, be ready—"

The warning came too late.

The explosion they'd created suddenly roared back to life, but different now—darker, hungrier. What had been natural fire transformed into something else, something that seemed to devour the very air itself. The flames twisted into a massive serpentine shape, its maw opening wide enough to swallow them all.

"Shit!" Adrian cursed, recognizing Kalin's influence in how the flames moved. "Everyone, move!"