It didn't matter whether it was Aro, Ranther and his group, or even the followers of Guardian Silas… all of them opened their eyes to their widest limits, terror carved plainly into their expressions, their chests tightening painfully. It was like a five-year-old child wandering through dense wilderness, laughing and playing—only to suddenly come face to face with a tiger at arm's length.
No, this wasn't because Lord Hedrick had killed Guardian Silas with such terrifying ease. Lord Hedrick was infamous as a slayer of Dominators; his name alone carried centuries of dread. The battle had been decided the very moment he appeared, and Silas's extreme exhaustion had merely shortened what was already inevitable.
No—the terror came from something far deeper.
Something far worse.
Silence.
Every sound on the planet vanished in an instant.
The roars of terrified beasts were cut off mid-cry.
The thunder of artillery and exploding shells ceased as if erased.
