Just as Razel shouted, "She's activating something!"
But they were too late.
A faint glow flared at the base of her neck.
A magic circle.
Engraved. Hidden under her skin.
Then—
BOOM.
A pulse of raw magic exploded outward — not destructive, but disruptive.
Magic circles collapsed.
Control wards shattered.
The other prisoners howled — momentarily freed from the pressure aura from Dean Godsthorn that was suppressing them.
Elias was already moving.
Razel faster.
By the time the smoke cleared, two of the remaining four had been restrained again.
One lay twitching on the ground, his magic circle having failed to fully trigger.
The fourth was gone.
"She self-detonated to trigger a backlash chain," Oryll growled, voice unusually cold.
Godsthorn gritted his teeth. "They've planned this far more deeply than we thought."
"They were ready to die," Razel said.
Elias stepped over the scorched mark where the woman had been. His expression was cold. Analytical.
