A firestorm began to gather behind Ingrid blade, swirling with controlled violence, which made the entire temple began to glow red from the sheer heat he released.
But Alex didn't move.
His daggers still hovered around him, the remaining ones now drifting in slow, deliberate orbits like they were waiting.
Ingrid took a single step forward, preparing to deliver a clean, brutal Rendering Slash that would carve through Alex and end this quickly.
But...
The moment his foot touched the ground, a single word slipped from Alex's lips, quiet and measured.
"Dominus."
And just like that, Indrid froze.
His entire body locked in place. Muscles wouldn't move. Limbs refused to respond. Even his thoughts began to slow, like they were swimming through tar.
"What...?"
A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
What is this?
The pressure was immense—far beyond what he'd felt before. It wasn't physical. It was something deeper.
A presence that weighed on his very soul.
