At the moment of contact, the golden light intensified to blinding levels. Then without warning... the blood serpent began to boil.
The liquid superheated so rapidly it transitioned to vapor before it could pull away. Soon its body began disintegrating from the head backward.
Everything within twenty meters of the dragon simply ceased to exist. Even stone sublimated to vapor. The air itself ignited from sudden temperature spike as if a missile had burst in the area.
Ishiki, Yuki, and Kaori threw themselves behind the nearest intact building as the blast wave passed overhead. Heat washed over them—intense enough to singe hair, to make skin prickle with pre-burn warning.
"What the hell!" Kaori gritted her teeth and pulled away from the wall that had suddenly turned hot.
The demon's eyes widened in shock. It poured more power into maintaining the construct, but it wasn't enough and the toll was clearly visible on Arthur's body.
