Cain stepped back almost on instinct.
The moment the aura burst forth, he felt the air change in a way that even he could not ignore. It was no longer the suffocating pressure of killing intent pressing inward from every direction. It was something far grander. Far purer. A flood.
Cornelia's body trembled in his arms for the briefest second before she straightened, and then blood mana erupted from her like a crimson storm unleashed from the depths of the earth.
The hall roared.
It was not a sound in the ears but a pressure that struck the chest and lungs, forcing every vampire present to draw breath sharply.
The blood mana poured outward in waves, thick and heavy, rolling like an ocean in high tide. It swallowed the lingering killing intent entirely, crushing it beneath its sheer volume.
Cain's red eyes widened a fraction.
The candles lining the walls flickered violently, flames bending sideways as if caught in a violent gale.
