The dark fire raged outward, consuming the air in a searing inferno, while thick plumes of black smoke billowed upward, obscuring the mountainside in a choking haze.
The ground shuddered under the explosion's might, the earth splitting and collapsing into a massive crater that stretched wide, its edges scorched and smoldering.
The black flames flickered out as quickly as they had erupted, leaving only the acrid scent of burnt flesh and the rising smoke in their wake.
As the haze settled, Lunareio stood at the crater's center, unscathed. A shimmering shield of silvery light enveloped him, its surface unmarred by the blast, though faint cracks spiderwebbed across it from the sheer force it had absorbed.
He lowered his hand, the shield dissipating into motes of moonlight that drifted away on the wind. His mismatched eyes surveyed the devastation with a faint flicker of amusement, his lips curling into a subtle smirk.
