The tribunal chamber had been transformed into a crater of twisted metal and shattered stone, its once-magnificent architecture reduced to rubble by forces that operated beyond normal human comprehension. Demon Duke Vorthak stood at the center of the destruction like a monument to controlled violence, his pale features arranged in an expression of mild disappointment as he studied his two opponents.
"Is this truly the best humanity can offer?" Vorthak asked with the kind of bored contempt that made the air itself recoil from his presence. "Two Radiant-rankers, and yet I find myself... underwhelmed."
Quinn Slatemark wiped dark blood from his mouth, his imperial composure cracking under the strain of facing an opponent whose capabilities defied every assumption about what should be possible at their shared rank. His mana reserves, vast though they were, had been steadily depleted by the necessity of maintaining defensive barriers against attacks that could level city blocks.
