The echoes of Bartolmew's… purification… still seemed to linger in the crisp air of the Steele manor gardens. Maelis wiped tears from her eyes, a profound sense of closure settling over her. Meng Yao stood silently, her respect for Alaric deepening with every impossible feat he performed. Ceanna offered a quiet prayer, not to the Radiant God, but to the source of true power and decisive action she now served – Lord Alaric.
Alaric, however, allowed no time for sentiment. The battle raged on.
"Three Archdemons neutralized," Alaric stated, his voice cutting through the momentary stillness, his ruby eyes already scanning the holographic display of the Labyrinth projected from his Phone Artifact. "Five remain. And they are, predictably, growing agitated."
Indeed, the remaining Archdemons, sensing the fall of their comrades and the continued decimation of their lesser legions within the shifting illusions, were beginning to focus their efforts.
