"Lin! Whatever you're doing, do it faster!" Mara called out, her barrier cracking under the weight of the man's relentless attacks.
Wei Lin's hands trembled, but she tightened her grip. "Almost there…" she muttered, her voice barely audible over the chaos.
The robed man, sensing the shift in energy, turned his attention back to her. His eyes blazed with fury. "No!" he roared, abandoning his defense against the others and lunging toward Wei Lin.
"Not so fast!" Darian intercepted him, their weapons clashing in a shower of sparks.
But the man was relentless, his shadows swirling around him like a storm. With a surge of power, he sent Darian flying backward, then turned his wrath on Wei Lin.
She braced herself, but before the attack could land, the Codex released a wave of energy that blasted the man off his feet. The force of it shook the ground, and a shockwave rippled outward, extinguishing the shadows and leaving the battlefield eerily silent.
