Chapter 381 The Flame That Does Not Die

• The clash of magic and metal reverberated through the battlefield, but for those who witnessed the confrontation atop the black plateau, time itself seemed to still. Ariella and Kael stood shoulder to shoulder, the winds howling around them like mournful spirits as they faced Lord Malrec—Daemon's last and most powerful general.
• His armor was forged from obsidian and cursed bone, jagged and pulsing with the unholy energy of the forgotten gods. His helm, shaped like a dragon’s skull, masked the warped face beneath. Malrec had once been a noble of the Southern Highlands, but the Queen’s death had driven him to madness, and in his thirst for vengeance, he’d surrendered his soul to the ancient horrors of the Netherdeep.
• "You don’t understand what she took from me," Malrec hissed, energy crackling from his fingertips. "You stand here in judgment, but you didn’t burn. You didn’t lose your bloodline. You didn’t hear the voices whisper when the silence became unbearable."