"I don't understand why you want to die so badly, Cardinal Finn."
Claude's voice was low and cold, whispering directly into Finn's ear. The chill of iron touching the old man's neck, the edge of Claude's sword having appeared there in an instant.
"But if you want to fight that badly," Claude murmured, "then let me entertain you for a while."
He withdrew the blade just as Finn spun around, his sword raised, golden light dancing across its surface.
"You underestimate me," Finn growled. "Not even your dark mages could penetrate my holy barrier."
Claude smiled. "But I'm not one of them."
Raising his hand, a sphere of pitch-black mana formed in his palm, swirling with violent force. Without chanting anything, he hurled it toward the barrier.
The village dome, once a beacon of divine protection, shattered like brittle glass. Shards of sacred light scattered in the wind like dying stars.
Finn's eyes widened.
