The air crackled with tension as wind swept through the fractured ground from Mandira's spell. Shennong staggered back, his clothes torn, a thin line of blood trickling down his arm.
He held up his hand, palm open in a sign of surrender, his expression more pained than angry. "What the hell is the big idea attacking me like this out of nowhere?!"
From behind a line of magical spells, Archmage Mandira's voice rang out cold and commanding. "Stay back, Shennong! You will be brought to court—alive—to answer for everything you've done!"
His gaze darted between the defensive spells and the woman whose magic had just ripped through his defenses. He gritted his teeth, disbelief flashing across his face. "We were supposed to be partners!"
"That partnership ended the moment you released monsters onto the surface," Mandira snapped, her violet hair whipping in the wind. "Innocent people died!"
"No, that's—!" Shennong started, but his words were drowned out by the pounding of Maria's heart.
