Piercing cries mingled with the language of the ancient demon. Those who could not understand assumed it was threatening them, but Shade, who could, understood that it was afraid.
As its body trembled, more flames split off from its main body, turning into lesser elemental demons. The Ancient Evil Spirit then directly abandoned the Ring Arcanists around it. Clad in black-and-white armor, it transformed into a fireball and flew across the open ground before the ever-growing throne, seemingly trying to escape. But the old man in the light merely smiled and moved a finger. Its flight path immediately veered, sending it straight into the thick, impenetrable darkness to the south of the clearing.
No one could see what was there. They could only see two enormous figures collide within the darkness. Wild laughter accompanied an indescribably foul power as it poured into the surrounding woodland. Though both the sky above and the ground below shone with light representing the tree and the Power of Time, the southern side remained exceedingly dim because of that darkness.
Though that unknown horrifying existence appeared to be an ally, anyone still rational understood that "he" was likely even more dangerous than the Ancient Evil Spirit born from the concept of fire.
"Good, good, good!"
The white-robed old man seated upon the central throne laughed and applauded. The battle in the clearing continued, but although the lesser flame demons were numerous, they were not especially powerful. Thus, as the Ancient One's applause rang out, Thomas Bennett, fifty meters tall and firmly bound to his seat by sea-blue light, rose like a puppet under someone's control.
His current state was extremely strange. Who knew how much time he had undergone since escaping from the Time Transfer Station? Though he still retained a human form, whatever lay