The next instant!
Countless shock waves surged into the sky, forming a mushroom cloud that blotted out the sun and scattered the clouds overhead.
Endless smoke filled the air, turning the entire sky pitch-black.
No one knew how much time had passed.
It felt like a century.
Yet it also felt like an instant.
Within the swirling smoke, Lin Luo and Flamme's figures gradually became visible.
Lin Luo stood rooted to the spot, as motionless as a towering mountain.
Across from him, however...
Flamme trembled continuously, the barrier around her long since vanished without a trace.
"Whew!"
She drew a deep breath. Looking at the long trench she had carved out before her, she realized that cold sweat had soaked her coat.
"I actually survived?"
"That's exactly why I admire you so much."
Lin Luo reined in his aura and looked at Flamme in the distance, a flicker of admiration crossing his eyes.
"Although I held back at the end, making it this far was more than enough to prove your strength."
"You still held back at the end?"
At Lin Luo's words, all Flamme could muster was a bitter smile.
The gap in their strength was simply too great.
It left her feeling as though she were gazing up at an insurmountable mountain.
"Whatever the case, you've won."
Sensing how little magic power remained in her body, Flamme smiled bitterly once more.
Even if she wanted to keep fighting, she no longer had the strength.
Still...
She spoke solemnly. "Although everything you've shown so far supports the truth of everything you've told me..."
"I hope you can dispel my last doubt and prove that you truly aren't a demon."
"Oh?"
Lin Luo gave her an amused look. "Should I take that to mean you intend to break your promise?"