A surging torrent of negative energy erupted around Novak, spreading in every direction like a tangible wave of magic.
The already crumbling, weathered fragments of buildings decayed and disintegrated again the instant it touched them. Wooden beams turned to ash, stone bricks cracked and flaked apart, and even the soil was eroded into charred black powder.
Renato was driven back by the tremendous impact as well. But the runes on Mountain's Embrace lit up, forcibly anchoring him to the ground. Instead of being swept away with the building debris, he merely slid backward several meters, his boot soles plowing two deep furrows through the rubble.
Shadow Shield shattered in the erupting torrent of negative energy. The black smoke wreathing Renato's armor neutralized the remaining damage, shadow power roiling like a living thing as it devoured the negative energy trying to seep through his armor.
As Dakoul's Blessing rapidly transformed his flesh into pure shadow, Renato's figure vanished into darkness once more.
Not far away, the Death Knight had already picked up the Knight's Longsword. Countless green flames of demonfire now poured from the breach in Novak's pierced neck armor, like magma erupting from a volcanic crater.
The flames spread along the contours of the armor, swiftly engulfing his entire body and turning the rusted plate-and-mail armor into a blazing torch.
The Death Knight held his sword in one hand. Demonfire spread all the way to its tip, wrapping the entire Knight's Sword in green flames.
Those flames gave off no warmth, yet they burned everything beneath Novak's feet. Even the relatively intact old wooden beams turned to ash beneath the ghostfire in an instant and vanished.
If the Death Knight had previously struck Renato as a cold, merciless killing machine, his flame-wreathed form now resembled an undead monster with nothing