From Dick breaking free to the warlock throwing the skull-shaped focus from his robes, only two seconds passed. Even Velinde, whose reactions were the fastest of anyone present, only had time to dart back to Dick's position.
The Black Dragon Prince could have reacted, but his pride made him disdain doing so. Besides, he was curious about the "helper" Dick had found.
But the instant the black skull flying from Kanrethad's hand struck the ground, when that chaotic aura emerged, Nefarian's expression changed too. He only managed a single step back before the shadow pouring from the black skull suddenly expanded across the air above the entire arena. The barrier the black dragon had laid down was torn apart in an instant!
A frenzied, chaotic roar spread throughout Blackrock Spire, followed by Kanrethad's magically amplified shout in Demonic.
"By the soul contract, I swear: destroy this place, and I will set you free!"
The warlock had barely finished that sentence before blood burst from every pore of his body as though squeezed out, and he collapsed limply to the ground. Under the influence of a strange power, the blood he had sprayed swiftly formed a vast blood-red net in midair, branding a conspicuous insignia onto the neck of the towering, ocher-colored shadow emerging from the darkness!
"You're not going anywhere!"
At that moment, the Black Dragon Prince no longer cared about his status or dignity. He swept out his left hand, and a phantom of energy shaped like a black dragon's claw hurtled through the air with a piercing whistle toward Dick, who was carrying Jaina on his back and Liadrin in his arms as he and the others retreated swiftly toward the arena gates.
But halfway through its flight, that ferocious claw, containing the power of a black dragon's