The blast tore a crater into the arena.
Dark slabs burst apart. Chunks of stone struck the surrounding barrier, sending sheets of light racing across its curved surface. The front rows shook beneath the spectators as dust swallowed the fighting ground.
"Get back!"
"The barrier's holding!"
A Daemon who had risen halfway from his seat sank down again, staring into the cloud.
Gradually, the dust began settling.
A cracked earth sphere stood near the crater's edge. Whole sections of its outer shell had been stripped away, exposing two more layers of compressed stone beneath.
A hand pushed through the innermost layer.
The demonic energy holding the structure together faded. Stone crumbled around Simon as he rose, brushing grit from his shoulder.
He had begun raising those defences before giving the order to the cursed spirit.
Across the crater, Joren was alive.
A broken shield of black light surrounded him. Behind it, he stood hunched over, blood dripping from his chin.
