[VOLUME 16: THE FIRES OF GENESIS][ARC 2: THE MATRIARCH'S DOMAIN]
Elara Vance stood over the gasping, wide-eyed form of Queen Valeriana, the crackling braid of twilight and shadow illuminating the solarium in a harsh, unyielding violet glare.
Behind her, the tavern-style brawl had ground to a sudden, breathless halt. Wukong was still holding a wrought-iron chair over his head, frozen mid-swing. Aldren had a terrified female guard pinned in a headlock, while Li stood perfectly poised, two fingers resting delicately—but lethally—on another guard's carotid artery.
"You want to see what an unburdened Queen looks like?" Elara repeated, her voice echoing with the dual-harmonic resonance of her domain.
She didn't strike the matriarch. She didn't need to.
