Ethan saw it too.
His brow snapped tight. There was no time left to weigh options—if Baelzareth's strike landed, Catheryn would be swallowed whole, and Emerald Castle's army nearby would get caught in the blast as well.
Ethan flashed forward.
Power erupted out of him. Transparent lightning wrapped in snow-white radiance burst along his arms and spine, ripping outward in snarling arcs. That tyrannical aura cut across the sky and—before the giant projection could fully slam down—forced itself around Baelzareth like a tightening net.
Baelzareth's eyes widened.
He looked down at Ethan, staring with a strange, hard focus. There'd been nothing but contempt in that gaze at first. But when the destructive aura in Ethan's transparent lightning brushed close to his body, that contempt drained away, replaced by something heavier.
"You're just an outsider, kid," Baelzareth said coldly. "This is an internal matter. Don't interfere, or I'll tear you into pieces."
Ethan didn't answer.
