Inside the imperial castle, William, disguised as Blue Raven, abruptly accelerated after sensing violent and increasingly unstable fluctuations of energy erupting from within the emperor's residence.
Unlike the previous rulers, whose Glutons had remained hidden within their shadows, whatever had attached itself to Durgan had clearly progressed far beyond that stage.
Without slowing down in the slightest, Blue Raven drew the Nine-Heavens Stormcleaver.
A single slash swept across the front gallery of the emperor's chamber.
The blade never touched the stone directly, yet the entire outer wall of the chamber was cleanly severed in two.
The cut was so impossibly smooth that for a brief moment the enormous section of the palace remained standing exactly where it had been, as though reality itself had failed to realize it had already been sliced apart.
