Chapter 572: A ‘Gift’ (?)

The smell hit Kain first.

A sharp, acrid stench that clung to the back of his throat, souring the air like burnt rubber mixed with rotting eggs. He recoiled slightly, eyes narrowing as a soft sizzle continuously rang out from the far side of the room.

Malzahir groaned again, louder this time, and Kain took an instinctive step forward—only to pause mid-stride.

The chair was gone.

Well, not gone—but more like dissolved. The leather had melted into a bubbling black puddle that spread out in a circle beneath Malzahir's now lying form. Steam rose from where it met the floor.

"…What the hell?"

Kain took a cautious step forward, watching as the faintly glowing lines embedded in the alloy floor warped and twisted around Malzahir's body.