The mage suddenly spread his arms open as a terrifying aura emanated from him, causing all of them to widen their eyes in shock.
The entire underground area started shaking as the arrays put in place started getting overloaded, as did the mage. Darkness started pouring out of his body as he was about to overload his mana core and self-destruct, planning on taking them all down together with him.
The realization that the hooded figure intended to self-destruct and take them all down with him sent shockwaves of panic through the chamber. Lyle, Kleagan, and the soldiers scrambled to react, their minds racing to find a way to prevent the catastrophic explosion that threatened to consume them.
As the underground labyrinth quaked and groaned under the strain of the impending self-destruction, Lyle's thoughts raced. He had to act swiftly, but the dark aura emanating from the mage warned him that direct intervention might trigger the detonation even sooner.