Aquarina PoV
I forced myself upright, spear planted in the cracked earth as I steadied my breathing. Blood still trickled from the gashes along my side and arm, but the pain was already fading under the constant flow of holy water I kept circulating through my body.
Garmr didn't press the attack immediately.
The massive hound circled me slowly, each step sending tremors through the ground. Black flames dripped from his jaws and claws like liquid shadow. His golden eyes never left mine. He was like a prowling lion.
The battlefield around us had grown quieter. The other Taeyang warriors had pulled back, either because Kushina had ordered them to or because they instinctively understood that this fight had escalated far beyond what they could safely interfere with. Even the tide of shadowy beings seemed to avoid the immediate area, as if giving their champion space to hunt.
Garmr's voice rumbled out, low and almost conversational despite the sheer size of his beast form.
