The thing in the crystal looked like a human in the same way a Great White looked like a goldfish. Same basic blueprint, wildly different execution.
Its proportions were wrong. Arms too long. Legs bent backward at the knee. Face stretched wide like putty, mouth splitting its head almost in half. And those eyes—crimson pools floating in black sclera, tracking our movements with predatory focus.
"What the fuck is that?" Jordan whispered.
Belle kept her crossbow trained on the crystal. "Humanoid-type. Silver rank at minimum."
"It's called a Reaper," Misato said. "They hibernate in crystal until prey enters their domain. Then they—"
The crystal exploded.
Not shattered. Not cracked. Exploded like a fucking bomb. Shards the size of my forearm ripped through the air in every direction.
