Reaper's Edge manifested in my right hand without conscious thought. The kama's crystallized death mana drank the golden light around it, creating a void in my aura where the weapon existed. I drove it into the crack before the shell could fully close.
Death corruption met regenerating flesh.
The flesh lost.
Black tendrils of entropy spread through the creature's interior, killing the regeneration at its source, preventing the shell from healing. Blair's fire followed the path I'd carved, pushing deeper, burning hotter, reaching for the compressed core that Belle had detected before the tail had put her down.
The creature grabbed me.
Its free hand wrapped around my torso and squeezed. I felt ribs crack. I felt organs shift in ways organs weren't supposed to shift. The golden aura flared brighter in response, burning against the creature's palm, but the damage was done.
◆ HEALTH STATUS: CRITICAL ◆
◆ LIFESPAN REMAINING: 13 days 12 hours ◆
