Then she moved.
Lightning-fast, Liu Mei lunged into the crowd.
Blades clashed, sparks flew. The air filled with the scent of blood and burning flesh.
Liu Mei twisted, ducked, spun—a storm of precise, merciless strikes. She was small, but that only made her faster, slipping past swings and spears like water.
She wasn't dodging—she was toying with them.
A beast lunged at her, fangs bared. She vaulted off its back, flipping mid-air, slicing a Gold Rank's throat as she landed behind him.
A spear thrust toward her ribs. She caught the shaft—snapped it in half—and drove the broken edge into its wielder's heart.
Aria's pulse hammered.
"This—this isn't possible." Her voice came out breathless, almost shaking.
But she gritted her teeth, shoving down the fear.
She still had the advantage. The girl was fast—but the boy?
The boy seemed to be dying.
Shan Yifeng was surrounded, blades flashing from all directions. He was barely blocking, barely keeping up.
