Page 62 of Wolf of Ashes
With a scream, I slash at the snake’s head, my reflexes defying the paralyzing pain that’s controlling my body.
My eyes shoot wide when my claws cut right through the snake’s transparent form and, where the sharp, black edges of my claws meet the reptile’s body, the snake takes form.
Real, tangible, killable form.
My action is so wild that my claws nick my left forearm as they arc down through the air, but I don’t care.
The cobra’s bloody head falls to the floor, along with its body, both writhing at my feet. Cut apart.
I can’t help but feel pleased despite the onslaught from the other snakes.
It turns out my claws really can cut through anything.
Across the room, Vanguard gives a shout, stumbling back a step and clutching his chest.
His wide eyes fly to me, his focus darting to the broken snake at my feet.
His face is pale with apparent shock.
It looks like this pain may be a new experience for him.
Across from him, Jonah has stiffened and the energy around him seems to blaze as his eyes widen, appearing alarmed for the first time.
It seems they may not have the upper hand after all.
I can’t stop the smile breaking across my face even as the other snakes drive their bodies through my arms and legs, sending blinding pain through me.
Fuck the pain.
Cutting the snake apart made Vanguard vulnerable, even if it was only for a few seconds.
Now, he’s in my sights, and I’m determined to make him feel as much agony as possible so I can cut him down, too.
I launch myself toward the panthers with a scream. “Cut the snakes! Make them bleed!”
I have no idea if the panthers’ teeth will have the same effect on the shadow snakes, but the panthers are ancient creatures, so anything is possible.
At my cry, the female panther abandons her attempts to defend herself, leaping at a snake attacking one of the male panthers instead. That serpent is a much easier target since she can leap right at it, rather than trying to contort herself to bite it.
It’s moving so fast that her teeth only catch its tail, but it’s enough.
Chomp.
She spits the tail to the floor. The rest of the snake’s body writhes in the air for a second. It falls to the floor before it can reach the other panther.
All of the panthers rally and suddenly, they’re a team, leaping and biting at the reptiles that attempt to attack each other.
Vanguard gives another shout, although it’s muffled when he clamps his teeth together. The alarm in his eyes now tells me that pain like this is definitely a rare experience for him.
I don’t know why my claws and the panther’s teeth can make such a difference to these snakes when they simply sail through other parts of our bodies, but we have the upper hand right now and I don’t intend to squander it.
Satisfied that the panthers can defend each other, I grit my teeth, snarls forming in the back of my throat as I pitch myself toward Diavolo, intending to defend him from the snakes attacking his body.
I pull up sharply as I take full stock of him.
His eyes have turned completely white, but the color within them is swirling like…
Smoke?
