The words were soft, almost respectful, and that only made it worse.
The Town Lord's face twisted, not in fear, but in pure anger as his aura surged, the air around him tightening under the pressure of a peak Body Tempering practitioner, while the two men behind him stepped forward without hesitation, their presence rising as well, three forces pressing down on the ruined street as broken bodies and twitching insects surrounded them.
"…You think you can walk out of here alive after this?" one of the subordinates said, gripping his blade tighter as his eyes flicked toward the swarm, wary now.
The ground shattered beneath their steps as they burst forward in a straight line, their speed cutting through the swarm as if it were nothing, their bodies reinforced enough to ignore the biting insects, their skin resisting the poison that would have already killed any normal man, and in that instant, they reached her.
But Vermis didn't step back.
She raised her hand slightly.
"Gather."
