Lian Yue's eyes narrowed, focusing harder.
"…Am I blind," she said slowly, "or are those things… rotting?"
The insects around Vermis shifted in response, some falling to the ground, only to crawl again, their bodies just as decayed as the one they had just killed.
Ren Kai stepped slightly forward.
"They are," he said calmly.
His gaze locked onto Vermis.
"And this one…"
A faint pause.
"…is stronger."
The air grew heavier.
The insects around Vermis began to move faster.
More aggressively.
They gathered along her arms, layering over each other, forming shapes.
Not random.
Structured.
Armor.
Her right arm became coated in a thick layer of hardened insect shells, forming a jagged, black gauntlet, while her left side shifted, the swarm stretching outward, forming something long and sharp.
A blade.
Made entirely of writhing, fused insects.
It twitched.
Then stabilized.
Vermis smiled wider.
"You're different from the others," she said. "They screamed more."
