That was all Vermis needed.
Her gauntlet came down.
Fast.
Too fast for Lian Yue to fully react.
Ren Kai moved the instant he saw it, but even he was a fraction too late.
The blow landed.
A dull, heavy impact.
Lian Yue's head snapped to the side as the strike hit her face, the force lifting her slightly off her feet before sending her crashing across the ground.
"Lian Yue!"
She didn't respond.
Her spear slipped from her hand, rolling across the cracked stone.
For a second, she didn't move at all.
Ren Kai's expression changed.
Not panic.
But close.
He rushed forward, sliding to her side and pulling her back just as a spike of hardened insects shot up from the ground where she had fallen.
"She's breathing," he said quickly, his voice tight. "But unconscious."
Vermis stood a few steps away, watching.
Smiling.
The expression on her face twisted unnaturally, the movement of the insects beneath her skin making it worse.
It wasn't just a smile.
It was hunger.
