The moment the zombie's hand closed around Rouxi's ankle, Lingyun stopped thinking.
Fire burst across his palms hard enough to bleach the colour from the air, and he took one step toward her before Rouxi's head snapped in his direction.
"Don't," she hissed out, her eyes flashing as bright as his flames.
The word stopped him more effectively than a wall.
The giant zombie pulled from beneath the road, dragging Rouxi's leg forward and knocking her off balance. Yuche caught her arm before she hit the pavement, but instead of letting him haul her away, Rouxi twisted onto one knee and drove both hands against the ground.
Roots struck the buried arm from every direction.
They didn't wrap around the stone covering it. They pushed into the cracks, splitting into thinner strands that disappeared beneath the armour and dug toward whatever flesh remained inside.
The zombie jerked away hard enough to practically tear another section of road apart.
