Nadya was done.
Knees in the dirt. Shoulders slumped. Tears streaked down her bruised, soot-covered face.
She didn't care anymore.
The town was gone. Flattened. Burned. Crushed.
Everyone she fought for… everyone she tried to protect… all gone.
Amina, Isaac, all the townsfolk - they were either killed by monsters, or turned into monsters that had to be put down by their own hands.
'What is there left to fight for?'
And while Nadya crumbled, the giant monster roared with triumph. Takeshi burst forth to draw its attention. He darted around its massive body like a mosquito with a blade, slicing across its hide, opening minor wounds that were barely registered by the juggernaut.
To the monster, it was like being jabbed with a sewing needle - nothing but an irritating pinch.
With a guttural bellow, the monster finally managed to swat Takeshi mid-air. The blindfolded swordsman crashed into a pile of rubble with a grunt, kicking up a storm of dust and debris.
