Elio rose to his full height, black blood dripping from his sword's edge.
Only 5 abominations remained to eliminate.
Transformative energy continued to swirl around the remaining artromus like a tempest of power, their forms blurring and shifting as they underwent their metamorphosis.
Elio calculated he could eliminate at least one more before they completed their changes, but the memories of Enid and Arnaud weighed heavily in his mind. Their faces, frozen in those final moments of sacrifice, burned into his consciousness like brands.
Each drop of their spilled blood demanded vengeance, but also caution.
No more sacrifices while he still stood.
With a fluid movement, he extended his hand.
The carbon-infused metal responded to his will with a precision he had never before experienced, as if the very atoms themselves were extensions of his consciousness.
