Just as Kai exchanged that cold grin, a beast lunged from behind, jaws wide open for a fatal bite.
But Vex intercepted, pouncing from the side with a vicious hiss.
Her claws ripped through the beast's neck, blood spraying as it collapsed before it could touch Kai.
Kai didn't flinch.
He was already moving.
Twin daggers gleamed in his hands. In a flash of movement, his figure blurred, vanishing from sight—
And reappeared behind the burly man, blades slicing through the air, aiming for a lethal strike across his back.
But the man twisted just in time, grabbing Kai's wrists mid-slash with a bone-crushing grip.
"Too slow," he growled.
"What—"
Crack!
Before Kai could react, the burly man lifted him like a doll and slammed him into the ground with a thunderous crack.
The impact sent up a cloud of dirt.
Then—
WHAM!
Kai was yanked up by the collar and hurled several meters across the clearing, crashing into a tree trunk.
The other lackeys regained their courage at the sight.
