The machete connected with the drill-tipped shell.
For a split second, the blade actually bit into the metal, cutting a shallow groove.
And then the shell exploded.
"KABOOM!"
Shockwaves blasted everywhere like a boulder thrown into a still lake.
The detonation was massive, easily ten times more powerful than the grenades Jessica had used. This was military-grade shell designed to destroy armored vehicles and fortified positions. The explosion created a fireball that expanded outward in a perfect sphere, consuming everything within a twenty-meter radius.
Vogue was caught at the absolute center of the blast. His dragon wing took the brunt of the initial impact, the tough scales and bone structure resisting the heat and force for precious milliseconds. But it wasn't enough to completely protect him.
