Atticus' gaze narrowed as a flicker slipped through the fog.
The next moment, a snarl tore through the air. A large, gaping maw burst out from the haze, snapping shut around the man's legs up to his upper torso.
As golden blood sprayed across the sky, every gaze snapped wide.
"REVERENTS!"
More flickers rippled through the fog the next instant. An endless wave of beasts surged out, rushing toward them.
"Endless blade."
An incalculable number of slashes materialized, carving through the wave in an instant. Every eye turned to Atticus. He now hovered in the air, his will raging around him like a storm.
Atticus' expression hardened as he stared into the fog.
These reverents looked different from the earlier ones. Though the crimson teeth, claws, and jagged bones jutting from their backs remained, their forms were more avian, with wide, beating wings. But that wasn't the only difference.
'They're stronger.'
