[Realm: Álfheimr]
[Location: Outskirts]
The world seemed to lurch around him as he moved first—not forward, but away, instinct dragging him back as the air screamed.
Red lightning tore open the space in front of Dante.
Orthrus manifested mid-snarl, its two heads snapping down in a mirrored action. Jaws wide. Heat and static rolled off its fur. There was no warning beyond the crack of thunder and the sudden, suffocating presence of killing intent.
Dante reacted instantly. He twisted into a backward flip, boots scraping sparks from the broken ground as one set of fangs closed where his throat had been a heartbeat earlier. The second head followed.
But he drove his heel forward.
Bone gave way with a wet snap. One of Orthrus's jaws caved inward at an impossible angle, teeth shattering, flesh tearing as the force sent the massive hound spiraling sideways. It crashed through broken stone in a shower of debris, howling—one growl broken, the other roaring in fury.
