The figure's head tilted, its black eyes fixed on the sphere of darkness where Alice was suspended. Its voice came out in a low, broken whisper, like glass grinding against stone.
"Bloom... bloom... bloom..."
The word repeated, faster, more frantic, until it became a chant—a mad, raving litany that echoed through the void.
"BLOOM! BLOOM! BLOOM! BLOOM!"
Adam's grip tightened on Ouroboros's Fang. His voice was cold, flat.
"You're insane."
He lunged.
Ouroboros's Fang blazed with golden light as he swung it in a devastating arc aimed at the figure's neck. The blade should have connected but the figure simply wasn't there.
Adam's momentum carried him forward, his blade slicing through empty air. Before he could recover, a foot slammed into his chest with brutal, precise force.
