Argos's head finished reattaching with a wet crunch. He grinned through bloodied teeth, red glow pulsing in his palms like a second heartbeat.
"Your unhinged satire won't save you from what's about to come. We'll see how well you fare against your missing partners."
Kyle didn't answer. He was watching the way the glow moved. It wasn't natural. It crawled under Argos's skin like worms made of light, feeding everything back together.
[This isn't regeneration,] Snow said in his head, voice low. [It's replacement. Vladimir's blood is rebuilding him from scratch every time you kill him.]
'So I'm fighting a marionette.'
[Exactly. Cut the strings or you're here all night.]
Kyle shifted his weight, shadow katana dragging a line through the dirt. "Guess we find the strings then."
Argos lunged.
The ground split under his charge. Kyle met him mid-stride, ducking low and carving upward. The katana opened Argos from sternum to throat.
Blood sprayed.
