Skeroth moved fast and quietly like a shadow.
His red threads slithered from his fingers and wrapped around the weakest part of Hiera's glowing barrier.
He pulled once.
Snap!
The barrier cracked.
Another pull.
Shatter.
The glowing shield broke apart into flickering sparks.
Hiera turned her head sharply. "What—?!"
But before she could react, Skeroth's tail lashed forward with a flash of red light.
It wasn't just a strike, as it carried something dangerous.
Skeroth whispered, "[Trial Formula X]."
His tail glowed with twisted energy, running with strange colors like corrupted flame.
He grinned. "Let's see what kind of mutation you get."
Hiera's eyes widened.
She stepped back, raising one arm to block even without a shield.
"Damn it," she muttered. "There's another one?!"
She looked around and spotted him for real now.
"You were hiding the whole time…"
Skeroth crouched low, grinning like a mad scientist.
"I prefer to enter when things are… vulnerable."
