The boss twitched, her breathing sharp and erratic, and the alpha's ears pressed back against his skull, his entire body trembling under a sudden flood of dread, instincts firing off in blind panic, warning him that the thing standing in front of them wasn't prey, it wasn't prey at all, but something far f*cking worse.
"Oh well," Lanz said, dragging the words out with a grin that didn't reach his eyes, lifting his blade just enough for its edges to catch the faint light.
His voice took on that sing-song mockery that always made beasts (and people) regret hearing it. "At least I got to test my new skill on the dumb b*tches who thought leaving me out was a good idea."
[Quick Sever — Activated.]
His blade moved in a blur, an unbroken chain of cuts slicing through the air before the sound of the first even finished ringing.
Ten consecutive slashes landed before either beasts could react, shallow by design but placed with cruel precision across tendons, muscles, and joints.
