Ace struck the freshly bolted plate covering the undead horse's chest. Rebound damage slammed back through his arms, tearing through what flesh remained and the Ink replacing it, rupturing both.
He squeezed his eyes shut and roared.
Is that rebound damage stronger, or is my body not keeping up?!
As the thought hit, his arms went limp.
He barely stayed on his feet.
Vision shook, tripled, then went dark at the edges.
He fought for breath, spent and reeling.
Weak? No.
The Conductor was stronger—far beyond a Ranker who hadn't spent a month on Gravehaven Isle. Even Rank One couldn't handle him.
When the undead horse whistled and reared, the Conductor checked it with the reins. The horse wheezed and tossed its head. It turned and left Ace kneeling, shoulders low, drained.
The Conductor's Darkness Domain still darkened the forest floor. A small black ticket bobbed into the air. It swayed left and right, then settled in front of him.
