Jack stood at the edge of the emerald knoll, his heterochromic eyes fixed on the ragged tear behind the cascading water.
The distant, rhythmic rumble beneath the basalt vibrated through the soles of his boots, steady as a death march.
Ren shifted his weight, his fingers brushing the hilt of his katana. "I can sever its space from three miles out. It won't even feel the edge before it drops."
"No," Jack said, his voice flat, cutting through the pleasant burble of the subterranean river. "Stay here."
Ren glanced at him, eyebrows raising slightly. "You want to fight the Behemoth alone?"
"Baelok didn't challenge you," Jack replied, stepping off the grass. "He challenged me. If you cut it down, all I've proven is that I have a lethal dog on a leash. I need him to see what happens when I take the field."
Ren shrugged, letting his thumb fall away from the guard.
