From the highest rooftop in Lumious, Merci crouched, her crimson eyes narrowing as she looked down at the chaos below.
The once-feared General Ryan was no longer a man, but a hulking, corrupted beast. His claws raked against Lucian's shimmering mana shields, each strike shaking the ground as if the entire settlement quaked beneath him.
Around them, shadows writhed and twisted, dozens of her familiars leaping, snarling, snapping at Lucian like hounds tearing at a lion.
Merci bit her lip, torn. She could intervene—she wanted to crush him beneath a tide of familiars—but she knew the truth of her own power.
Every shadow familiar she created divided her strength. The more she birthed into existence, the thinner her essence stretched, until she became vulnerable.
No, she couldn't risk herself now. Not when her true contractor needed her alive.
Her form shimmered as she pulled back, shadows curling around her like a cloak as she slipped into the building behind her.
