The blood-red lightning came down like a verdict.
Ken moved on instinct, throwing himself sideways as the leader's blade carved through the space he had been standing in. The ground where he had been split open, a clean gash in the earth that smoked at the edges. Ken landed in a roll, came up on one knee and assessed fast.
The leader was already moving again.
He was big, bigger than the demonic humans Ken had been cutting through like paper, and he moved with a completely different weight to him, like every step he took was a declaration. The blood-red lightning coiled around his blade like something alive, restless, hungry. He swung again and the lightning cracked off the blade in a wide arc, forcing Ken to dive back again.
'Too much range.'
