He’d told her he only used his spiritual weapon when he had no other choice. He’d also shared that the nature of his attack allowed for three strikes before he needed to recover from the exertion.
Another whistle.
Another blow.
Rui clambered out of the broken window, wincing as tiny bits of glass cut her palms.Hurry,she urged her legs. If whoever Zizi was fighting hadn’t perished from the first two strikes, it meant that he only had one more chance to finish the job.
But before she could get any closer, violet and crimson light burst into the sky, like lightning from another world.
Rui sprinted, then skidded to a stop, shocked by what she saw.
Yiran was hunched over, but he seemed largely unhurt. Near him, crumpled on the ground, was a waiflike young man with violet stubs sticking out of his back.
A Hybrid.
He wasn’t the only one.
Spiky hair, callous eyes, and a sadistic smile—if you could call it a smile. The other Hybrid was built like a tank. Growing out of his back were eight violet spinal blades, each with a point ready to inflict pain. They arched over his head and around his body, sharp ends crisscrossing like the teeth of a Venus flytrap. Ensnared in those blades was a boy, his arms limp, head lolling to the side.
“Zizi!” Rui shrieked.
“Come any closer and he dies,” the Hybrid growled.
A violet blade slid out, agonizingly slow, just under Zizi’s left collarbone. Red seeped into the white of his T-shirt, spreading fast.
Rui cried out. It felt like she had been impaled along with him.
Zizi opened his eyes and found her. “I thought I told you to stay in the car,” he rasped. His tone was so utterly normal, like he was telling her about a new set of pajamas he’d bought instead of bleeding to death in front of her.
“Why did you run off without me?” she screamed.
“I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“I had to smash the windows to get out of the car.”
“Should’ve known there was no stopping you.” Zizi managed a crooked smile. His teeth were stained with blood.
“Enough of this lovers’ chitchat,” the hulking Hybrid snapped. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight, mage. I was hoping to have some fun tonight.”
Zizi coughed. Blood dribbled down his chin. “I was distracted by your friend. Two against one seems kind of unfair, don’t you think?”
A sound of pain came from the other Hybrid. Smoke rose from the violet stubs on his back. They were disintegrating. It looked like something had been chopped off.
His yinqi. It was depleted. Which meant they stood a chance.
Rui caught Yiran’s eye. The skin on his cheek was a painful red and blistering, but he could fight if he had her sword. He could take the weaker Hybrid out. Yiran nodded imperceptibly at her. He understood. All she needed was an opportunity.
“What are you doing here, Aloysius?” said the Hybrid boy, looking dazed as he struggled to his feet.
“Yuki, Yuki, oh sweet little Yuki. Did you think they wouldn’t send me to check up on you?”
Rui’s ears pricked. Who was Aloysius referring to?
Yuki lowered his eyes. “I had it under control.”
It wasn’t fear Rui sensed in his words, but anger.
“If you say so. This was a simple job. This was your chance to prove yourself, and you screwed up.” Aloysius cackled, seemingly reveling in making Yuki feel small. “They’re not going to take kindly to your failure.”
