“F-for what?”
“I don’t know—for anything, for everything.”
Yuki sounded as if he was trying to laugh, but he wheezed instead. “Thanks,” he managed, “for keeping me company. Was fun.”
Desperately, Yiran pulled up his sleeve, bringing his exposed wrist closer. “Will it—will this help?”
Can I save you?
“Stupid.” Yuki tried to glare. Tried to raise his hand to wipe away Yiran’s tears. “Visit me... like Eddy.” He tried to smile, but even smiling seemed to hurt him. “Be h-happy... fall in love.” He closed his eyes and drew a long, shuddering breath.
“Yuki? Yu—”
Yiran’s senses tingled, and he froze.
A different threat had arrived.
Something was standing on top of the metal crates above them. If it was a Revenant, it was a kind of Revenant he’d never seen before. It was huge, almost seven feet tall, with mottled gray skin. Its protruding eyes glowed red, its fangs sharpened to points. Tentacles grew out of its back like spiked feelers, thrashing in the air.
Yiran didn’t even know if he could run, let alone cast a spell. And when he tried to steady his breath, his head spun and he had to lean against the wall.
Growling, the creature propelled itself into the air, its spiked feelers spreading out. Instinctively, Yiran threw himself over Yuki like a shield, but as the Revenant landed, it howled in pain. Something was jutting out of its flesh.
A blade. Black like night, its sides gleaming red.
An acrid sulfur stench filled the air. The creature convulsed on the ground, melting into a pool of murky liquid and smoke.
Zizi stepped forward, breathing heavily, looking at the gross fluid with disgust. “What the hell was that?”
“Mutated Revenant, I think,” Yiran croaked. “You look terrible.”
“Shut up. So do you.”
“Here.” Yiran pressed the talisman into his hand. “Take it to the underwor—”
Something huge and gray streaked passed them, howling as it jumped onto the top of the crates and down the other side.
Zizi’s eyes bulged in horror. “Where are they coming from?”
Yiran blinked hard, trying to clear his head as he spoke. “The concentrated yinqi must be causing the mutations. The blast must’ve started the machine—we have to shut it down.”
“What machine?”
“Rui—” Yiran grabbed Zizi in pure panic. “Rui went back inside.”
70
Ash
Ash hadn’t expected to walk into an ongoing mutiny, but when the Hybrids realized there were Exorcists among them, they turned their sights on their common enemy. The Hybrids were much stronger than Ash had ever encountered, and it took time to work his way through the maze of containers toward the upswell of spiritual energy he’d felt.
Feinting left, Ash spoke an incantation as he arced his arm. The yangqi bullet from his pistol curved as it tore through the air, hitting his Hybrid attacker. It made a hole in her thigh, but she didn’t go down. Hissing in pain, she swung a clawed hand toward him, her spiked tail swishing from the opposite end. Ash dropped low, blasting a series of quick shots into the ground, directing his magicthroughthe concrete itself and releasing a burst of magic from below.
The floor cracked open.
Tendrils of radiant energy shot up, ensnaring the Hybrid as she shrieked and struggled. In seconds, her body crumbled to dust. But there were two other Hybrids running at him, each with murderous intent.
Red light flashed in the corner, and a whip cracked in the air.
