A massive, incandescent blade—crafted from the forceful, yet controlled, compression of flames—tore through the air with sizzling intensity, reaching its target in no time flat and digging into their scales.
Kenzo, immobilized by the fiery energy raging through him, was stuck between a rock and a hard place, watching the blade tear into his neck slowly.
He circulated the energy around his body faster, even pooling some over the spot the blade was cutting into to prevent it from going any further.
He hadn't expected the energy to force him into a state of torpidity, now he was paying with his life.
Kenzo's whole life flashed before his eyes at that moment. Buried memories and fresh ones alike resurfaced at the same time, and he re-lived some moments—both the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Two familiar faces popped up in his mind and he involuntarily teared up. Those faces looked like older versions of him and Matilda, hinting at who they were.
