Time slowed to a crawl.
Tianlong's lips were mere inches from Mamoon's mouth—puckered, moving closer with that infuriating confidence. Inside the butterfly prison, Yuna's scream tore through the dimensional barrier, unheard but desperate.
"PROFESSOR, DON'T DO IT! SHE'S MY MOTHER!"
Mamoon blinked, her amber eyes wide with confusion as this strange man's face approached hers. She'd never seen this gesture before—what was he trying to do? Bite her? Some kind of attack?
Her instincts kicked in.
CRACK!
Mamoon's forehead smashed into Tianlong's face with brutal force, a perfect headbutt that would've shattered a normal man's skull. The impact echoed across the battlefield, drawing every eye.
Tianlong stumbled backward, hand flying to his nose. Blood trickled between his fingers.
For a moment, silence.
Then he started laughing. Deep, rich, genuinely amused laughter that made his shoulders shake. "Damn, lady. You've got one hell of a hard head."
