The Count laughed. Actually laughed. "Adorable. You adapt. I do enjoy toys that last."
"Everyone spread!" Keiji barked. "Do NOT clump!"
Too late.
The Count's shadow peeled off the ground and lunged, turning into serrated spears that erupted upward.
Zeref grabbed me by the waist and blinked us back just as one sliced through where my head had been.
Kael wasn't as lucky.
One shadow clipped his shoulder, tearing through armor like it was paper and sending him skidding across the ground.
"Kael!" I screamed.
He rolled, came up coughing, blood dark against his sleeve, and still managed to grin. "Still prettier than him."
The Count's eyes flicked to him. Interest sharpened.
"Oh? A mouthy one."
Fire roared.
Zeref retaliated instantly, crimson flames spiraling into a compressed vortex aimed straight at the demon's chest. It hit. It connected.
For half a second, hope flared.
Then the Count stepped out of the fire, coat barely singed, expression bored.
