The second came from above, leaping high, its claws glowing red-hot with molten heat. It slashed downward in a killing strike.
Wuxie didn't even raise his sword.
He stepped forward, almost lazily, and drove his boot upward into the creature's jaw. The kick landed with a crack like thunder, stone fragments exploding outward. Its entire head fractured, the molten glow inside flaring once before the body burst into shards of fire and crumbling stone.
The cavern rumbled.
This time it wasn't from the dying creature, but from the ground itself. Hairline fractures spread across the tiles and stone beneath his feet, glowing faintly red as if something burned beneath the surface. From those cracks, shadows began to rise—twisting shapes that solidified into crawling beasts.
One, then two. Then ten.
Then dozens.
