The serpent thrashed violently, its colossal body smashing against trunks and tearing grooves into the earth, but Astrael clung to it like a maddened predator refusing to release its prey.
The crimson tendrils seared deeper into the wound, drinking, pulling, feeding his body with vitality while draining the beast's strength. His sword sank to the hilt between its scales, but that wasn't enough.
"—DIE!" Astrael roared, his voice warped by the blood energy, sounding more beast than man.
He twisted the blade savagely, then drove his free hand into the snake's jaw. Muscles straining, veins bulging dark against his skin, he pried its maw wider. The serpent screeched, tail lashing, but Astrael only pulled harder. The tendrils wrapped around his arm, reinforcing his grip, bones creaking under the unnatural force.
CRRRK—SHRRRAACK!
