Akhil met them in the center.
No defensive stance. No careful positioning. He simply moved into the space where the most attacks would converge and let his transformed body do what it had evolved to do.
His speed had increased beyond what Blood Step used to grant him—this was baseline now, his new normal, fast enough that the ninjas' coordinated assault looked almost slow in comparison. He twisted between blade strikes that should have been impossible to avoid, his enhanced perception reading their trajectories before the weapons completed their arcs.
His hand caught one ninja by the throat mid-strike.
He didn't use Instant Kill this time—that would end it too quickly, and the bloodlust wanted something more visceral, more satisfying than the efficiency of instant destruction.
He squeezed.
