Without hesitation, Emerald lunged to meet them.
Her blade flashed with white mana, trailing arcs of light through the air as she struck at the approaching figures. The formless shadow soldiers were relentless, moving like ink in water—slippery, fast, and nearly untouchable.
With three heretics already dead, only two remained.
But the shadow soldiers… they were still the real threat.
One of them lashed out with a clawed arm, and Emerald deflected it with the flat of her sword, twisting to the side and countering with a downward slash.
The blade passed through the creature's neck.
It split in two—only to re-form an instant later, hissing silently as it retaliated with another swipe.
Emerald spun back, narrowly avoiding the hit, her boots scraping across the stone floor.
Just then—
A flicker of movement behind her.
She turned her head—and her heart skipped.
One of the remaining heretics had broken away from the fight.
