Chapter 39: Fatal Bloom
Aric Blackthorn's eyes narrowed as the thick wall of dust thinned, clearing like the breath of a wounded beast. Then—
Boom.
A shockwave burst outward, scattering the dust with explosive force. Gruden slammed into the ground, torn from the wall like meat from bone, groaning through gritted teeth.
Blood ran down his bruised and split face in thin red streams, crimson tears of fury and pain.
"s**t!" he snarled, the curse jagged with agony.
His skull still rang. That punch… if not for the blood-hardening technique he’d triggered in the split-second before impact, he’d be a corpse. His mind looped the moment over and over, like a cracked memory crystal. Aric’s sprint, the burst of force—it had all been bait. And Gruden, stupidly, had lunged into it.
His face twist
