Quinlan threw everything he had into defense. Earth and wind compressed into a layered shield before his chest, mana pouring out of him at a rate that made his vision swim.
The beam hit his shield and punched through the first layer like it wasn't there.
The second layer cracked.
The third buckled.
Then Black Fang was in front of him.
"[Orochi's Fang]!"
Her katana swept upward in a rising arc that met the beam head-on. Violet fire clashed with golden light, and for a single hideous second the two forces ground against each other in a screaming collision of holy purity and serpentine venom. The spillover blasted in every direction, scouring the stone clean on both sides of the street.
