Westin crumpled to his knees, his body screaming with pain from every nerve ending. His shield, hastily reconstructed, flickered weakly around him—a translucent bubble that barely contained his trembling form. His mana reserves were dangerously low, the dregs of his power barely enough to maintain even this pathetic defense.
'That woman... she's insane,' Westin thought, his breath coming in ragged gasps. 'I never imagined she could pierce my defenses. My barriers are supposed to be absolute. Decades of refinement, and a dragon-girl with nothing but brute force—'
His eyes darted across the battlefield, taking in the carnage. Ellen's body lay crumpled in a heap, her limbs bent at unnatural angles, her eyes still open and staring at nothing. The threads that had killed her were already retracting, glistening with blood in the morning light.
'Ellen's dead. Derek is still fighting that monster, but for how long? We're losing. This fight—we can't win.'
