Tatsumi tried to crawl away, dragging herself across broken stone with one working arm.
Her sword lay forgotten behind her, and blood pooled beneath her torn robes. Her spiritual aura flickered, weak, unstable.
Liu Mei walked slowly, step by step, eyes never leaving her prey.
There was not even a bit of sympathy in her gaze.
Only judgment.
Only wrath.
She kicked Tatsumi over onto her back and knelt beside her, straddling her chest as she raised one glowing dagger high.
"Where are you trying to go? I'm right here," Liu Mei whispered, her voice almost tender.
Tatsumi coughed, lips cracked. "Your master… he has corrupted you…"
"No," Liu Mei said. "He saved me."
And then the dagger came down.
First, the right arm, a clean, brutal slice through the shoulder joint. Blood spurted as Tatsumi screamed, her body convulsing beneath Liu Mei.
The dagger burned hot, cauterizing the wound as it cut, leaving behind a seared stump.
Then Liu Mei moved with clinical precision.
