Two Shellers, out of the group blocking our path, hurled themselves into the way of the flying knife. Their speed was frightening, almost beyond what the eye could follow. The blade tore into their chests. The next thing was the sound of their lifeless bodies hitting the ground.

Alpha Same erupted in laughter, the kind that pierced through the noise and reached the bone. His voice carried mockery, triumph, and arrogance all woven together.

“Oh, you thought you could end me in a single strike, didn’t you?” he sneered, baring his teeth in a smile too broad to be anything but cruel. “But now you’re shocked. Shocked to realize that...