Striking first was always better than waiting to be attacked.
As such, when the rumbling began, I attacked first instead of waiting.
My blade flashed forward in a perfect arc, aiming for the vampire elder mid-descent. But Elder Lazarus twisted in the air with impossible grace, evading my strike entirely. For all my training, the gap between us was clear—a wounded academy student against an Ascendant-rank vampire wasn't a fair fight by any measure.
"Arthur!" Lucifer shouted, already moving to intercept Bishop Vale, who had floated down on currents of dark miasma. "The others—"
The chamber shuddered violently, ancient dust raining from the ceiling. A deafening crack split the air as the floor beneath us began to fracture, the stone groaning under centuries of pressure suddenly released.
"Go!" I called to Rachel and the rest, gesturing toward the hidden passage Deia had discovered. "We'll hold them!"
