Page 243 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

I whipped my head to the side as something flashed in my periphery.

Either I was hallucinating or an assassin without an X over her head was headed toward us. “Straight ahead,” I warned the demons.

We backed up until we were pressed against Luka.

Since all three of us had marks, if someone drew his blood, we’d lose.

I crouched so I was protecting his legs. The demons shuffled close to protect his front and sides.

We formed a shield.

The assassin was disappearing into the wide shadows cast by the poles that surrounded the field.

She approached as a blur.

Closer.

I raised my arm back, but I only had one dagger, and she was zigzagging so fast that it would be almost impossible to get a good hit.

The demons pointed their ink swords forward, but their arms trembled slightly from fatigue and blood loss.

In her hand, a sharp bone sword gleamed white.

I prepared for a world of hurt.

Out of nowhere, an object slammed against the bony assassin, and she fell to her knees with an object protruding from her chest.

Sadie marched across the field with a blank expression. She’d flicked on the numb, the homicidal voice in her head that made her into a killing machine. My best friend was completely uninjured and didn’t have an X above her head.

“Stand up,” Sadie ordered in a monotone voice.

The assassin complied like a zombie, a blood dagger sticking out of her sternum and infecting her.

Sadie’s ruby eyes glowed against her golden skin. She looked like she was born from the eclipse.

Since they’d approved her blood dagger, she technically wasn’t breaking any rules. I think.

It seemed like it was kind of a gray area.

Sadie’s raspy voice cracked like a whip. “Hunt down your fellow teammates and stab them. Now.”

The assassin turned and sprinted across the arena with impressive speed.

Sadie watched dispassionately.

Behind her a devil sprinted across the field with his flame sword raised above his head.

“Behind you!” I shouted and pulled back my throwing arm.

Before I could act, Jax slammed into the devil like a truck. Braids flew around his head and impressive muscles rippled as in midair he hammered his fist into the devil’s face.

He tackled him to the ground and flung the flame sword to the side, then Jax tore at the man with his claws.

A menacing roar erupted from his chest.

Jax shredded his skin with a vengeance.

“Kill him!” Cobra screamed from the spectator section, and Ascher and Xerxes whistled and yelled in agreement.

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