Between them

The air vibrated with an almost unbearable tension. Around Cliff and Rakahn, the variant demons stood poised to kill, their massive bodies oozing black energy, threatening to explode at any moment. Their eyes, glowing with incandescent hate, fixed on their prey like starving predators. The atmosphere seemed to thicken, each breath becoming a battle in itself.

Cliff, his face set, gripped his katana. He had chosen to remain in his human form, preferring the balance and control his blade offered over the raw instinct of his transformation. Beside him, Rakahn spun his two khopeshes with deadly fluidity, the curved blades tracing shimmering arcs in the air.

The assault began without warning.