Jin had no idea what Hae-seong's full power was, and he had no intention of waiting to find out. The faster he ended this, the better.
He crossed the distance in a single step. The pale blade rose toward Hae-seong's neck while the dark blade swept low for his legs, two cuts thrown half a heartbeat apart.
Hae-seong lifted his left hand and curled his fingers, as if hooking something out of the air.
Jin's body locked in place.
Every muscle seized at once. His blades stopped a hand's width from Hae-seong's robe, and his feet froze mid-step. He couldn't move his arms or even draw a breath. Something had closed around the center of his chest, and it was holding him there.
Hae-seong's fingers tightened. Then he pulled.
The pain tore through Jin like nothing he had felt before. It wasn't a cut or a burn. It felt like something rooted deep in his body, wrapped around his ribs and his spine, was being ripped out all at once. He wanted to scream, but his throat wouldn't open.
