"Cover me," Gabriel said.
Sophie didn't ask what he intended to do, nor did she ask if he was certain. She merely nodded and poured all of her mana into the vines without reservation. Those vines sprouted, spread, and intertwined madly, forming a corridor paved with thorns before Gabriel.
"Go!"
With a sharp cry from Sophie, the vines surged forward like a tidal wave. Wherever the thorns passed, dozens of worker ants were pierced, shredded, and flung aside, purple bodily fluids raining down to form a sticky, viscous carpet upon the ground.
At the same moment, Gabriel's figure vanished.
