Red didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second as his sword came down with full force. The motion was clean and decisive as it cut through the air toward Michael's exposed body.
In that moment Michael didn't raise his weapon fast enough because something inside him had already begun to collapse under the weight of everything pressing down on his mind and heart, leaving him staring upward with fading focus as the blade descended.
The impact landed across his chest with brutal force. The edge tearing through his flesh as his body jerked violently against the ground.
A thick mouthful of blood burst from his mouth as the pain finally broke through the haze and dragged him back into reality, but it came too late to matter.
