Sloth appeared behind Ludwig and closed one hand around an enormous horn. Sloth pulled, snapping the crimson structure and tearing it free from Ludwig's skull. The deep crack echoed across the battlefield.
Then Sloth punched. His fist did not enter Ludwig's chest.
It went through it.
The hand emerged from his back carrying pieces of spine, ribs and something dark that had once been an organ. Before the Living Vessel could react, Sloth struck Ludwig's head with a second punch and launched him across the canyon.
Ludwig struck the distant wall and disappeared into the rock. The cliff collapsed around him, and Kaiser's mirror flickered beneath the force of the impact.
Thomas stopped moving. Tull's mouth tightened, and even Cain leaned forward.
Sloth stood alone before the ruined wall, blue blood drying across skin that had already reconstructed.
"Without the armor that carried Wrath before you, your vessel is inferior."
No answer came from the rubble.
