Meanwhile, in the department store kill-box, Isabelle's world had narrowed to the next swing of her sword, the next parry, the next desperate gasp for air.
BOOM!
She ducked under the club of an Ogre, the wind from its passage shrieking in her ears.
She came up, driving her dark blade, Dáinsleif, into the creature's side.
The impact was a sharp, final crack. A small shockwave rippled out, and the Ogre collapsed.
But her victory was short-lived. Another took its place, its face a mask of stupid fury.
"How many more are there?!" Reina yelled, her knuckles bloody.
She was fighting with a savage economy of motion, but even her explosive power was being worn down by the sheer, unending number of targets.
"They have to run out eventually!" Fenris howled, tearing the arm off an Ogre that had gotten too close.
They had formed a tight circle, a tiny island of defiance in a sea of green-skinned rage.