Chapter 39: Desperate Attempt
A colossal shadow standing nearly five meters tall tore through the dome of shadows, and in a dark blur, massive claws were upon Vlad, moments away from slicing him to death.
Vlad, guided by his inhuman instinct, used Dash combined with the ghost weave. The world blurred as he stepped away, slipping beneath the claw, which missed his torso by inches but shredded the stone beneath him like parchment.
Vlad snapped upright, already layering Reinforcement on his right arm and the crimson claws. As the ground beneath his feet shook, he swung his claws at the wound on the Eclipseborn’s neck.
A surge of power pulsed beneath his skin, his muscles humming with tension as his claws dug into the giant’s iron-like skin.
It wasn’t enough. Not for this thing.
The beast turned and swung, and once again, Vlad ducked under it, but the sheer force behind it hit him like a hammer of wind.
Vlad stepped inside and delivered another attack at the same spot on the neck, drawing more streaks of blood. He knew that without delivering a crippling injury, his chances of survival were slim, let alone achieving victory.
The colossus shrugged away the injury and swiftly shifted. His massive maw, lined with blades for teeth, snapped before his claw vanished in a dark blur.
Vlad used Ghost weave to step back just as a claw the size of a scythe shredded the air beside him.
His body trembled from the effort of executing the footwork multiple times in mere moments. A jolt of pain ran through his left leg, and his muscles felt like they were on fire.
The Eclipseborn swung again, and Vlad barely slipped past the raking claw, feeling the air scream as the few-foot-long blade carved through it.