The Alpha Shadow Wolf charged, crimson eyes burning with a ferocity born of desperation.
Its severed foreleg left a dark trail of ichor across the arena floor, yet the loss barely hindered its movements. The beast's remaining limbs pounded against the stone, propelling it toward Klaus and Alex with terrifying speed. Its jaws stretched wide, revealing shadow-coated fangs poised to tear flesh from bone.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Klaus gripped his sword with practiced calm. The survival protocol heightened his senses, magnifying every detail: the shifting of the wolf's muscles as it compensated for its missing leg, the vibrating mana currents that pulsed through its shadow-wrapped body, the faint whistling of air as the beast surged toward him.
His mind processed it all in a heartbeat.
Its weight distribution is off. Left side compromised. Lethal, but predictable.
He exhaled and moved.
