The chamber quaked.
A low, guttural sound echoed through the vast darkness, reverberating through my bones. The oppressive pressure in the air thickened, suffocating, heavy. My instincts screamed at me to run.
Then, it emerged from the abyss.
The Cursed Herald.
A monstrous fusion of lion and raven, its pale, corpse-like skin rippled with muscles coiled like steel cables. Its head and chest were wreathed in dark feathers, shifting ominously with every movement. The sheer size of the beast was staggering.
It moved, stretching its grotesque form—two powerful hind legs bracing against the ground, while six additional limbs protruded from its wide chest, each tipped with hooked claws sharp enough to carve through steel.
Its jagged black beak opened slightly, releasing a soundless shriek. I could hear nothing, but my very soul felt it—a crawling, gnawing force that threatened to unravel me from the inside out.
The weight of its gaze settled on me.
I clenched my fists.
I felt he only thought about killing me.
It struck first.
A blur of movement.
The six claws tore forward, the monstrous speed impossible for something of its size. I barely had time to react before death came screaming toward me.
I twisted, dropping low, my breath steady. Chi You—Heavenly Hand of Defense.
The moment its attack connected, I absorbed the force into my body, redirecting the energy outward. My arm moved like a coiled serpent, guiding the impact away—the redirected force slamming one of its own limbs against its body.
A thunderous crack.
The beast staggered, its talons carving deep trenches into the ground.
But it didn't stop.
It lunged.
I saw it—the flow of Energy. The beast's lifeforce surged through its body like a storm, concentrated in its limbs before each devastating strike. It was unrelenting. A savage predator.
But I could see the cruxes. The weak points hidden within the flow.
Chi You—Tortoise Ripple.
I exhaled sharply. A near-invisible bullet of compressed air shot from my lips, striking one of the glowing stars in its Energy flow.
The Herald twitched, but didn't make much of a difference. Still it was enough to avoid a lethal strike.
A mistake.
I capitalized.
My leg rose, cutting through the air in a crescent arc. Chi You—White Tiger Crescent Moon.
The impact tore through the air like a hurricane, slamming into the beast's left side. Dark feathers and pale flesh ripped open, sending it skidding backward a few step.
It let out a shriek—this time, audible.
A sound filled with rage.
It wasn't just a mindless creature. It could adapt. Learn.
And it was angry.
The battle raged on.
The Herald attacked with all eight of its limbs—a terrifying onslaught of speed and strength. I dodged, parried, redirected, my body moving in a dance of survival. My strikes were precise, weaving between its monstrous limbs, targeting weaknesses, disrupting its Energy flow.
But it was getting faster.
Its body learned from every exchange, its movements refining, shifting, evolving.
Then—
A mistake.
For a fraction of a second, my breath hitched — a single moment too slow.
Its beak lashed forward.
I twisted, but not fast enough.
A searing pain exploded across my side as razor-sharp edges tore through flesh. I barely managed to avoid a fatal wound, but the impact sent me crashing backward.
My body slammed against stone. Agony. My vision blurred for an instant.
I forced myself up, gasping. Blood dripped from my wound, staining my fingers as I pressed a hand against it. Not deep, but bad enough.
I exhaled slowly.
Pain is just another signal. Another piece of information.
I steadied my stance.
The cavern trembled.
The Herald loomed, eyes burning with a terrible, intelligent malice.
The air shifted.
I felt it.
The final moment.
It knew. I knew.
This was it.
One final strike.
The beast crouched low, its Energy surging, every muscle tensing for a decisive attack.
I mirrored it. My body coiled, breath steady. Chi You—Mount Tai Dragon Claw.
One moment of stillness.
Then—
The world exploded into motion.