Chapter 7 Chapter 7

The Apostate Beast was only a few meters away, its claws raised high and wrapped in thick miasma. I desperately tried to imprint a new shield, but my focus was slipping badly. My hands trembled, and the faint outline of the shield flickered and died before it could fully form. The beast's hot, rancid breath washed over me, reeking of sulfur and rotting meat.

I rolled to the side at the last moment. The beast's claws smashed into the ground where I had been, cracking the stone floor with a deafening crash. Shards of rock sprayed across my face, stinging my skin. I quickly imprinted a new shield and raised it just in time to block the next strike.

The impact was brutal. My arm went numb instantly, the vibrations traveling up through my shoulder and rattling my teeth. The shield held, but barely...I could see hairline fractures spiderwebbing across its surface...

I gritted my teeth and counterattacked, slashing at the beast's side with everything I had. My sword cut deeper this time. Greenish blood sprayed out, hissing where it struck the cavern floor. The Apostate Beast roared in anger and swung again. I blocked and dodged, moving around it while looking for openings, my boots slipping on the slick mixture of blood and dust.

For a moment, I actually held my ground. I landed several clean hits, carving wounds across its body. The beast's movements became slightly slower, each step more labored than the last. Hope surged inside me, warm and unfamiliar. Maybe I could actually win this. Maybe I would walk out of this cavern alive.

I saw an opening near its neck and lunged forward with a powerful thrust.

This is my chance…

The sword sank deep into the Apostate Beast's shoulder. I twisted it hard, putting all my strength into the strike, feeling the blade scrape against bone. The beast's roar became a strangled shriek.

The beast suddenly froze.

For a second, I thought I had won. But my hope, or what I felt of a victory moment, crumbled almost instantly.

Then its purple eyes flared with intense light. A dark, complex Sigil Mark appeared on its chest, glowing with ominous purple energy. The entire cavern trembled as thick miasma exploded outward, filling the air with a suffocating pressure that made my lungs burn.

The Apostate Beast activated its Sigil Mark.

Its body began to change. The wounds I had inflicted started closing rapidly, flesh knitting together with sickening wet sounds. Its muscles swelled, tearing through patches of matted fur, and its movements became much faster. I realized too late what kind of sigil it possessed.

A minor Speed Sigil Mark.

The Apostate Beast roared, its voice now layered with power, echoing off the cavern walls until my ears rang. It moved like a blur, almost instantly appearing in front of me. I raised my shield, but the strike was too fast and too powerful. The shield exploded into pieces, shards of energy cutting into my face, and the force of the blow sent me flying across the cavern.

I crashed hard into the stone wall. Pain exploded through my left arm. When I tried to move it, nothing happened.

I looked down in horror.

My left arm… was gone.

Blood poured out from the severed shoulder like a fountain, dark and steaming where it met the cold stone. The beast's miasma-covered claw had cut clean through it in a single strike.

"No…!"

Agony hit me like a tidal wave. I screamed and fell to my knees, pressing my right hand desperately against the wound. Blood kept flowing between my fingers, hot and impossibly fast. My vision started to blur from the pain and blood loss, the edges of the cavern melting into darkness.

The Apostate Beast slowly walked toward me, each step deliberate and heavy. Its purple eyes glowed with cold satisfaction. The Sigil Mark on its chest continued pulsing, making its movements terrifyingly quick even after activation.

I tried to imprint a new sword with my remaining hand, but the pain was too much. My focus was shattered, thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm. The sword that appeared looked weak and unstable, its blade wavering like a reflection in disturbed water.

The Apostate Beast raised its claw again, miasma swirling violently around it, forming jagged patterns in the air.

I forced myself to stand, using the wall for support. My legs were shaking violently, barely able to hold my weight. Blood continued pouring from the stump where my left arm used to be, soaking my clothes and pooling around my boots. The world was spinning, tilting sideways.

I imprinted another sword, trying to make it as strong as possible, but it felt nowhere near enough. The blade was thin, barely more than a whisper of light.

The Apostate Beast charged again, now moving even faster than before. Its claws tore through the air with deadly speed, leaving trails of purple afterimages.

I swung my sword with a desperate roar, but the beast easily dodged and slashed at me. I barely managed to jump back, but its claw still grazed my chest, tearing through flesh. The pain burned across my body like wildfire. I was losing too much blood. My movements were getting slower while the beast was getting faster, the gap between us widening with every heartbeat.

It attacked again without mercy. I tried to block with my sword, but it was knocked away from my hand. The weapon flew across the cavern, clattering against stone before dissolving into nothing.

I was defenseless.

The Apostate Beast stood over me, its massive shadow swallowing me whole. Its purple eyes stared down coldly, devoid of anything resembling mercy. It raised its miasma-covered claw for the finishing blow, the dark energy coiling around its talons like living smoke.

My body refused to move. The pain from my missing arm was overwhelming, a constant screaming that drowned out everything else. Darkness was starting to creep into the edges of my vision, soft and inviting.

Is this… how I die…?

The beast swung its claw down.