The shockwave rolled through the chamber like a physical thing, bending metal, rattling fractured stone. Dust rained from the ceiling in long, trembling streams. Lira braced herself against a pillar, vision swimming as the whole Temple lurched sideways for a heartbeat.
When the rumbling steadied, she saw Yuri locked with the creature mid-charge, the two forces clashing in a violent, grinding stalemate. The creature pushed forward with raw pressure, its form expanding and contracting like a lung inhaling too much air. Yuri's boots carved lines into the stone as he held his ground, blade braced between them.
"Move!" Lira shouted, her voice cracking through the chaos.
Yuri didn't budge.
The creature's hands wrapped around the blade—its fingers warping around the metal like molten tar, bending its shape without heat. The steel groaned under the pressure. Yuri tried to pull back, but the creature held the weapon in place effortlessly, pinning him in the center of the chamber.
