The instant Serah's flames burst to life, the Redblood charged.
It launched in a blur of crimson-black motion erupting from the mist, its body snapping forward with serpentine speed. Its claws struck the ground, sending up clods of earth and shattered roots as it bounded in low arcs, weaving through trees like a phantom unbound by gravity.
Serah didn't flinch.
The fire around her ignited in a controlled burst, and she moved.
Her boots carved shallow trenches into the mossy floor as she surged forward, sword low and glowing with molten arcs. Just before they collided, she pivoted on one heel, letting the force of the Redblood's momentum carry it past her—but not without cost. She slashed upward in a diagonal sweep, the blade singing through the air.
Steel met flesh.
