The corridor shook under the creature's roar, a guttural sound that reverberated through steel and bone alike.
Qingran's ears rang, but she held her ground, flames snapping around her fists. Her lungs burned from the effort, but backing down now meant they'd all die.
Lingquan's projection shimmered at her flank, calculating angles in real time. "Its dermal plating is absorbing most of your direct strikes. Aim for softer tissue."
"I already know that!" she snapped, dodging a swipe that sliced through a bulkhead like paper. Sparks rained down, lighting the space in hellish flashes.
The thing loomed before them,easily three meters tall, its frame a grotesque fusion of sinew and obsidian plating.
Muscles rippled beneath its hide, each movement fluid, calculated. Its tail lashed behind it, gouging furrows in the floor with every swing.
Ruihuang barreled forward with his blade raised high, teeth bared. "Let's see how tough you really are!"
