The ground still trembled from the impact as I straightened, steam hissing from my skin. My staff dug into the crater, Essence still humming along its length, vibrating with power.
When the dust cleared, I finally saw the phantom.
Its armor, black and seamless until now, was cracked. A deep dent marred its midsection where my strike had landed, jagged lines spreading outward like shattered glass. Deathmist leaked from the wounds in its body, not smooth or controlled anymore, but spilling wildly like blood.
The phantom staggered as it pushed itself up, its grip on the sword trembling for the first time since the fight began.
The phantom looked down at its own chest, then back at me.
"You…" it rasped, voice carrying a faint distortion, as though even speaking took effort. "You… managed to wound me?"
My grip tightened on the staff, Essence still roaring inside me, straining against the frame of my enlarged body.
