Slash.
My sword sang through the air, meeting the mantis's glowing scythe strike at just the right angle.
Sparks flared, and the green arc split into two jagged halves.
One slammed into the ground right in front of the thunder jaguar charging me, exploding into dust and shards of stone.
The jaguar skidded on instinct, muscles rippling under its sleek pelt, and flung itself sideways just before the blast radius consumed it. Sharp. Too sharp.
Jaguars weren't supposed to think like that.
The second half of the mantis's slash carved into the wall right beside me, detonating with enough force to drown me in a screen of dust.
I coughed once but held steady. Through the haze, my eyes caught it. The mantis staggered, just slightly, its stance dipping. Mana recoil.
It couldn't chain that scythe slash back-to-back. That was my opening.
But the jaguar didn't waste time.
Blue sparks crawled across its fur, the air vibrating with tension.
