Walking past the onyx trees, I noticed something charging at me like a white blur of snow. I didn't notice it in time to dodge, but I had just enough time to block it with my academy-issued sword. The blur connected with my sword, the sound of the clash echoing through the onyx forest, and I was sent flying back, crashing into an onyx tree.
I got up instantly, knowing that whatever attacked me wasn't done. Thankfully, I managed to take a good look at the creature charging at me to know what I'm dealing with.
It was a feline, with fur as white and pristine as the snow below our feet and four long tails the same length as its body. It also had two unnaturally large fangs sticking downwards out of its mouth.
It charged at me once more. Thankfully, I saw it coming this time and managed to dodge to the side. I swung the sword, aiming for the beast's neck. It didn't have time to dodge, and the blow should've connected.
Only, it didn't.
The blade of the academy-issued sword was broken. It broke from the first clash. But that was impossible, because the academy-issued sword was crafted with a dormant beast's bones. How could a dormant creature break it with such ease?
Unless…
Dread flooded my heart. It's an Awakened creature, possibly even a tainted one.
The ether coursed through my body from the core to the [Veil of Nothing] and [Clad In Nothing] runes in an attempt to use my art.
The creature's body snapped in my direction, and with a swing of its clawed foreleg, I was sent back and wounded heavily.
The thick mist flowed from the runes, like a cloud descending from the sky. It became thinner, and a part of it coiled around my body as I activated [Clad In Nothing].
My body felt…different. I felt lighter, stronger, faster. With my augmented body, I looked at the feline coming dashing at me and…
Ran, I ran like never before. I passed tree after tree, hearing the beast running after me. Each time I thought that the distance between us increased, the feline would catch up to the mist, and I would sense it through the mist.
I kept running, increasing the distance between us only for it to catch up once again. Surprisingly, the chase lasted a while. I had initially thought that the beast would catch up to me faster than this, since it was an Awakened whatever class it was, and I was just dormant.
Maybe the augmentation is that good.
Just as a flame of hope started igniting in my heart, the creature caught up, tackling me to the ground and extinguishing the flame of hope.
Managing to turn around on my back, I was met with the dreadful sight of the creature's maw wide open, ready to bite my neck, killing me on the spot. Both my hands shot forward, one catching one of the creature's long, saber-like teeth, the other catching its lower jaw in an attempt to prevent it from snapping, and killing me instantly. Normally, I wouldn't have lasted a second, and I would have died instantly. But for the second time in less than ten minutes, [Clad In Nothing] came in clutch once more, and I managed to resist the force of the creature's jaw.
Knowing that I wouldn't be able to resist for long, I started to think of ideas to get out of this predicament. It didn't take long for me to find on that I might pull off, and immediately I started to execute the idea. My grip on the feline's fang tightened as I started pulling on it. At the same time, I started pushing the lower jaw away for two reasons: the first was that, as I pulled the tooth in the hopes of breaking it, the feline's maw would get closer to me, and I wanted to prevent that from happening.
The other reason was that I had hoped to break the mad creature's jaw.
Focusing all the augmentation of [Clad In Nothing] on my arms and [Wrathful Wraith], I started pulling even harder while at the same time pushing with the same force. Of course, the creature resisted, but I ignored its resistance, not because it was weak, quite the opposite, I ignored its resistance because I was too focused on my plan.
And to be honest, I was quite amused and delighted at the sight of the creature's struggle.
After a great deal of struggle, pushing, and pulling, the tooth finally broke off, making the creature stop its attempts of biting my neck and killing me for a split second due to the pain of having its tooth forcefully pulled out.
That split second was all I needed. A grin split my face as I pushed myself under the creature's body, getting out from the distance between its two right legs. I shot upwards, and with the tooth I broke off, stabbed the creature in the side of its stomach. I was aiming to keep going till I reached the skull, but the feline's four tails shot towards me, each two gripping one of my legs. And suddenly I was face-to-face with the angry feline once more.
It opened its maw ready to finish this once and for all.
"Got you," I said, my voice coming out crooked and disturbing even for my own ears.
Stabbing the broken tooth into the upper part of its maw. I used both my free hands to push the tooth deeper and make sure that the strike was effective. With the augmentation of [Clad In Nothing] and [Wrathful Wraith], the tooth penetrated the bone, reached the brain, and exited through the other side of the skull.
The tail's grip lessened, and I fell to the ground, and the feline's lifeless carcass fell with me.
[You have eliminated an Awakened Beast: Smilodon fatalis.]
A voice echoed through my mind.
Standing up and looking at the lifeless carcass of the Smilodon, I couldn't help but laugh, not in relief, but in delight.
Just as the [Wrathful Wraith] effect started to fade, I spotted something coming from behind an onyx tree. Someone.