Soulless Soul

Chapter 71: The Spider’s Strike

"Death."

That was the only word that crossed Sky’s mind, as he awkwardly tumbled back, letting the massive spider’s foreleg pass right in front of his face, with a most annoying CLACK, which sent a gust of air across his face, whipping his hair around his eyes and sending the foul smelling stench of old rot and venom up his nose. It was the force of the movement that made it impossible to believe that it could move that fast considering the beast’s massive size, a blur of dark, oily chitin slicing through the gray fog.

The sharp, chitinous appendage passed so close that he could see bits of wet mud clinging to it. He could see the tiny, razor like notches along the edge of the appendage as it sliced through the air, meant to rend flesh and split bones with ease. The blackened sheen of the beast’s armor was reflecting the pale, dying light of the labyrinth, gleaming like polished onyx, as it narrowly missed piercing through him.

Sky landed awkwardly on his back, narrowly avoiding this strike. The impact against the cold, stone under the thin layer of mire sent a sharp shock through his spine, rattling his teeth and sending a puff of air from his lungs. He was momentarily blinded as his head bounced off a loose bit of an embedded ribcage.

The good news was he wasn’t injured or worse, still in one piece. His limbs were fine, and his throat didn’t appear to be slit open, nor has his core been ruptured from the ambush. The bad news was he was lying helplessly on the ground, the Savage Beast’s foreleg still poised above him, recovering from its missed shot. It was already turning, the joints making wet clicking noises as it corrected its mistake, casting a shadowy figure over him with the mass of its massive frame, blocking out any clean potential escape.

It was in that moment that Sky desperately rolled to the side. He didn’t have the time or presence of mind to think of any grandiose plans or to even draw a weapon or clone. He simply threw himself sideways, sliding through the greasy mud like a frantic animal, all of his muscles flexing to add to the momentum.

BOOM!

The spider’s leg slammed into the mud where his chest had previously been, sending small tremors through the labyrinth floor. The force was simply astounding, sending a violent geyser of black sludge, fragmented bone dust, and stone shrapnel flying through the air. The force of the blow sent Sky’s rolling body into the air, off the mire by an inch before throwing his trajectory off.

Had he been a fraction slower, it may have simply caved his chest in, driving the fragments of his bones directly in his lungs and heart before he could even realize what had happened. There would’ve been no miraculous chance, no intervention from his abilities, just a swift, messy end beneath the mud.

Sky barely had time to push himself up from the ground before the Savage Beast swept another leg sideways in an attempt to knock him back towards its snapping jaws. This strike came from his blind spot, a low scything arc designed to clip his ankles and drag him back into the beast’s deadly jaws. The speed was truly remarkable, the leg slicing through the thick mist like a dark pendulum.

Fortunately, he was prepared. His mind, freed of his previous arrogance, was now racing at an unfathomable pace, tracking the mechanics of the joints rather than the limb itself.

Rather than simply trying to get out of the way as he would have done if he had simply focused his mind on the limb, which would have resulted in his limbs being cleanly severed from his body by the sheer force behind it, Sky extended both of his arms, letting the leg slam into them, using his arms to try and catch as much of the momentum as he could. He angled his palms to form a rigid, braced wedge with his forearms to catch the flat side of the segment rather than the sharp edge.

Pain exploded his bones.

Sky’s arms screamed in agony, the feeling white and blinding, as he heard the sickening crunch of the blow threatening to wrench his shoulders from their sockets. It was like trying to catch a speeding train with his bare skin, the sheer force behind the Savage Beasts strike simply driving right through his defenses.

He didn’t fight against it, knowing that it was a losing fight against a predator, and instead used it, letting it send his body flying backward, using the force to twist his body so as to put as much distance between himself and the Savage Beast as he could. He used this momentum to propel himself in a horizontal manner, like a stone skipping across a pond. By yielding to the force, he saved his bones from snapping in half,

He may not have had any formal training from a guild, nor did he possess the refined elegance of the high Awakened, but there was one thing Sky had become exceptionally good at during his harsh, brutal time in the trenches of the slums.

Falling.

He knew how to take a bite, how to spread his impact across his muscles, and survive a chaotic fall without leaving himself completely vulnerable. It was a skill born and bred in the dirt, learning from a dozen near fatal falls and desperate scrambles.

Instead of breaking his neck, or having the air forced from him upon hitting the mire, he braced himself at the last moment and did a surprisingly nimble roll, tucking his chin tightly against his chest, rounding his shoulders to let momentum carry him through a fluid, defensive rotation.

He tumbled several meters through the mud before finally finding himself laying on the ground, his boots digging into the mire as he stopped himself from going further. He was covered in the foul, black sludge from head to toe, his clothes soaked, and muscles trembling from the effort alone.

Sky slowly raised his head, his breaths coming in ragged, shallow gasps, his eyes locking onto his opponent.

The spider was already coming towards him, not pausing for a celebration, its predatory nature simply to hunt and kill with an unflinching, determined drive.

Eight massive legs tore through the mire as the beast advanced, its dark body blocking the light that penetrated the labyrinth. It moved with a rhythmic, terrifying grace, its compound eyes burning with that sickly, malicious yellow light. The distance between them was rapidly closing, the heavy, wet thudding of its limbs echoing off the stone walls like a war drum.

Sky wiped the mud from his face with the back of his bruised forearm, clearing his vision just in time to see the creature preparing for another lunging strike. He arms were still throbbing with an annoying, dull ache, but the spiritual energy within his core was beginning to surge, responding to the mortal danger before him.

"Okay..."

Sky slowly reached for his Blood Blade, his fingers wrapping around the familiar, comforting warm grasp of his manifestation as the crimson, condensed energy bled out from his palm. The edge formed with a sharp, deadly hiss, cutting through the gray fog.

"Let’s try that again."

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