Blood vs Shadow

Blake barely had time to breathe before Nemisis lunged.

The familiar's blade split the air, a blackened blur aimed to carve him in two. Blake twisted, his blood-enhanced speed saving him by inches. The ground where he had stood cracked and cratered as the sheer force of the attack detonated outward, sending a shockwave that rattled his bones.

'It's getting faster.'

Blake's instincts screamed, but he didn't hesitate. Blood flared from his fingertips, coalescing into jagged spikes that erupted in every direction. The attack was indiscriminate, filling the battlefield with a storm of crimson lances sharp enough to slice through steel.

Nemisis didn't dodge. It didn't need to.

Dark tendrils slithered from its body, intercepting each spike with unnatural precision. The blood shattered, reduced to harmless mist before it could touch the familiar's shifting form. Nemisis grinned.