As Kiyo disappeared into the shadows, Zami exhaled slowly, the air around him thick with tension. He rolled his shoulders, the familiar sensation of focus washing over him. With no one to protect now, the full extent of his deadly arsenal could finally be unleashed.
The beast roared, its wings sending out another violent gust as it charged. The stone beneath its massive claws cracked under the sheer weight of its power.
Zami dashed forward, meeting the creature head-on.
He initiated with *Wild Cat Flow*, twisting his momentum to sidestep the creature's sweeping tail. The sudden shift unbalanced the beast, causing its next swipe to miss entirely. Seizing the opportunity, Zami's foot lashed out with *Multi Kick*, delivering a rapid series of blows to its armored legs, forcing the beast to stumble further.
The monster retaliated, snapping its jaws and thrusting its stinger. Zami leapt high into the air, his body twisting mid-flight as he delivered *Arrow Flow*, a powerful 360-degree kick that struck the creature's head. The force of the attack sent it skidding back, its claws scraping against the stone.
Zami landed lightly, his katana flashing as he unleashed *Multiple Slash*, a flurry of strikes aimed at the joints of the beast's limbs. Sparks flew as his blade clashed against the dense exoskeleton, carving faint but deliberate grooves into its armor.
The creature let out a guttural roar, its tail whipping in a wide arc. Zami slid beneath it, his hand glowing with energy as he executed *1-Inch Punch*, driving a devastating blow into the beast's underbelly. The impact rattled through its body, forcing it to stagger back.
He didn't relent. Channeling the force from his last move, Zami transitioned into *Hawk Drop*, a devastating downward kick that struck the beast's head, momentarily dazing it.
The monster screeched in fury, unleashing a torrent of acidic breath. Zami ducked behind a broken column, the stone sizzling as the acid melted through it. Emerging from the cover, he hurled the Bone Monarch Shard like a spear. The shard struck true, lodging itself into the creature's shoulder, and with a sudden flash, spikes of bone erupted from the shard, piercing deep into its armor.
The creature howled, its wings spreading wide as it took to the air. Zami leapt, using a shattered pillar to launch himself upward. Mid-air, he twisted, executing *Stone Slash*, a single precise strike that severed one of the beast's wings.
The monster crashed to the ground, roaring in agony as Zami landed beside it. The remaining wing swept toward him, but Zami used *Blade Bind*, locking his katana against the wing's edge and forcing it down. With the wing immobilized, he drove his sword into the joint with *Pierce*, disabling it entirely.
The beast, though injured, wasn't finished. It lashed out with its tail, forcing Zami to activate *Muscle Tension Break* to absorb the impact. The recoil pushed him back, but he maintained his footing, his eyes glinting with determination.
"Let's finish this," he muttered.
With a burst of energy from *Adrenaline Surge*, Zami dashed forward faster than the eye could follow. He aimed for the exposed gaps in the creature's exoskeleton, delivering a calculated series of strikes: *Hidden Strike* to its vulnerable underbelly, *Critical Dues* to its damaged shoulder, and finally *Precision Strike* to its neck, targeting the base of its skull.
The beast let out a final, piercing screech before collapsing, its massive body hitting the stone floor with a resounding crash.
Zami stood over it, his chest rising and falling steadily as he surveyed the fallen creature. His katana dripped with dark ichor, the blade unscathed despite the ferocity of the battle.
He placed a boot on the beast's head, pulling his sword free with a swift motion. His gaze shifted to the shadows where Kiyo had hidden.
"It's done," he called out, his voice calm despite the carnage around him.
Kiyo emerged hesitantly, her wide eyes scanning the remains of the monstrous creature.
Zami wiped his blade clean on a tattered cloth and sheathed it. "Let's keep moving," he said, his tone firm but gentle. "This temple has more to show us."