Phantom

"Damn…"

An involuntary gasp escaped Ash's lips.

The Phantom. It was worse, far worse, than he had imagined…

The abomination had three pairs of crab-like legs, each ending in sharp, scythe-like pincers. Its body was that of a fleshy mass covered with tattered black fur.

But it was the head that truly horrified Ash.

Where a face should have been, a monstrous maw gaped open, unhinged like a rusted iron maiden. Rows upon rows of needle-like teeth, each tipped black as night, lined the inside, glinting wetly with a sheen of malevolence.

Above the gnashing maw, two enormous crimson eyes pulsed with an unnatural light. They weren't simply red, but a shade so deep it seemed to bleed into the darkness itself. No iris, no pupil, just a burning, malevolent glow that seemed to pierce straight into Ash's soul, searching, judging.

The sheer terror the creature instilled was also… indescribable.

"…"

Ash felt like he had met a creation of pure nightmare.

Continuous tremors wracked his body as he struggled to comprehend the horrifying sight before him.

Grrr…

Only when the creature emitted a low, guttural growl did Ash snap out of his stunned state.

He was scared, very scared.

His body refused to move the way he wanted, his eyes began to turn away from the creature in an instinctual attempt to escape its malevolent gaze.

A thought of simply giving up even crossed his mind.

"What bastards thought that new students should face something like this?"

Cursing internally, he forced himself to keep his gaze fixed on the creature. He knew that as soon as he let his guard down or showed any signs of weakness, the Phantom would attack without mercy and he didn't want to die.

Without even hesitating, he raised his sword and grasped its blade with his other hand, flinching as the sharp edge bit into his palm.

It was stupid, but he had to do it.

The pain was the only way to regain control over his body.

"Ughhh…"

Red liquid dripped from the cut.

Sniff… Sniff…

The Phantom convulsed, its monstrous form shuddering as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt. The crimson eyes narrowed to slits, their glow intensifying until it seemed molten lava flowed within them.

A guttural shriek tore from its gaping maw, a sound that vibrated through Ash's very bones, threatening to shatter his resolve.

It smelled human blood.

Shriek…

The forest echoed with the unearthly screech, bouncing off the trees.

In a blink, the creature's lethargy vanished. With a burst of inhuman speed, it lunged forward, its three sets of legs churning the moss floor into a flurry of dust and loose rock. The stench of damp earth and decay rose to choke Ash, mixing with the metallic tang of his own fear.

Reacting purely on instinct, Ash threw himself to the side, the ragged air whistling past his ear as the Phantom's central pair of legs slammed into the spot where he had been standing a millisecond before.

The impact sent a shower of debris flying, catching Ash in the chest and stinging his exposed skin. A gasp tore from his throat as he rolled, momentum taking him across the forest floor, the rough surface tearing at his clothes and skin.

"…"

He scrambled to his feet, a primal fear urging him to run.

This wasn't a beast; it was a whirlwind of teeth, claws, and pulsating madness.

The Phantom didn't give him time to contemplate his options. It spun, its remaining two pairs of legs churning the ground as it launched itself at Ash once more.

This time, the attack was aimed low, a scythe-like limb flashing towards his legs. Adrenaline surged through Ash, and with a desperate cry, he threw himself backward, his body contorting at an unnatural angle.

Luckily, the claw missed him by a hair's breadth, the wind from its passage whipping at his face.

Thud…

He landed hard on his back, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

Stars danced in his vision, and a wave of nausea threatened to engulf him. But the guttural growl that echoed just above him spurred him back to action. He scrambled onto his hands and knees, his vision blurring at the edges.

The Phantom loomed over him, its fetid breath washing over him in a wave of putrid stench. Rows of needle-like teeth glinted mere inches from his face. Panic clawed at his throat, and he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable.

But the killing blow never came. Instead a deafening clang resonated through the forest, followed by a shriek from the creature.

Ash peeked through one eye, squinting through the pain. The Phantom stood back, its central pair of legs now sporting a deep gash, its crimson carapace cracked and leaking an oily black ichor.

Confusion flickered across the creature's demonic visage. It stared at the wound, then slowly turned its burning gaze towards Ash's trembling hand. The sword, held with a tight grip, was now stained a glistening crimson.

It turns out the Phantom accidentally impaled itself.

A flicker of something akin to surprise – or perhaps even intelligence – flickered in the Phantom's pulsating eyes. Then, with a bestial roar that rattled the very stones beneath Ash's feet, the creature lunged.

This time, however, its movements lacked the inhuman speed of before. The wound on its front limbs seemed to be hampering it, a sluggishness marring its attacks. But it was still a monstrous whirlwind of limbs and teeth, and Ash barely dodged another swipe of the scythe-like claws.

"Come on…"

He gritted through his teeth, tasting blood on his lip from a split caused by the earlier debris.

"You're slower now. I can fight this."

A desperate hope bloomed in his chest, fragile as a spiderweb yet tenacious all the same.

Ash knew it was mere luck that he had managed to injure the abomination, but he was still ecstatic.

If it can bleed, it can die as well.

Something that seemed almost impossible just a minute ago, now was a tantalizing possibility.

"I can kill it."