When he reached the bottom of the slope, the beast entered Theo's sword range and suddenly started digging more aggressively.
And with Theo being so close to it now, all the loosened soil under his boots just slid down like a landslide, making him lose all his footing.
He felt himself slip, and as he tried to stabilise himself using his right foot again, the world seemed to have frozen.
His eyes subconsciously locked onto a claw that seemed to be racing toward his neck, moving with a speed he had never expected, especially while he was still falling down.
Sweat seemed to crawl upward instead of down as a violent shiver ran through his spine. For the first time, Theo was truly afraid of his own demise.
His body reacted on instinct, and he twisted away just in time, the curved claw missing his neck by mere inches. Theo scrambled backward, trying to create distance, his eyes wide with shock.
When he looked back at the beast, he couldn't help but feel at a loss for words.
