The preparation had begun during the jump itself, mana already flowing in the necessary patterns while the space distorted around the beast.
It was perfect timing that leveraged transition moments to maximize efficiency.
The beam fired from what should have been the Terror's completely exposed rear, an angle that most beasts would have difficulty defending because their primary defenses were oriented forward.
It should have been a decisive blow that would end the battle immediately with clean penetration of a defense more inadequate to so much power than the beetle's.
But it encountered an uncomfortable reality at that moment… One that should have been known but forgotten in the speedy reaction, in the heat of the moment.
The Terror basically had no true rear in the conventional sense.
