The golden chain hit the monster's skull with a sound like a cannon firing, the impact exploding outward in a shockwave that flattened the tall grass and blew the bark off the surrounding trees.
Hajin felt the recoil travel straight up his arms, his muscles burning as the massive wolf buckled under the strike. Its front knees smashed into the ground, cracking the earth beneath it, but it didn't go down.
The four shards flared violently around its neck. It roared, twisting its head and swinging a massive claw upward to swat him out of the air.
He didn't try to dodge, he couldn't. Instead, he pulled the chain tight with both hands, using the anchor point on its skull to yank himself forward, slipping right under the sweeping claw by inches.
He landed squarely on the monster's broad back.
