However, although Casper had survived that attack by the narrowest of margins, he hadn't escaped unscathed.
He had sustained a cut that sliced clean through his suit jacket and grazed his shoulder, leaving a thin line of blood seeping through the torn fabric.
Unfortunately for him, before he could even think about recovering his stance or assessing the damage, Nina's golden shield came flying in at him again like a massive frisbee.
Casper's head turned just in time to track its trajectory, stepping sharply to the side and letting the spinning shield fly past him.
But the moment he dodged it, he was immediately met by an enraged half-dragon summon who had already launched herself into the air above him, her flaming sword raised overhead and swinging down toward his skull.
The range and angle of the descending sword suggested that dodging was functionally impossible given how close she already was and how fast the blade was falling.
