Kratos couldn't have acted any sooner. Kyousuke was able to keep his arms in place, but the more the black claws sank into them, the harder it became to maintain. The exposed cuts burned, and when he placed his free hand on one arm, it stung even more. He gave a small hiss of pain, and kicked himself back onto his feet as quickly as he could.

He wanted to dive right back into to the fray, since even like this, he wasn't completely helpless, but instinct held him back. ... Not yet. Kratos was the creature's target now, and if they both tried attack with the wrong timing, they'd only end up in each other's way. He did, however, move to shine the flashlight directly on Sora's face. The motion had been a stroke of luck last night, and he knew he couldn't count on it to be effective again, but they could use even the slightest bit of hesitation on the creature's part as an opening, and those precious split seconds were what he was counting on right now.