NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66: Let The Duel Begin!
The battle was still ongoing.
Five male boars and two female boars were already dead, while on the wolves' side, eleven had fallen.
The fighting didn't slow down for even a second. It was relentless, completely unforgiving.
Four wolves circled and rushed toward the remaining females, but one of the male boars caught on instantly and rammed straight into them, throwing a wolf into another boar.
Another boar noticed movement on its left through its peripheral vision and reacted instantly.
It opened its jaws and clamped down on a wolf's neck, crushing it until the sound broke into a sharp whimper.
The wolf tried to twist free, but the boar slammed it to the ground with brutal force.
Before the wolf could rise again, a heavy hoof crashed through its chest.
The body jerked once, shuddered violently, and then went completely still. Blood spilled across the dirt as the boar pulled its hoof back, dripping red, its gaze fixed coldly on the lifeless wolf before lifting its head to scan the battlefield again.
But before it could fully regain control, the wolves that had been targeting the females struck him.
They leapt at the distracted boar and slashed across its eyes, blinding it.
One of them bit deep into its right leg, tearing flesh until the boar buckled under its own weight and collapsed to its knees.
The three wolves pressed their advantage without hesitation.
Their claws ripped through hide and muscle, tearing open the boar's side until blood poured freely, spilling onto the ground in waves.
The boar struggled, but it was too late.
The wolves let out a chilling howl, their voices cutting through the chaos, before retreating to regroup with the others.
While running through the chaos, one of the wolves stopped after noticing the boss boar was just standing in place, not moving, not even bothering to join the mess around it.
It glanced left for a second, watching its fellow wolves rushing to regroup, but its focus quickly snapped back to the boss boar.
The opportunity was too obvious to ignore.
The wolf crouched low, slinking through the battlefield, careful to avoid the violent clashes between the other wolves and boars.
It had a plan, if you could even call it that.
Even though it was barely five foot two, if it could just sink its fangs into the lungs of the massive creature, then maybe the boar would panic.
A panicked boss boar could easily trample her allies in the chaos, and that was good enough reasoning for the wolf to risk it.
Step by step, it crept closer, slow, steady, and determined.
Every movement was deliberate, weaving through the shifting bodies, waiting for the perfect opening.
Its eyes locked on its target, every muscle in its body tightening with anticipation.
Finally, the moment came!
The wolf lunged, its jaws parting as it aimed for the throat of the towering boar.
But here's the part worth remembering — it didn't succeed.
At least... it tried.
Yeah... that was the best word for it.
Because before it even got close, a massive hoof came out of nowhere and slapped its face so hard the sound cracked through the battlefield.
The wolf's head whipped sideways with a force so violent it almost looked cartoony.
Its body flew, smacked into a tree with a disgusting thud, and then just stayed there.
Blood splashed across the bark, dripping in thick lines, the wolf's body hanging motionless.
One second it was a hunter, the next it was nothing but display.
The boss boar gave the faintest snort, not even acknowledging the effort.
Her eyes didn't linger on the corpse for long though.
Instead, she immediately turned her attention back toward the alpha wolf, the only opponent in the field worth her focus.
The boss boar and the alpha wolf locked eyes.
The tension didn't creep in, it crashed down all at once.
The space around them grew heavy, pressing on every creature in the battlefield with a force that demanded recognition.
It wasn't sound, nor was it movement, it was raw presence, pouring off both beasts in waves that made everything else feel meaningless.
Every wolf and boar immediately felt it.
Their bodies froze, their instincts screaming at them to stop.
The fights scattered across the field ended in an instant, not because anyone had won or lost, but because none of them dared to keep moving while those two forces faced each other.
Snarls cut off mid-growl, hooves halted mid-step.
The battlefield itself came to a halt.
The boars backed away, snorting uneasily. The wolves lowered themselves, tails stiff, some even whimpering at the sheer weight pressing down on their bodies.
None of them were brave enough to interrupt.
And, most certainly, none of them were foolish enough to stand in the middle of what was about to happen.
The air trembled, the ground vibrated beneath their weight.
The boss boar planted her stance, massive body steady, eyes sharp and unwavering.
The alpha wolf lowered its head, fangs bared, its muscles coiling tighter with every second.
Every beast could feel it in their bones.
This wasn't just a fight, this was the clash that would decide who ruled this field.
Both sides stepped back, giving them space, though, not because they wanted to, more like they had to.
The pressure kept spreading, wrapping around everything, locking the world into silence.
Even the wind seemed to falter, unwilling to cut across the invisible storm building between the two monsters.
Suddenly, the three white wolves crept forward, their steps hesitant but still carrying enough resolve to show they wanted to stand beside their alpha.
They lowered their bodies as they approached, careful not to appear disrespectful, their eyes flicking between the alpha wolf and the massive boar ahead of him.
The alpha wolf shifted its head slightly, not a full turn, just enough to let one eye glance at them.
The look carried no warmth, it was cold.
A low rumble came from its chest, and then a single bark exploded out of its throat.
RAUHHHHH!
The sound tore through the air, sharp and commanding, reverberating across the battlefield with a dominance that left no room for misunderstanding.
It was a command, and it carried the weight of absolute authority.
The three wolves flinched instantly, ears flattening against their heads.
Their bodies sank lower as their instincts screamed at them to submit.
One whimper slipped out, then another, until all three lowered themselves to the dirt in surrender.
They didn't even dare hold his gaze.
So, their bodies shook for a moment, and then, with no hesitation left in them, they scrambled backward and fled the area, tails tucked, desperate to put distance between themselves and the crushing force of their leader's rejection.
The alpha wolf did not watch them leave.
He had already dismissed them the moment he barked.
His focus remained forward, on the one opponent who mattered, his pride burning too strong to ever allow others to interfere.
As for the boars, none of them made even the slightest move to approach their boss.
The weight pressing down on them was too much, and even if they had considered stepping forward, the look in her eye erased that thought instantly.
Their hooves shuffled, their tusks lowered, and then they too began to retreat, unwilling to step into the storm that was forming.
Once the boars were far enough from the center of the field where the leaders would clash, they regrouped at the lakeside.
Their formation was immediate and organized, a solid wall of massive bodies planting themselves firmly in the dirt.
Behind that living barricade, the younger boarlets were corralled into safety, their smaller bodies trembling as the older boars shielded them from sight. No words were needed, the entire herd just knew exactly what had to be done.
On the opposite side, the wolves formed their own retreat.
They slunk back toward the line of trees, their bodies low but their eyes sharp, unwilling to look away from what was about to happen.
They no longer had any interest in throwing themselves into reckless combat.
The moment demanded silence, and even the wolves obeyed. Their growls died down, their paws stopped moving, and they settled into tense stillness.
The field was clear. The herd and the pack had stepped aside.
Now, only two remained in the center.
The boss boar stood tall, her body massive and immovable.
Her tusks gleamed under the moon light, her chest rising and falling with steady control.
The alpha wolf faced her, its stance lowered, shoulders tight, fangs bared.
Their gazes were locked, their bodies coiled, their dominance radiating outward in waves.
They were almost three meters apart.
That gap wasn't space, it was a battlefield waiting to collapse.
The ground seemed to grow restless beneath them.
Dust stirred, small vibrations shook across the dirt.
The weight of their presence alone made the air tremble, every beast in the area holding its breath under the crushing tension.
Then, without warning, both of them moved.
Their bodies dropped low at the exact same time, muscles exploding with power as they readied to lunge.
The pressure hit its peak. The ground cracked.
And then, in the very next instant, they launched.
And with that, ladies and gentlemen, and the people in between, the clash had begun!
End of Chapter 66.
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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO
Level: 15
EXP: 60 / 150
Next Reward: Quick Sever
Global System Tracking: DISABLED
World Rank Association: UNLINKED
Stats:
STR: 20 | AGI: 10 (Affinity) | VIT: 5 | DEX: 5 | INT: 17 | WIS: 5
[Available Stat Points: 0]
[Derived Stat — MANA: 90 / 90]
Skills:
[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]
[Phantom Stride Lv. 2]
[Instinctive Blade Lv.1]
[Predictive Guard Lv.1]
[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]
[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]
[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]
[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]
Equipment:
Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)
Training Ring (+1 VIT)
Bag :)
Ring of Genorya - ???