NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: Pride
The boss kept her eyes closed, her focus stretched outward into her skill's range, her mind catching every faint detail that brushed against her senses.
She could hear the rustle of leaves being disturbed from their branches and the subtle cracking of sticks snapping under pressure.
All of those details were from the alpha.
Yet, none of it were as sharp or dangerous as the presence she felt most clearly — the concentrated murderous intent radiating from the alpha.
Her hooves stomped against the ground with a sudden force, her stance tightening and her body bracing for impact.
She knew the strike was coming, her instincts screamed it at her, but she could not locate the exact position.
The alpha had remained outside her range, waiting, circling, keeping himself just beyond her detection.
She was aware that at any second he would break through, and when he did, she needed to be ready to react.
And then, it happened.
In a single moment, she felt the shift. The alpha entered her range.
But instead of approaching from the left or from the right, his presence flared directly above her.
Her eyes snapped open in shock, widening as she processed the truth — the wolf had leapt from one of the trees, using its height as a platform, and now he was descending from the air, his full body aimed down at her.
A thought gripped her mind, sharp and suffocating.
For the first time, the possibility of losing pressed against her, the fear of being too slow or too late.
That flicker of hesitation threatened to consume her, but she shook it off violently, refusing to let it take root.
She shifted her body and sidestepped, her movements quick enough to narrowly escape the wolf's immediate pounce.
But then she saw it.
The alpha's lips curled into a grin, the savage satisfaction of a plan completed.
That was the moment she realized something was wrong.
Pain ripped through her side.
Three deep gashes opened along her left flank, blood surging out in heavy streams that stained the ground beneath her.
The sidestep had spared her from being crushed, but in doing so she had exposed herself to the swipe of his claws as he came down from the air.
The wounds burned, hot and raw, her body reacting to the sudden shock of damage.
The alpha landed on the ground with force, claws digging into the dirt as he steadied himself, his grin still fixed on his face.
He had struck cleanly, cutting her even while she thought she had evaded.
Her wounds burned, blood dripping freely down her side, but the pain only fueled the fire raging inside her chest.
Without hesitation, without thought of restraint, she lunged straight toward the alpha, her body moving with fury, recklessly.
The alpha was caught completely off guard.
He had expected her to falter after that strike, maybe even collapse and surrender to the weight of her injuries, but what came at him was something far more dangerous.
Driven only by pure adrenaline and rage, she rammed her full weight into his side, the impact cracking through bone and forcing the air from his lungs.
The alpha's body was launched violently, tumbling across the ground, bouncing and rolling without control.
His eyes went wide, his vision flashing white, blood bursting from his mouth with every harsh collision against the dirt.
His body convulsed under the brutal force, but the boss was not finished, she wasn't even close to finished.
Before the alpha's body could come to a halt, she was already charging again, her hooves pounding against the ground so hard that the earth quaked under her advance.
The sheer weight of her fury carried her forward, her breaths harsh and ragged but unrelenting, her gaze locked onto the broken form that was still tumbling away from her.
The moment she closed the distance, she leapt high, twisting in the air before crashing down on him with the full mass of her body.
Her back slammed directly into his frame, crushing him further into the dirt, bones crunching under the impact.
The alpha let out a cry so raw it shook the clearing, blood erupting violently from his mouth as his body convulsed again.
For a moment, his mind almost slipped into unconsciousness, darkness trying to swallow him whole, but survival forced him to cling desperately to awareness.
He bit down, forcing himself back, his vision spinning but his will unbroken.
With every last ounce of strength in his body, he shoved her off, his claws digging deep into the earth to give himself the leverage to push her weight away.
His body writhed and twisted, slithering out from under her crushing force, his breath ragged and broken.
He staggered back, forcing his battered body to move, every muscle screaming in pain, every bone rattling under the effort.
Then, with a burst of strength that came more from instinct than willpower, he jumped back, creating distance between them, blood dripping from his jaws as his chest heaved.
When he landed, his body was trembling, legs threatening to buckle, but his eyes immediately darted back to her.
The boss stood tall in the clearing, her frame drenched in blood, her gaze locked onto him with unyielding focus.
Her sides were torn open, wounds fresh and ugly, yet her posture did not waver.
Her breaths were heavy, her body swayed slightly, but her eyes were fixed.
They came to a halt, their bodies refusing to move any further, their chests heaving with every ragged breath.
The sound of their panting filled the clearing, harsh and uneven, but even in that exhaustion, their eyes never strayed.
Their gazes remained locked, unwavering, each refusing to acknowledge weakness in front of the other.
By this point, both of them were beyond drained.
Their limbs felt heavy, their lungs burned, their wounds screamed for relief, yet neither allowed themselves to show it outright.
They both understood the truth of the situation: their bodies could no longer endure much more.
Continuing to push would only bring collapse.
And so, as much as it tore at their pride, as much as it disgusted them to even think about admitting it, they both knew there was no choice left.
They would have to call for support.
For creatures who stood at the top of their packs, who fought to assert dominance, the thought of relying on others was bitter, something they despised deep in their core, but desperation forced the decision.
Then, almost perfectly in sync, their voices shattered the air.
The boss let out a shriek that rattled through the forest, loud and commanding, while the alpha's howl tore through the night, long and full of rage.
Their cries clashed in the air above, reverberating through the trees, carrying the command for reinforcements to rush to their side.
When the sounds finally ended, they did not relax.
Both of them stood where they were, bodies trembling, but their eyes still remained locked on one another.
They waited, breaths heavy, listening closely for the sounds of their approaching allies.
But what followed was silence.
The forest held nothing, the battlefield remained empty, and the only sound was the faint drip of blood hitting the ground.
Then it struck them at the same time.
The silence was wrong. The silence was heavy, suffocating.
Their heads turned in unison, their gazes shifting toward the direction where their troops were meant to be.
For the first time in their brutal battle, the confidence in their eyes cracked, replaced by raw disbelief.
What they saw made their eyes widen, their bodies stiffen, and their pride shatter.
Horror swept across their faces at the sight of it all.
End of Chapter 68.
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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO
Level: 16
EXP: 18 / 160
Next Reward: +10 Stat Points to a chosen stat
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: 5]
[Derived Stat — MANA: 90 / 90]
Skills:
[Quick Sever Lv. 1] (NEW)
[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] (USED)
Equipment:
Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)
Training Ring (+1 VIT)
Bag :)
Ring of Genorya - ???