Dantean battle (2/2)

In the end, only Alain and the boar were left in the forest, still fighting.

Many noises echoed in the forest, proof of a fierce fight.

'' Tzz!'' The collision between Alain's spiritual energy and the beast's energy produced a blue glow that lasted for a few seconds before vanishing.

Alain had sweat all over his face and could barely stand the shock. Soon, however, the beast injected a little more of its energy, tilting the shock of energies against Alain, who was thrown back into the air before catching himself a little further away with his sword.

'' huff huff '' Alain breathed heavily, his face red, just like his body.

''Even at this level, I can't compete?''

Before leaving, his comrades had given him the rest of their energy, and he had even received the blessing of strength from Emily. Currently, he could use three times more spiritual energy than normal, and his body had been significantly strengthened as well.

In the previous shock, he had used about half of his normal energy, his goal being to buy time. He estimated that even if the beast won, he would be able to hold out for at least three minutes while the others escaped.

But when he saw the strength in front of him, he knew that he had undoubtedly underestimated the strength of a Knight. The boar wasn't even one, and yet he had no hope, even in this form.

Let alone three minutes, he doubted he could last even 30 seconds.

That's why he had to change his plan.

Although he had deactivated his 'war veteran' skill that gave him a life pulse, his body had not given up, and his mind still hoped he could survive. That's why his style was only at that level, his brain taking over every time anger was about to take over.

Yet he knew this. To get strong enough, he had to disregard his life. He had to fight like a demon would.

Though he didn't know how to do it, he knew a universal reality. To succeed in anything, one had to try. That's why he only needs to attack without any meaning, because if he did that, he may understand the logic behind a fight driven by rage, and without regard for life.

Soon, he lunged at the beast again.

...

Alain breathed heavily, kneeling and covered in blood. It had already been 30 seconds since the others had left him. During this time, he had managed to fight like a demon, saving a good portion of his spiritual energy. However, what his spiritual energy had saved, his body had suffered instead.

"Bang" Rushing forward, Alain received an energy attack from the boar with full force. The beast seemed to have inexhaustible energy.

''Ahhhhhh!'' Alain screamed in shock, his body falling to the ground. Blood from his forehead quickly covered his eyes, making it even harder to keep them open. His body had been cut all over, and in addition to his forehead, he had serious wounds on his arms, legs, and torso. In all, he counted at least thirty new wounds.

'Fuck! It hurts! It hurts!' Alain screamed in his head, his mouth already hurting enough for him to bark.

The pain was such that he could no longer control his body. Worse, he had almost fallen unconscious several times.

Meanwhile, the beast approached slowly, checking if it was a bit - the previous blow having been too successful.

Time seemed to have lengthened for Alain. Each of his thoughts overwhelmed him in a state of extreme reflection that would have allowed him a good reflection if he did not have the immense pain that went with it. Now his thoughts were a kind of hell that kept him trapped in a sphere where the worst events of his life were constantly passing by.

He remembered the loneliness he had experienced, the looks of hatred and sadness of Louis and Eloise, the constant efforts that the trio had made and that would never really been rewarded, all the blows they had taken, all the humiliations and looks they had had to endure.

He remembered the death of his wife, his two children, four years ago when the former village chief had died, and even when the former village priest Eva, whom he considered his mother, had committed suicide, her eyes full of despair. He recalled each of his life's saddest moments, searching for an answer.

And finally, he found an answer.

'Move!'

He was suffering this world because he was too weak!

'Move!'

How long had he been in there watching the images over and over again? He didn't know. He had even forgotten the memory that had made him wake up. But he did know one thing.

'' Uuaaaah!''

He got the rage.

'Move !'

Were they the slaves of existence? No! All his actions were his choice and he would prove that each and every one of his choices was the right ones by his efforts!

Alain circulated his energy throughout his body, controlling it like a puppeteer.

Alain stood up, his eyes piercing the boar with his gaze. It was as if all the rage in the world had entered him.

If before, only his mind was enraged, then this time he had managed to enrage his entire body.

''You beast! I will show you the power of humanity!''

[Concentration 80% --> 105%]

''Fff!'' For a second, it was as if time stood still. The world around him seemed to be redrawn in blue, and he felt sensations he had never experienced before, both internally and externally.

His eyes focused on his right arm, to which his blade was attached.

''Oh," a smile broke out on his face. In a moment, he had already come up with some new reasoning that he was eager to test. Shortly afterward, he gently shook his head. This wasn't the moment.

The next moment he mobilized his energy, but this time he didn't attack directly with it. Instead of putting it on his sword, he circulated it around inside his energy center, constantly testing it with extreme pressure.

Traces of sweat appeared all over his body, but his mental state didn't change. He was as focused as ever, finally able to perform the technique he had never been able to master.

'Talent, eh?' He smiled a complex smile before rolling to the right, dodging the boar's attack.

He repeated the process for about ten seconds before finally going on the attack.

Mobilizing the new energy he had just transformed, he put it on his sword and knife, before lightly attacking the ground.

'' Boom!''

His blow cracked the ground and created a small circle about 50 centimeters in diameter and thirty centimeters high.

He nodded.

'That should do it.'

Without waiting, he lunged at the boar, striking continuously with his sword, aiming at its entire body.

He didn't attack the beast's weak points, for as vital as they were, they would be particularly well defended and he had no confidence in breaking its defenses.

Honestly, under this stage, he could easily run away. No beast would fight a losing battle if it wasn't forced.

But that wasn't enough for him. Not to mention winning against the beast, he also wanted to kill it. For every enemy created was an additional danger.

And that increasing his concentration had allowed him to understand the consequences that would result for his body, whether physically with Emily's increase, mentally with his concentration, or spiritually – having taken energy from his comrades.

The difference in energy between him and the beast wasn't that great, and the quality of energy he possessed now allowed him to overtake the latter. Fortunately, the boar was sorely lacking in understanding. With it, he would have been killed in a single attack.

Alain couldn't help but feel jealous of the beast for his body. But he remained calm throughout.

He continued his series of attacks and when the beast retaliated, he sent one of his many knives charged with energy.

He heard the muffled scream of the beast in his ears each time he attacked it but ignored it. More than anything else, the screams reminded him of his fallen comrades, urging him to intensify his attacks.

The fight was fierce, cruel, and bloody, resulting only in a test of endurance, to the one who makes the first mistake. The physical pressure Alain exerted on his body was monstrous, yet he didn't seem to be affected.

''Everything seems so calm''

He seemed to be living an unreal fight. Every blow seemed obvious to him, and he took advantage of every small mistake his opponent made to strike and accumulate wounds that would win him the fight.

His hearing was very acute, hearing the slight fluctuations in the air with each movement of the beast, and could hear perfectly the sound of his sword as it quickly soaked into his opponent's fur before quickly retracting to avoid being hit. He could hear the beast's barking, but had a filter, reducing the volume sharply, as if everything were a distant whisper.

His body was the same. He could certainly feel the grip he had on his sword and knew the state of his body, but as if he had been partially anesthetized, he felt no pain. At times, he would feel a movement here or there, only to realize afterward that he had been damaged, which he quickly treated with his energy.

Honestly, he questioned the reality of this fight, having no explanation for these sensations.

Perhaps after the fight, he would wake up in his bed, the morning he had received the artifact, but with nothing happening.

He shook his head and resumed a battle without honor where the boar had no choice but to die slowly.