The New Partner

The monkey, upon hearing this, unleashed a resounding roar and suddenly radiated an energy field, enveloping all the wolves and Nathan within its iridescent purple glow.

Nathan, initially baffled, noticed that the wolves were significantly slowed down within the energy field, while he retained his mobility.

Seizing the opportunity, he dashed towards the leader of the pack, which stood resolute and growling, ready for a fight.

Once he reached a suitable distance, Nathan leaped at the leader, wielding the Water-Energy Nexus Sword in a powerful full swing, attempting to cleave through the formidable wolf.

However, in a swift mid-air maneuver, the leader jumped toward Nathan, and its jaws began to radiate with an eerie light.

With rapid motion, the leader intercepted Nathan's sword with its glowing jaws, shattering the blade into fragments.

Nathan, bewildered by the abrupt turn of events, found himself in a state of shock, wondering, "What just happened?"

The sword's destruction triggered an explosion of white energy, surrounded by crackling electric currents, producing a deafening boom that reverberated through the dense forest and disrupted the monkey's purple energy field.

The sudden energy surge hurled Nathan against the cliff wall, while the wolves' leader landed gracefully on its feet.

With a sly grin, the leader let out a triumphant "Awwwww," signaling the other wolves to intensify their attack.

Upon the leader's command, the wolves surged forward, racing toward Nathan. However, the monkey valiantly positioned itself between Nathan and the approaching pack, roaring and fiercely tossing the wolves aside to protect him.

Despite the monkey's unwavering resolve, the sheer number of wolves made it increasingly overwhelmed, sustaining more wounds with each passing moment.

Nathan, still reeling from the impact of the shockwave and his encounter with the cliff wall, lay on the ground, his Moonshadow Blade beside him.

He shook his head to clear the dizziness and disorientation caused by the impact, the echoing roars of the monkey, and the howls of the wolves ringing in his ears.

Through his blurred vision, he saw the wolf leader sprinting directly towards him, its red eyes blazing with determination, while the other wolves were locked in fierce combat with the brave monkey. The situation appeared dire, with the odds stacked against Nathan.

As Nathan held the Moonshadow Blade, it began to glow, a celestial light casting radiant patterns on the blade's dark surface.

In this moment of crisis, a new sword art seemed to be transferred directly into his subconscious.

He watched, almost as if in a dream, as glowing white figures elegantly performed the intricate sword art with the Moonshadow Blade in hand.

In his newfound clarity, Nathan understood that this was a sword art concealed within the Moonshadow Blade, and he had somehow unlocked it.

The dazzling display of technique played out in his mind as if guided by an invisible hand.

As the wolf leader, jaws aglow with energy closed in on Nathan, his eyes suddenly snapped open.

With the Moonshadow Blade in his grip, Nathan rolled skillfully to the side, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of the formidable leader.

With grace and determination, he regained his footing and found himself facing the wolf leader, a confident smile gracing his lips.

He looked into the leader's fiery eyes and spoke with calm assurance, "Oh, I should thank you. But now, you won't see the sun again."

With the Moonshadow Blade in his hands and the newly unlocked sword art at his disposal, Nathan was ready to face the wolf leader with newfound strength and purpose.

The leader of the Bloodmoon wolves had just unleashed a formidable foe from within Nathan, and the balance of the battle was about to shift.

The Moon Stance, a mysterious and elegant sword art, seemed to be a gift from the Moonshadow Blade itself.

Nathan felt an invisible connection with the weapon as if the spirits of those who had wielded it before guided his every move.

With a single thought, the white figures in his mind demonstrated the first stance of the Moon Stance, and Nathan's body moved as if he had been practicing the technique for years.

His footwork was swift, mirroring the moon's grace as he moved in a circular path around the wolf leader, keeping the menacing creature off balance.

His blade, the Moonshadow Blade, was an extension of his very being, glinting with an ethereal light.

The wolf leader, growling with fierce determination, lunged once more. This time, Nathan was ready.

In a fluid motion, he executed a parry maneuver, his blade intercepting the leader's fearsome jaws.

A shockwave of power rippled through the forest as their clash sent sparks and lightning dancing through the air.

The sheer force of the collision made the ground tremble, sending the other Bloodmoon wolves sprawling.

Nathan's eyes met the wolf leader's, a fierce determination mirrored in both their gazes. The Moon Stance granted him extraordinary control and precision, and he could feel the wolf leader's struggle to match his newfound skill.

In a series of intricate moves, Nathan unleashed a flurry of swift, precise strikes upon the wolf leader, each stroke of the Moonshadow Blade cutting through the air like a silken ribbon.

The blade left silvery arcs of energy in its wake, which seemed to shimmer like moonlight.

The wolf leader, despite its size and strength, found it increasingly difficult to counter Nathan's onslaught.

Bloodmoon wolves, initially held at bay by the monkey, now watched in awe as this unassuming human challenged their leader.

Nathan's strikes were deliberate and calculated, targeting the wolf leader's limbs and vulnerable areas.

A crescent moon pattern, one of the fundamental attacks of the Moon Stance, sliced through the wolf leader's fur and skin, drawing blood.

The leader howled in pain, its stance faltering.

With a final, masterful flourish, Nathan executed the culmination of the Moon Stance.

The blade became a blur of motion as he delivered a celestial strike that cleaved through the wolf leader's defenses and struck true.

It was a celestial blade strike, guided by the spirits of those who had wielded the Moonshadow Blade before him.

The wolf leader let out a howl of anguish as the Moonshadow Blade sliced through its energy-infused jaws, breaking the wolf leader's attack.

The leader stumbled back, defeated and gravely wounded, a trail of blue-black energy leaking from the severed jaws.

Nathan stood tall, and the Moonshadow Blade held confidently before him.

The Moon Stance had granted him the power to overcome this formidable adversary, and the pack of Bloodmoon wolves watched in stunned silence.

With a fierce, dignified resolve, Nathan approached the fallen wolf leader and delivered a final, decisive strike impaling his neck.

The moonlight that had danced upon the blade now flared brilliantly as he ended the wolf leader's life, avenging the monkey and himself.

The remaining Bloodmoon wolves, once unified under their leader's authority, were thrown into disarray.

The tide of battle had shifted decisively in Nathan's favor, and the wolves fled into the depths of the forest, retreating from the unyielding human who had harnessed the power of the Moon Stance.

Nathan, still holding the Moonshadow Blade, now sheathed it with a sense of accomplishment and reverence.

He approached the injured monkey and offered a soothing pat, gratitude in his eyes, as he said with a smile "Thanks, friend for protecting me when I was down"

The monkey responded with a grateful "ki ki" sound while coughing up in pain from the various wounds on his body.

With the battle concluded, both Nathan and the monkey sat on the ground, laughing.

However, their joy was short-lived when the monkey suddenly lost consciousness.

Its body reverted to its small and cute 0.5-meter form, covered in wounds.

Nathan, taking the monkey into his arms, patted its head in a comforting manner and said, "Don't worry, boy. I've got you. You fought bravely."

Saying this, Nathan carried the monkey back to the place where he had made the fire and retrieved a healing salve from his bag.

Gently, he applied the salve to the monkey's wounds as the little creature slept soundly on his lap.

As the night wore on and the next morning arrived, Nathan remained vigilant, wary of the possibility of the wolves returning to attack.

The monkey was already awake, and the salve had effectively stopped the bleeding.

The life-or-death battle they had fought side by side had cemented their trust in each other.

Nathan stood up, adjusting his attire, with the monkey perched on his shoulders.

He turned his head to the monkey and asked, "Hey, do you want to come with me to my kingdom?"

In response, the monkey expressed its happiness by jumping onto his shoulders and making joyful "ki ki" sounds, clearly indicating its agreement.

Nathan smiled and said, "That's good, boy. And don't worry about food; I'm a prince, so I can give you as much as you want. But I think you first need a name. I can't just call you 'boy' or 'monkey.'"

Nathan stroked his chin, deep in thought, while looking at the monkey as they walked toward the place they had fought the previous night.

"Hmm, how about 'Cosmo' because your fur color is like space?" Nathan suggested.

The monkey, hearing the name, nodded in agreement.

Nathan beamed and said, "Good, then from now on, you are Cosmo."

While chatting, they reached the spot where the wolf's corpse lay.

Nathan looked at it and said, "I don't want to waste the resources I can get from it, but it's too huge for me to take."

while Nathan pondering what to do, Cosmo climbed down from Nathan's shoulders and approached the wolf's corpse.

Opening his mouth, a small purple tornado-like energy emerged, enveloping the wolf's body.

In an instant, the wolf's body shrank and disappeared into Cosmo's mouth.

Nathan, shocked by the spectacle, picked up Cosmo and said, "You really aren't any ordinary monster, huh?"

He then placed the monkey back on his shoulder and said with a smile, "Let's go to the Glimmerforge now, Cosmo."