CHAPTER 62: THE TRUE ALPHA [02]

The fight did not cease.

Far from it.

In fact, it had grown even more intense.

The air of the newly made clearing, scarred by their battle, trembled with the clash of wills.

Aziz and the Alpha wolf moved in a deadly rhythm, each strike and dodge shaped by instinct, experience, and pure determination.

Black claws, long and gleaming with blue mana, sliced through the space like living blades.

Aziz’s sword, wrapped in the Amplification Enchantment, met each strike, its silver edge cutting through the air with surgical precision.

The sound of the impacts echoed like dry thunder, vibrating through the ground, crawling up the roots, and climbing the tree trunks.

With every collision, leaves fell, dust rose, and small fragments of wood burst like shrapnel.

Aziz already bore deep scratches on his arms, long cuts along his sides, and a fresh tear on his left shoulder.

Nothing fatal.

His regeneration was already at work, closing wounds, sealing flesh, erasing fresh blood.

The Alpha, in turn, also bore marks.

Lines cut across his black fur, some still wet with blood.

And though they were superficial, each one was the work of Aziz’s blade.

But the Alpha had no regeneration.

What he did have was ferocity — and that, he had in abundance.

Blow after blow, he attacked with the brutality of one who knew he could not afford to hesitate.

The bites came with the promise of shattering bone.

The claws, with the intent to tear flesh away in a single motion.

And each time he saw a wound on Aziz close before his eyes, the hatred in his crimson gaze burned hotter.

The weight of losing his dead offspring, his wounded mate, his invaded territory — it seemed to dissolve.

Only one goal remained: kill that young man and devour his flesh, no matter the cost.

Aziz, however, did not yield.

With each exchange, he felt more comfortable with the rhythm of the battle.

His attacks, once calculated and precise, now flowed with ease and naturalness.

His defense, solid from the beginning, now adapted to each situation, like water taking the shape of its vessel.

His counterattacks became faster, surer, more seamlessly integrated into the very flow of the fight.

He was not merely enduring.

He was evolving.

A smile formed on his lips.

It was not disdain, nor arrogance.

It was pure joy.

The raw satisfaction of fighting seriously, with full focus, against an opponent who wanted him dead.

His features — delicate yet marked by masculine vigor — carried that vivid light.

Every movement bore the imprint of his training with his mother and with Isis.

But there was also something new — lessons that could only be learned at the edge of death, against an enemy who left no room for mistakes.

The Alpha, realizing that even his most brutal charges failed to land a fatal blow, prepared to change tactics.

With a deep snarl, he lunged with a claw strike, blue mana burning around his natural blades.

Aziz raised the sword with both hands.

The cold metal reflected the silver light of his mana, as if it were made to cut not only flesh, but destiny itself.

He felt the weight of the blade, the living pulse of the energy flowing through it.

He drew in a deep breath, and in the next instant activated the Amplification Enchantment once more.

The blade reacted.

A low, vibrating sound ran along the metal, growing until it became a menacing hum.

The air around seemed to compress, warping under the pressure.

Then, the clash happened.

It was brutal.

A sharp blast exploded through the air, not like the common clang of swords, but as if a thousand steel plates were being torn apart at once.

The sound was cutting enough to make bones vibrate.

The shockwave burst outward in all directions.

Aziz’s hair whipped violently, lashing his face.

The Alpha’s black fur stood on end like needles.

The wind from the collision tore leaves from the highest branches, sending them flying in chaotic whirlwinds, spinning like small green blades through the air.

Dust rose in dense clouds, smothering the forest floor in a hazy veil.

The impact sent them both flying back.

Aziz slid across the ground, his feet digging into the earth instinctively, but the force was too much.

He drove the sword into the ground with a dull thud.

The edge ripped through the soil, carving deep furrows that looked like a freshly dug trench.

The blade sparked silver whenever it struck a stone.

He finally stopped, the muscles in his arm still vibrating with the reverberation of the blow.

On the other side, the Alpha slammed all four paws into the ground.

The earth gave way under his weight, throwing clods of dirt and ripped-up roots into the air.

The hooks of his claws stabbed into the ground like daggers, leaving deep gouges.

For a moment, there was silence.

Only the sound of heavy breathing filled the clearing.

Aziz’s chest rose and fell quickly, the air entering his lungs like embers.

Each inhale burned.

Each exhale seemed to carry away a piece of his strength, yet his eyes remained sharp.

The Alpha panted with his mouth open, revealing massive, wet fangs glistening under the faint light filtering through the trees.

Fangs that could snap human bones with ease.

Saliva dripped in thick strands, falling in heavy drops to the earth, where it sizzled with traces of mana.

They stared at each other.

Aziz’s silver eyes shone with intensity, as though something deeper, more primal, burned there alongside the mana.

The Alpha’s crimson eyes blazed like coals, burning with pure hatred.

Aziz’s smile widened at the sight of that hatred blazing in the Alpha’s eyes.

"Hahaha... what an interesting fight.

Come on, little wolf, don’t get so worked up.

Let’s keep dancing, alright?"

His voice carried a blend of excitement and challenge, but without arrogance.

It was a genuine invitation to continue the battle, as if nothing else mattered.

The Alpha answered with a low, deep growl, heavy with promise.

If he could speak, he would have sworn to tear Aziz’s flesh with his own teeth, even if it were the last thing he did.

And then, he changed.

Aziz noticed before he even saw it.

His Perception of Magical Flow picked up the shift.

The Alpha’s mana began moving differently, like a river suddenly changing course.

For a moment, Aziz imagined the wolf was preparing another energy blast from its mouth, like before.

But not this time.

What came was something far more dangerous.

Mana began crackling across his fur like red lightning.

Every hair stood on end, turning into living needles.

The air around him hissed with magical electricity.

The usual blue hue began to shift.

It was overtaken by a deep, vivid red, flowing like blood through every fiber of mana, concentrating in his claws and fangs.

Now, his claws glowed like bloodstained scythes, sharp enough to rend reality itself.

His teeth, covered by the same crimson glow, radiated a silent threat.

Tiny red sparks popped in the air, cutting through the forest’s dimness like living embers.

The smell of ozone and iron mingled, creating a suffocating scent of storm and blood.

Aziz arched a brow, intrigued, but did not underestimate it.

"So... this is your final card?"

The wolf only answered with another growl, this time higher-pitched, almost metallic, as he stepped forward.

Every muscle trembled with pent-up energy, ready to release like a drawn bowstring.

Aziz did not stand still.

Silver mana began to flow from his core, cloaking his body like a mantle of liquid light.

It was like watching a living star in the middle of the night.

He reinforced the Amplification Enchantment on his sword again.

The metal began to vibrate with an almost painful intensity, emitting a hum that resonated.

Aziz glanced at the blade, noticing the slight distortions in the air around it.

’My control is still crude... I need to improve this.’

The weapon’s vibration made his arms tremble slightly, but there was no more time for fine adjustments.

He inhaled deeply, feeling every muscle in his body respond.

His senses picked up the tension in the Alpha’s paws.

The shift in weight.

The arching of his back.

The promise of the charge.

Aziz’s smile widened even further — not in provocation, but in respect.

A silent recognition that both were ready to put everything into the next exchange.

The Alpha flexed his hind legs.

Aziz leaned forward.

Two predators at the peak of their fury.

Two warriors about to decide the outcome with a single clash.

The entire forest seemed to shrink around them.

Even the sound of insects vanished, as though every leaf, every root, every stone was holding its breath.

And then... they moved.

The Alpha became a blur of shadow, red and blue in living rage.

Aziz, a silver streak, cutting through the darkness like a silent lightning bolt.

The ground trembled under their feet.

The air split with snapping sounds.

And the deadly dance continued... on the verge of reaching its peak.