As the two beings intertwined, flickers of flame, embers, and sparks illuminated their surroundings. Streaks of red, black, and silver danced together, painting a magnificent spectacle.
Despite the blood stains on their fur and skin, the reader missed the breathtaking fight that was unfolding before them.
Dante stood triumphantly, his back slumped against the dead five-meter wolf's fur. Despite his fiery and sustaining flames, the fur seemed to resist his power. His breath was unsteady as he swallowed a pill to recover from the grievous claw wounds across his chest.
Even after using Altered Psyche, his blurry vision could barely regain clarity as he took heavy breaths, the sound echoing through the dungeon. The strewn corpses of wolves around him would have been a terrifying sight for anyone who witnessed it.
The most terrifying sight of all was the black aura that hovered above Dante's chest, seemingly immune to the life energy provided by the pill. It pulsed and writhed like a living thing, emanating a palpable sense of malevolence.
The reader lay in bed, feeling listless and regretful for having missed the fight that was the precursor to Dante's transformation into something almost inhuman.
After some reflection, the benevolent writer decided to give the reader one more chance to experience the fight.
He delved deeper into the writings, describing every detail of the intense battle up to this very point. The reader was grateful for the opportunity to immerse themselves in the story once again and eagerly devoured the words on the page.
########
Bang!
As the two wolves tried to advance, Dante forcefully pushed them back and they collided with other wolves in the vicinity. A surge of dark flames erupted that threatened to engulf them upon impact with the ground.
However, just as Dante was about to strike, a terrifying creature appeared and devoured the flames with its massive jaws. What was even more disturbing was that the flames, which had appeared to burn eternally, were immediately snuffed out upon contact with the ferocious red-eyed beast's mouth.
Well, that would be utterly inaccurate. The flames erupted violently from the gaping jaws of the colossal five-meter beast, intensifying to more than twice their previous strength and expanding to triple their previous size.
Despite his confident facade, Dante watched in horror as he felt the intense heat emanating from the fiery attack, causing tiny beads of sweat to form on his forehead.
He swiftly shifted into a two-handed stance and enveloped his blade with a smoky black aura using 25 points of Abyssal Energy.
Dante harnessed every ounce of his physical strength and Oppressive Control abilities to unleash a diagonal crescent wave attack toward the burst of flames, obliterating everything in its path.
But as the devastating strike was released, the colossal five-meter alpha wolf vanished into the shadows and reappeared behind Dante.
Before the leader could move, the remaining wolves were already on the move, all aiming for the human who had dared to invade their territory, insulted their loyalty, and challenged their leader.
Now facing a three-pronged attack from these terrifying forces, Dante found himself in a perilous situation. He was confronted with a head-on flame burst that blitzed everything in its path, an alpha wolf right on his heels, aiming for his neck through his shadow, and a pack of twenty-five wolves all closing in on the lone swordsman.
Despite this overwhelming assault, the crescent-shaped Abyssal Energy burst and swallowed the thick ball of flames in its path.
Having settled the ball of flames with great difficulty, Dante had only a brief moment to react to the alpha wolf's movements.
Acting quickly, he twisted his body and moved backward in the direction from which the flame attack had come, narrowly evading the razor-sharp teeth of the alpha canine as they snapped shut where his neck had just been.
Unfortunately, evading the alpha wolf's attack didn't improve Dante's situation, as he found himself now cornered between the alpha wolf on his left and its pack on his right, trapped in a two-pronged formation with nowhere to run.
Realizing his mistake of not considering a way to isolate the alpha wolf before going on the offensive, Dante rebuked himself for being clouded by the joy of battle.
He understood that the alpha wolf wouldn't allow him to clear out its pack before attacking, and he needed to come up with a solution to his current predicament.
Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind on finding a way out of the situation. He scanned his surroundings, analyzing the terrain and the movement of the wolves.
After a few moments of contemplation, he came up with a plan to break the formation and gain the upper hand.
Without hesitation, Dante shifted his weight to his left foot, then suddenly lunged forward towards the alpha wolf with a feint attack, causing it to react and move to the right.
Taking advantage of the gap created, he spun around and dashed towards the pack of wolves on his right, aiming to separate them from the alpha wolf and force them to attack individually.
As the pack of wolves rushed towards him, Dante focused his energy, preparing to unleash his full strength and Oppressive Control abilities. With a loud battle cry, he charged forward, ready to face the pack head-on.
Before the alpha could approach him, he released a burst of flames toward it, not intending to injure it but to create a distraction and buy himself some time.
The sudden movement caused chaos to erupt within the pack of wolves, and he swiftly made his way through the center with the added speed boost from the periodic flame bursts beneath his feet.
His plan worked, and he found himself surrounded by a group of growling wolves, all eyeing the foolish human who dared to enter their territory.
Dante sheathed his katana, hoping that luck would once again be on his side. With seemingly no regard for the terrifying jaws aimed at his head, he concentrated intensely.
In the nick of time, just as the jaws were about to snap shut, Dante's leg muscles burst into action, propelling him into a jump that barely saved him from the cold embrace of their razor-sharp teeth.
Eight meters above the ground, Dante unsheathed his katana with practiced ease. As he did so, he concentrated on the burst of pitch-black flames that usually coated the entire blade.
This time, however, he directed the flames to the back of the blade, leaving the edge of the katana clean and devoid of any flames.
Dante quickly shifted to an inverse position, his head facing downwards and his bulging leg muscles facing the ceiling of the dungeon. With a burst of power, he propelled himself off the surface, descending with quick, rapid movements akin to a blazing meteorite.
As he fell, he gained momentum, preparing to execute an extension of the sword form he created in the heat of battle, known as the Fiery Eclipse.
Dante's extension of the sword form, Fiery Eclipse came with similar aesthetics as before, but with an added twist. The descending flame-wreathed dragon now basked in the malevolence of a dark-flame sun, making it even more menacing.
Descending with shocking speed, Dante rushed forward with the attack, the flames erupting from the back of his blade and enveloping a radius of twenty meters.
The attack created bursts of explosions that were strewn with the corpses of the wolves and the dark dirt in the dungeon. The dark flames raged on, leaving destruction in their wake.
The dark flames spared no wolf, leaving no creature unscathed. The weaker ones perished on impact, while the stronger ones were left on their last legs, evident from their pained whimpers and missing body parts - some of which were severed at the leg, quite literally. The carnage left behind was a testament to Dante's immense power and skill with his blade.
The powerful attack had come at a cost for Dante. His muscles were severely worn out, his stamina at an all-time low, and he was left with only 25% of his mana.
He could barely move, but he steeled his resolve and ignored the pain, bursting off into the middle of the flames that had left him unscathed. With his remaining strength, he picked off the remaining wolves that managed to survive the initial attack.
With each strike, they fell dead, leaving nothing but a surprised yelp as Dante finished them off. Despite his immense skill, Dante couldn't ignore the pain in his joints and muscles, grunting with each movement he made.
The sight of his pack annihilated by the human sent the alpha into a frenzy. Its eyes gained a malevolent hue of red, and its body began to bulge out as a shadow mixed in with flickering lightning enveloped it.
The dungeon itself seemed to gain an extra spark as lightning coated the alpha, and little rumblings of thunder echoed, seemingly twisting the space surrounding the wolf. The grave presence finally affecting him, Dante snapped his head up as he finished off the last of the wolves.
Dante wiped the blood from his lower lip, his heart pounding in his chest as he readied himself to face the alpha wolf. His blood flowed through his veins, jacked up from the continuous tension he had exerted on his body and muscles.
He knew that this would be his most deadly dance yet, and the alpha wolf was the only creature he had faced today that could match up to the wolves he had fought yesterday in the Abyss Dungeon.
Dante's mind was weighed down by the realization that the wolves he had just fought, despite being higher level, were similar in strength to the ones he had fought in the Abyss Dimension.
This came as a shock to him, and he couldn't help but wonder what other surprises the Abyss Dimension had in store for him.
However, he knew that he couldn't let those thoughts distract him from the task at hand.
Dante surged forward with incredible speed, brandishing his katana, which glinted in the dim dungeon light. The alpha wolf snarled menacingly, ready to meet Dante head-on.
The two engaged in a deadly dance, their movements fluid and graceful as they exchanged blows and counterattacks.
Despite the excruciating pain that pulsed through his muscles, Dante persevered, ignoring his body's protests and focusing solely on his opponent. The fight seemed to drag on endlessly as the two adversaries clashed in the dungeon.
However, Dante eventually spotted an opening, and he seized the moment, plunging his katana toward the alpha wolf's heart.
Yet, his victory was short-lived. The strike merely hit an afterimage, and Dante found himself momentarily confused. The alpha wolf took advantage of his hesitation and struck him with a lightning-fast shadow paw, sending him flying across the dungeon room.
Such instances of confusion were rare for an experienced warrior like Dante, but the alpha wolf's instinctual speed and agility had allowed it to react to his momentary lapse.
This incident further demonstrated the alpha wolf's deadly instincts and impressive speed, making it clear that it was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Dante's feet slid through the dirt as he struggled to regain his balance, clutching at his injury and preventing the flow of blood.
The effort left him feeling light-headed and disoriented, and he barely managed to dodge the alpha wolf's incoming paw as he stumbled backward.
Without missing a beat, Dante burst forward with a fierce determination, his teeth gritted in determination. As he charged, a black, smoky aura enveloped his entire blade, and he swung with all his might.
The wolf's lightning and shadow mana seemed to be devoured by Dante's blade, slowing its movements drastically. This time, Dante's attack connected, slicing deeply into the stunned wolf's body and leaving a long, gaping wound in its wake.
The alpha wolf howled in agony as it stumbled back, its movements slowed and weakened by Dante's attack. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Dante pressed his advantage, determined to defeat the formidable beast once and for all.
Despite the flurry of attacks, Dante refused to back down, determined to emerge victorious.
As they clashed, both combatants suffered deep wounds, and the floor of the dungeon was painted with a gruesome mixture of human and alpha wolf blood.
In a moment of respite, Dante stepped back, brandishing his katana as he prepared to unleash his ultimate technique. With a surge of power, he coated his blade in the black, smoky aura once again, before executing the Timeless Ripple sword form.
The attack was a horizontal crescent-shaped slash, imbued with a golden hue and surrounded by a pitch-black aura. At first, it appeared to be moving slowly, but the alpha wolf was too slow to react, and the attack landed squarely on its chest, tearing through its thick fur and ravaging its body.
The alpha wolf let out a final howl of agony as its life drained away, its blood spilling onto the floor of the dungeon. Dante emerged victorious but at a great cost.
Dante's victory was short-lived, as the alpha wolf, even as its life slipped away, launched a final attack. Its paw landed squarely on Dante's left shoulder, close to his heart, sending a wave of malevolent energy coursing through his body.
Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Dante summoned all his remaining strength and plunged his dark flame-wreathed blade into the chest of the wolf. The creature let out a final breath before collapsing onto the ground.
As the adrenaline wore off, Dante's strength gave out, and he slumped backward, his back resting on the fur of the fallen alpha wolf. His body was wracked with pain, his breathing ragged as he struggled to stay conscious. His victory had come at a great cost, and he knew he would need time to recover from his injuries.