The battlefield had transformed into chaos. The monstrous woman that Dave now faced was far more dangerous than before. Each of her punches left craters in the ground, and every movement she made sent shockwaves rippling through the air. Her immense strength made the earth tremble beneath her feet.
Dave narrowly dodged another bone-crushing blow, using his teleportation skill to blink out of the way just in time. He reappeared several meters away, beads of sweat dripping down his face. This fight was taking its toll on him, and it wasn't just her power that was the problem—it was the sheer unpredictability of her attacks. She moved like a beast driven purely by instinct, her rage fueling her devastating strikes.
"Damn, she's strong!" Dave muttered under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest.
He teleported again, avoiding a sweeping punch that demolished a cluster of nearby trees. Her strength was monstrous, capable of leveling cities with just a swing of her massive fists. Dave had no choice but to stay on the defensive, constantly teleporting from one spot to the next.
As he dodged another blow, he couldn't help but think he was in over his head. The power gap between him and this brute was becoming more apparent with each passing second.
"System!" Dave called out mentally, "Any ideas on how to kill this thing? She's getting stronger by the minute!"
The system, however, was silent for a moment. Then, its cold and calculating voice replied, "You must solve this fight alone, Dave. I cannot guide you through every battle."
Dave gritted his teeth. He didn't want to hear that now. This was the fight of his life, and the system was telling him to figure it out on his own. But deep down, he knew the system was right. He'd faced countless battles, and each time, he grew stronger, learned faster. This was no different.
Alright, he thought, wiping sweat from his brow. I'll figure it out.
The monstrous woman let out a thunderous roar and charged at him again. Dave teleported behind her, narrowly avoiding her fists, but this time, instead of staying defensive, he decided to strike back. He launched a flurry of punches at her back, each one landing with enough force to level a building. But it wasn't enough—she barely flinched.
Dave's attacks didn't seem to phase her as much as he had hoped. Her rage-fueled strength was overwhelming, and Dave could feel his own energy draining fast. He needed something bigger, something far more powerful to end this.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind—something he had been saving for a moment like this.
"There is one skill I've never used before," Dave thought. "It's risky, but it might be my only chance."
Taking a deep breath, Dave steeled himself. He had obtained this skill from the system a long time ago but never thought he'd need to use it so soon. Now, it was time to unleash its full power.
The monster charged at him again, and Dave stood his ground. As she neared, he thrust his hands forward and channeled all of his remaining energy into the attack.
"Heaven Shattering Strike!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
A massive surge of power exploded from Dave's body, and the sky above seemed to split open as a blinding beam of light erupted from his hands. The sheer force of the attack was unlike anything he had ever unleashed before—it was as if the heavens themselves were cracking under the weight of his power.
The beam of energy collided with the woman, and for a split second, everything went still. Then, the ground beneath them shattered, and the monstrous figure was obliterated in a blinding flash of light. Dust and debris flew into the air as a massive crater formed where the woman had once stood.
When the light faded, all that was left was silence.
Dave collapsed to one knee, his entire body trembling from the strain. He could barely keep himself upright, his energy completely drained from the attack. The Heaven Shattering Strike had taken everything he had, but it had worked. The monstrous woman was gone—completely annihilated by the sheer force of the skill.
As Dave struggled to catch his breath, he noticed something strange. The fighting around him had stopped. Everyone, every fighter in the trial, had halted their battles and was now staring in his direction.
"What was that...?" one of the fighters muttered, eyes wide with shock.
"That power... who could do something like that?" another whispered, looking around in disbelief.
"Is that... even humanly possible?" a third one questioned, fear creeping into their voice.
Dave could feel the weight of their stares as they looked toward the massive crater he had just created. For a moment, no one dared to move, the shock of what they had just witnessed still sinking in. Even the strongest among them seemed unsure of what to do next.
But Dave wasn't paying attention to them. He was too exhausted to care. His body felt like it was made of lead, his muscles screaming in pain. He had never been this fatigued in his life.
As the silence continued, Dave could only think one thing: That was just one fight. I still have so many more to go...