"Ugh", Aldrich got up, feeling intense pain coursing throughout his body.
"Yeah, that's the fight I wanted" Aldrich picked up the sword, looking towards the wolf.
The wolf was also in serious condition; it had used a lot of Mana and had deep wounds throughout his body.
"You are defending something, aren't you" Aldrich looked at the cave, revealing an evil grin.
The wolf understood his intentions, as it revealed a deafening howl rushing towards the cave.
"It's going to take a lot out of me" Aldrich knew he had to end it quick.
He closed his eyes as Mana started to condense around Aldrich's sword. His first battle against a Dragon was still afresh in his memory. "I remember the sense of inferiority, the powerlessness I felt then."
With a surge of energy, the atmosphere around Aldrich seemed to shimmer and waver.
The surroundings started to shake as Mana furiously revolved around Aldrich's sword.
"Currently, I cannot utilize this skill's maximum potential, but this much should be enough" Aldrich opened his eyes as he looked towards the wolf heading towards the cave.
"Aeon Slash",
Aldrich slashed down his sword. A torrent of raw Mana slashed through the air with blinding speed, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. And a bright golden light surrounded the entire Area.
Every monster stopped in its tracks, looking at the intense bright light from the Area.
"What's going on," Carl noticed every monster Freaking out, using it to his advantage to kill the monsters.
[You have reached the Target]
[Teleporting you to the next stage]
[Another team is being kicked out]
And so only team C and team D remained inside the forest.
Aldrich knew the wolf would try to protect the cave, so he targeted it.
The wolf summoned a shield of Mana, but it was too late. The slash was too powerful as it tore through the shelf, heading directly for the cave.
"HOWL", the wolf increased his speed, as it appeared just in front of the cave, trying to stop the attack with its bare body.
The Aeon Slash and the wolf's charge collided with an explosive force, sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings. The raw Mana met the wolf's indomitable will, creating a titanic power clash.
The wolf is locked in a fierce battle against the force of the Aeon Slash. The ground beneath them cracked under the strain, and the air was charged with intense energy.
But Aldrich's technique proved overwhelming. The Aeon Slash was strengthened by Aether of Soul, a strong Mana technique and was a manifestation of Aldrich's unyielding determination, and it began to push back the wolf's resistance.
The wolf roared in defiance, its muscles straining against the onslaught. For a moment, it seemed as though it might succeed in pushing through, but the sheer power of the Aeon Slash was too much to bear.
With a final burst of raw Mana, the Aeon Slash overwhelmed the wolf's resistance, and the attack surged forward, engulfing the creature in a blinding display of ethereal energy.
The forest was engulfed in an eerie silence as the light of the Aeon Slash slowly faded.
[You have defeated an A-rank monster]
[You have Levelled up]
[You have Levelled up]
….
Several notifications rang in Aldrich's head, but he ignored them. He walked towards the wolf, checking its dead body.
"No mana stone, what I think was true" Aldrich looked at the cave, walking towards it.
"I did it again", A scene replayed in Aldrich's mind,
***
"Do we kill the children" Aria looked at a bunch of little Dragons?
Killian looked towards the baby Dragon before looking at the body of the giant Dragon he had just slain.
"They did nothing wrong", Killian said, but went on to say, "But did they spare ours?",
"Kill them all."
***
Aldrich had always doubted himself for that decision, yet at that time, he had to take the best decision for his team.
"I won't make the same mistake again", Aldrich put back his sword as he stepped into the cave.
Aldrich found two little wolf cubs lying on the ground, waiting for their mother's return.
"I am sorry little ones" Aldrich looked at the two cubs.
Both of them were adorable. One was black with golden eyes, while the other was white with blood-red eyes.
The two cubs slowly walked towards Aldrich, stopping near his feet and rubbing their heads against him.
Aldrich didn't know what to do. He felt that he had to take responsibility.
"Want to come with me?", He asked the two cubs.
"grr", "grr", two tiny squeaks came from near his feet as they rubbed their head against him again.
[Host has successfully formed a contract with Luminaris and Nocturna]
[Team D has reached the target]
[Team C is being kicked out]
"WHAT? HOW" Alex screamed; team D was still on 0 points the last time he checked. But before he could do anything, he was teleported back to the entrance of the Dungeon, In front of the family members.
"Let's go", He calmly picked up the two cubs, entering the gate to the next stage.
Meanwhile, inside the temple,
"He did it, AHAHAHA", the man's laughter roared inside the room.
"This brat contracted the Descendant of Founder's summon."
"I must get ready to greet him soon" The man got up as the location of the final stage was inside the temple itself.