Dominic’s sword pierced straight through the gap between the boar’s front legs, driving deep into its chest.

As he watched the blade sink in, Dominic let out a silent breath of relief.

This is it. It’s over.

But what came next was something he could never have imagined.

The moment the sword began sliding into the Inverted Demonic Boar’s chest, it suddenly stopped halfway. No matter how hard Dominic pushed, the blade refused to go any deeper.

The monster’s thick pectoral muscles had clamped down around the steel like a vice, holding it in place. Dominic poured every ounce of his strength into the hilt, yet the sword wouldn’t budge even a single centimeter.

The lightning chains wrapped around the boar’s body were slowly paralyzing its massive frame. In response, the creature let out a thunderous roar. It dug all six of its legs into the ground, claws gouging deep furrows as it strained to tear itself free from the crackling restraints.

Zuur... zuur...

One by one, the glowing chains began to snap. Dominic’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the lightning bindings shatter before him. With a desperate shout, he drove the sword forward with everything he had left.

"Aaaah! Die, you fiend!"

The blade sank another five centimeters. Black blood gushed from the widened wound, spilling across the creature’s chest. For a brief moment, Dominic felt a flicker of triumph.

This time it’s really going to die.

Then suddenly...

Thud!

The Inverted Demonic Boar shattered the last of the lightning chains. It lunged forward with terrifying speed, Dominic’s sword still buried in its chest, his hands still gripping the hilt.

The monster dragged him along the ground before suddenly twisting and slamming its left forepaw into Dominic’s torso. The impact sent him flying. Even as he was hurled backward, he refused to let go of his sword. The blade tore free from the boar’s body, widening the gash even further and spraying more dark blood across the grass.

After flinging Dominic aside, the Inverted Demonic Boar stood still for a moment. A growing pool of black blood spread beneath it, soaking the green grass until it turned a sickening shade of midnight. The beast threw its head back and roared, a sound filled with pure rage. Its six crimson eyes then locked onto Dominic, who lay sprawled on the ground with one dislocated shoulder.

Dominic met its gaze. Every single one of those eyes burned with murderous intent.

I’m doomed.

The Inverted Demonic Boar charged with explosive power. When it was roughly ten feet away, it leaped high into the air, raising one massive paw to crush his head in a single devastating strike.

Dominic lay on the ground, staring up helplessly as death descended. His left arm was broken, several ribs shattered. He drew in a long, shaky breath.

So this is the end...

But then his fingers tightened around the sword’s hilt.

His expression changed.

No. Not here. Not like this. I promised my mother. I promised my father. I promised Sara. I swore I would become strong. I swore I would protect our family. Sara’s future depends on me. I can’t die here. I won’t die here...especially not to some overgrown demonic pig!

The boar’s paw hovered directly above his head, five enormous claws ready to rip his skull from his body. Dominic stared up without blinking, every ounce of his focus locked on that descending strike.

Just as the claws were about to make contact, he rolled to the right with every last bit of strength he could muster. The claws whistled past, missing his head by barely a hair’s breadth.

The boar’s paw slammed into the earth with tremendous force, burying itself several inches deep from the momentum. Exactly what Dominic had been waiting for.

While the creature’s leg was momentarily stuck, he gripped his sword with his good hand and swung from his half-prone position.

Aslan Style, Third Sword: River Splitting Eternal Strike!

The blade moved like flowing water, slicing cleanly toward the boar’s ankle. Before the monster could react, the sword severed every tendon, vein, and artery in its lower leg.

The Inverted Demonic Boar let out a piercing shriek, this time not of rage, but of genuine agony.

Dominic smiled through bloodied lips, his broken arm hanging uselessly at his side and his chest burning with every breath. Despite everything, he was smiling.

The Inverted Demonic Boar let out a long, agonized shriek.

After several seconds, the roar finally died in its throat. Slowly, it lifted its injured leg off the ground and held it in the air. The limb had gone completely limp. Blood poured endlessly from the severed arteries, mixing with the earlier chest wound. Every heartbeat sent fresh torrents of black blood spilling onto the grass.

As strength drained from its body, so did the blinding rage. For the first time, a sliver of cold clarity returned to the monster’s mind. With what little intelligence it still possessed, it realized something grim: escaping this fight alive would be nearly impossible.

So it made one final decision.

Kill them all.

The boar stopped putting weight on its ruined leg and balanced on its remaining five. It kept the crippled foreleg raised like a wounded predator. Then it slowly turned its massive head toward Dominic, its lips curling into a grotesque, blood-smeared grin.

This time, it wouldn’t hold back.

Dominic blinked in surprise at the creature’s sudden calm. But before he could process what was happening, the boar’s spiked tail whipped forward like a blur.

His instincts screamed. He raised his sword to block on pure reflex.

Crack!

The tail slammed into the flat of his blade with monstrous force, far stronger than before. The impact launched Dominic into the air like a ragdoll. If he hit a tree or rock at this speed, it would be the end.

As he tumbled helplessly through the sky, Dominic thought grimly, *This is really it...*

Then he heard a sharp voice cut through the chaos.

"Macy, Spinning Tornado. Now!"

The moment Alana gave the order, Macy opened her mouth wide. A massive swirling vortex of wind exploded outward, engulfing Dominic mid-flight. The tornado wrapped around him, rapidly bleeding away his deadly momentum.

He wasn’t fully stopped, but the force was softened enough. Instead of smashing into something solid, Dominic crashed hard into the open ground. The impact still hurt like hell, but it was survivable. The moment he hit the dirt, everything went black. He passed out.

The Inverted Demonic Boar’s six eyes shifted from Dominic’s motionless body to the one who had interfered...Alana.

She was already ready. Macy and Lucy floated protectively in front of her while Hana stood to her left, her weapon fully loaded and aimed.

The boar stared at the group for a single, tense second... then charged.

Meanwhile, on the far side of the battlefield, Necrotize watched everything with his hands still casually tucked in his pockets, a delighted grin on his face. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision.

He pulled one hand free, extended a single finger upward, and curled the rest. A small, pure white orb of energy began forming above his fingertip.

Necrotize smiled inwardly.

Shall I give them a hand now, shall we?