The impact when they met was devastating.
This time, it wasn't just the leaves, Aziz's hair, and the black fur of the alpha wolf that stirred as before; a resounding crash echoed throughout the forest, a dry thunder that seemed to rise from the ground itself. The pressure of the collision opened a crater beneath their feet — Aziz's sword against the alpha's claws — throwing clods of earth, roots, and shards of stone in all directions. The air vibrated like an overstretched drum.
They stared at each other, ferocity blazing in their eyes, not giving an inch. They pressed their weight against one another, steel and claws, mana and muscle, trying to gain the upper hand in the pure clash. Nothing gave way. The ground did — sinking, cracking, crying under the force.
