The forest had grown eerily quiet after the devastation of the lion pride. Alaric's senses strained against the stillness, every rustle of leaves, every snap of a branch, screaming danger. A tremor rippled through the ground, faint but deliberate, and his mana instincts flared: a true king-tier lion was near. Not like the weakened ones on the mountain — this beast radiated raw, overwhelming power.
The lion emerged from the shadows, a colossal creature twice the size of his previous foes, its golden-black mane flickering with heat and energy. Its eyes glowed molten amber, fixated on him, scanning his movements with a predator's intelligence. Alaric felt the pressure of its aura like a physical weight, making his head throb. He inhaled sharply, readying himself for the battle that would define his limits.
The beast lunged, massive paws tearing through the undergrowth. Alaric activated Lightning Steps, vanishing in a streak of blurred movement as the first swipe narrowly missed his shoulder, tearing through a nearby tree instead. Splinters flew, one catching his arm and leaving a deep cut. He twisted midair, letting the force of the swipe carry him past the lion's flank, then retaliated with Sky Rendering Sword, sending a lava-infused strike slashing along the beast's foreleg. The lion growled, enraged, and backed off momentarily.
Before he could recover, it leapt again, jaws snapping down toward him. Alaric rolled beneath the lion, feeling the tips of its teeth graze his back. He sprang up, channeling Phantom Strike to phase briefly through space, landing behind the beast. His sword carved deep into its hindquarters, but the force of the pounce left him staggered, chest heaving, as blood trickled from shallow wounds across his arms and legs.
The king-tier's roar echoed like thunder, shaking the canopy and rattling the earth beneath him. The beast charged again, faster and heavier than before. Alaric braced his hands into the ground, summoning earth magic to form a barrier. The lion slammed into it with enough force to crack stones, sending him skidding several feet backward. Pain shot through his ribs, bruising and burning, but he quickly regained his stance. Flames danced along his blade as he channeled mana into a combination of Sky Rendering Sword and lava-infused earth strikes, cutting at the lion's shoulders and chest.
The battle became a deadly chess match. Every attack from the king-tier required immediate reaction: a swipe of its claw tore at his shoulder; a swipe of its tail sent him colliding into a massive tree trunk, snapping branches and leaving deep bruises. Alaric responded by manipulating the terrain, uprooting trees to block momentum and forcing the beast into narrow angles. He weaved through the chaos with Lightning Steps, using Phantom Strike for sudden, precise attacks that kept the lion off balance.
At one point, the lion pounced directly at him, jaws snapping. Alaric dove into a nearby ravine, rolling against jagged rocks. A paw smashed against the edge, shattering stone and sending him tumbling. Grunting through pain, he slashed upward with Sky Rendering Sword, slicing across the lion's massive forelimb and staggering it long enough to scramble to higher ground.
Sweat, blood, and ash covered him, but he didn't stop. Every strike of his sword, every surge of earth and flame magic, was carefully calculated. The beast's raw strength pushed him to the limit, but his dual-path cultivation allowed him to merge qi and mana into devastating synergy. Lava and fire scorched the ground, earth spikes erupted to disrupt charges, and his sword movements became a whirlwind of deadly precision.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the king-tier lion faltered. Alaric leapt, channeling all his mana and qi into a single, concentrated strike of Sky Rendering Sword, enhanced with molten earth. The blade tore through the beast's chest, severing the artery near its heart. The lion let out a final, deafening roar before collapsing into the forest floor.
Alaric fell to his knees, gasping, wounds stinging, his vision blurred by sweat and blood. Around him, the forest bore the marks of a king-tier battle — scorched earth, upturned trees, shattered rocks. Slowly, he absorbed the king-tier core, claws, teeth, furs, and elemental essence, feeling the power integrate into his dual-path cultivation. His qi and mana pulsed in harmony, elemental energy flowing through him like never before.
Leaning on his sword, he surveyed the battlefield. He had survived, adapted, and overcome. The lesson was clear: strategy, elemental synergy, and dual-path mastery were as vital as raw strength. Though battered and bloodied, Alaric rose, chest heaving, aura flickering with fire and earth energy. The forest no longer intimidated him — it had been tested and conquered.
With the king-tier beast defeated, Alaric knew the next step was training — to master the new power he had just absorbed, refine his dual-path synergy, and prepare for even greater challenges ahead. The forest echoed with the silence of victory, broken only by the crackle of smoldering flames and the distant rustle of leaves — a reminder that Alaric had survived, but the world still held far greater threats.