Aren launched at the giant again at full speed, the Ancient Devourer coiling around his right side as he moved through the air at an incredible pace. His feet barely touched the ground before he pushed off again, launching forward.

It was as if the surroundings themselves were bending under his speed.

The giant stood unfazed, yet alert, hammer held in one hand, divine energy pooling around it as it prepared to strike.

When Aren entered striking range, he attacked.

The dragon head lunged forward at full speed, breaking the sound barrier and creating a massive sonic boom as it surged ahead. The power it carried was immense, its eyes glowing brighter than before.

The giant swung his hammer.

Dragon and hammer met in the middle.

BOOM!

The shockwave spread like a thin wall from the point of collision, slicing into the ground and walls, leaving deep, razor-thin marks behind. That was how refined the battle had become.

Aren pulled his sword back and counterattacked instantly, swinging down even harder than before.

The giant moved to parry, the hammer slamming into the dragon head again.

Another explosion rippled through the air, but no damage followed.

Seeing this, Aren retracted the sword and lunged even closer.

The giant stomped his foot into the ground.

Earth spikes erupted toward Aren. The dragon head crawled around instantly, smashing into every spike the moment they emerged, shattering them before they could reach him, then lunging forward again.

The giant blocked, but this time he wasn't fully prepared. The force pushed him several feet backward.

Aren pulled the sword back and leapt into the air, swinging down once more.

The dragon head rushed toward the giant, but this time he was ready. He swung his hammer upward, slamming into the sword head and deflecting it completely.

In the same motion, he hurled the hammer.

It slammed into Aren's shoulder midair.

A clean snap echoed.

The bone was broken.

Pain tore through Aren's body, his mind screaming as it shot through his nerves. He crashed to the ground, barely managing to stay on his feet.

His shoulder was gone.

He looked up as the giant recalled his hammer.

Despite the battle reaching a point where Aren could finally land meaningful clashes, he was still nowhere near defeating the giant.

But there was no stopping now.

Aren charged again, his injured arm flailing uselessly at his side. He clenched the sword tighter with his right hand and attacked again.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Each strike was met with a powerful block that rattled the earth, shook the surroundings, and sent rocks crashing down.

Those watching could barely follow the fight.

All they saw were explosions of light, trembling ground, and falling debris. Some feared that the shockwaves alone would kill them before either fighter landed a finishing blow.

Yet none of them could look away.

It was terrifying.

It was beautiful.

It was a dance of overwhelming power.

After another violent collision, both Aren and the giant skidded backward.

This time, the giant took the initiative to attack.

Aren knew allowing the giant to control the tempo would be disastrous. He retreated rapidly while attacking at the same time.

The dragon head surged forward, forcing the giant to block. That brief pause was enough.

Aren dug his feet into the ground and surged forward again, spinning as he unleashed another full-force attack.

As the dragon head descended at terrifying speed, the giant moved to block.

But suddenly, dozens of shadow tendrils erupted from the ground.

They wrapped around the giant's hammer arm simultaneously, pulling with everything they had.

The restraint lasted only half a second.

But half a second was enough.

The giant tore free easily, snapping the tendrils like threads, but the dragon head was already perfectly positioned.

As the hammer deflected the strike, the sword's teeth grazed the giant's skin.

One more drop of blood spilled.

The giant noticed immediately.

He understood Aren's plan.

And it enraged him.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

The giant launched forward, each step shaking the earth beneath it.

It understood now. Aren's sword grew stronger every time it tasted its blood. After three tastes, the Ancient Devourer's power had skyrocketed, so much so that it had become a genuine threat.

The giant knew this.

And so it decided to end everything now, before Aren could use the sword to its full potential.

At this point, Aren was barely holding on. His body was a mess of pain, most of his internal organs severely damaged, several bones cracked throughout his body, and his shoulder completely shattered. He was one step away from death. If the giant capitalized on this, the battle would end instantly.

Aren saw the giant right in front of him.

The hammer was already raised, gleaming with divine power as it descended like an inevitable wave. The giant intended to finish this here and now.

But just as the hammer was about to strike,

Aren vanished.

The hammer slammed into the ground.

A massive shockwave erupted outward as layers of cracks spread rapidly, followed by a crater tens of feet deep forming beneath the giant. The entire ground shook violently with the giant at its center.

It turned around sharply, searching for Aren.

Only to see him in the distance, high in the air.

After the third taste of blood, the Ancient Devourer hadn't just grown stronger.

It had awakened a new ability.

The sword could now move at extreme speeds, and it carried its wielder with it.

Aren landed on the ground, still broken and battered, yet smiling.

He hadn't even known such a thing was possible. If not for the sword saving him, he didn't know how he would have escaped that attack.

The giant refused to give him time.

Not wanting Aren to fully grasp or use this newfound power, it leaped into the air.

The hammer blazed with terrifying brilliance, its aura so intense that even from a distance, the ground trembled beneath it.

The giant swung downward with overwhelming force.

Aren had no choice.

He had to meet it head-on.

Gravity favored the giant. If Aren didn't overpower this strike, he would lose.

So he swung with everything he had.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he roared.

The dragon head of the Ancient Devourer became a blur as it rushed forward. The air grew thin and tense as the sword collided with the hammer.

There was complete silence for a full second.

Then,

An explosion erupted like a nuclear blast.

Blinding light flooded the battlefield, powerful enough to burn the eyes of anyone who looked directly at it. Ripples of spatial distortion tore through the air as the shockwave expanded hundreds of meters in an instant.

The force was so terrifying that massive cracks spread across the walls of the maze itself.

The ground caved in at multiple points.

In a single moment, the battlefield was reduced to ruin.

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