The battle between the massive ape and the small boy had begun.
Louskas had no choice but to dodge, leap, and duck to avoid the crushing blows tearing through the air with such force they felt like miniature hurricanes. A third-tier creature couldn't even be compared to anything beneath it—facing such madness head-on was certain death.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, and beads of sweat mixed with blood trickled down his face.
"That bastard… he held back with that last strike. He wants to torture me first before killing me."
Louskas understood this clearly. Even with his shard assisting him in dodging, the sheer pressure of the strikes was enough to wound him. The air itself slashed at him.
If a single blow landed properly, it would be over. And the ape knew that perfectly well.
But with every dodge, every jump, every flicker of movement, something dark was building inside him. This wasn't fleeting anger—it was something deeper, something rooted in his soul.
Why does everyone want to hurt me so badly? Just because they're stronger, do they get to decide my fate? Do they really expect me to accept this, to lie down and surrender?
His eyes shifted. Flames of fury and long-buried pain ignited within them.
Pain coursed through every cell in his body, yet it no longer overwhelmed him.
They say when facing death, a person's senses sharpen. Instincts flare. Every perception ignites. And now, that was happening to Louskas.
Everything became clearer—the ape's movements, the twitch of every muscle, every opening in its defense.
Eldron's sword style wasn't about brute strength. It was about exploiting weaknesses. Understanding the enemy. Finding that one perfect strike that didn't require overwhelming force—just precise timing.
Louskas was still analyzing the ape's body, brushing across random areas with each evasive movement, trying to confirm its vulnerable points.
And still, the ape couldn't touch him.
He ducked under a fast swing and jabbed his sword into its wing, but it only left a shallow wound. His body was still far too weak.
"Damn it…"
He gritted his teeth, anger boiling inside—at himself.
Then a thought hit him.
"Why not steal its shard? It won't be able to resist."
But… unfortunately, that wasn't true.
Kailos had failed to resist because his soul was far weaker than Louskas'. After all, possessing one of the Shards of Forgetfulness was already proof of a powerful soul.
The green beast had been taken by surprise—there had been no time to react.
But this ape… even if caught off guard, Louskas wouldn't be able to steal it.
Its soul was like a vast lake. His own was a single drop of water.
The more Louskas dodged, the more enraged the ape became.
It went berserk, swinging wildly with fists, feet, mouth—even its head.
"Good… an angry enemy is a foolish one."
But the problem was, in its blind fury, its attacks became faster and covered a wider range.
Louskas ducked under a side swipe and leapt onto the ape's back. He clung tightly to its neck, then brutally plunged his blade into its eye.
The ape shrieked in madness, slamming the ground with such force that it trembled. It rammed its back against trees, trying to shake off the parasite clinging to it.
But…
"That's still not enough."
He watched the ape carefully, waiting for the right moment.
And then he saw it.
A deep scar across its chest, just above the heart. Old—but not fully healed. A weak point.
"There…!"
But the realization came too late.
Blinded and howling, the ape activated its shard.
It screamed.
The sonic wave shattered Louskas' eardrums, splintered bone, and sent him flying—his body flung like a doll into a massive tree behind him.
And still, the wave didn't end. He hung there, pinned by the force, face contorted in pain, blood pouring from his ears and mouth.
Minutes passed before the deafening roar finally ceased. He collapsed to the ground, half-conscious.
His left arm was broken. His body was riddled with fractures.
Escape? Impossible. He had spent every last drop of his soul sea to reinforce his body and survive that wave.
"That wasn't a strength shard…?"
He had assumed it was. The brutal punches, the speed—it all made sense. But he'd forgotten that a third-tier body was stronger than any strength shard in the first stage.
He could no longer see from one eye.
The ape, blood oozing from its ruined face, pulled the sword from its eyes and stepped toward him.
Blood flowed from its mouth. Using a shard of that magnitude had not come without a price.