The dog-headed leader, ambushed and heavily wounded by Stone Peak, was furious. The blood flowing from its wound turned into a stimulant.
Raising the giant axe, as tall as a man, it repeatedly smashed down upon Stone Peak, strike after relentless strike.
Earlier, when Stone Peak launched his ambush, the dog-headed leader hadn't been able to react in time, only attacking instinctively, so the blows weren't particularly fierce. But now, the attacks, in both speed and power, were on a completely different level. Every strike cracked the ground, leaving deep axe scars and sending chunks of stone flying. One blow after another followed without pause, overwhelming and relentless.
The dog-headed leader's frenzied assault would instantly kill even a Level 5 Shield Warrior or Protection Knight.
Stone Peak could only retreat, again and again. Under this savage onslaught, he had no chance to counterattack at all. He also had to dodge the flying debris. What looked like mere fragments were actually the size of fists; a direct hit would cause serious damage.
The human and the beast exchanged blows at incredible speed. An ordinary person probably couldn't withstand a single exchange before being cleaved in two by the giant axe, dead beyond any doubt.
"Blackie, attack it now! I can't hold on much longer!"
After dodging for a full seven or eight seconds and seeing Blackie still hadn't attacked, Stone Peak shouted out.
The opponent he faced now was a Leader Boss, not an elite minion. A Leader Boss's attack patterns weren't as monotonous as an elite's; they were unpredictable and varied, even capable of targeting players specifically. It already possessed intelligence, and its strength was two to three times that of an elite. Combined, it was more than four times stronger.
The brief exchange of seven or eight seconds felt like it had stretched into minutes. Just defending against the attacks, coupled with the occasional counter, had already cost him over 100 hit points. If this continued, his HP would hit zero in no time.
If Stone Peak weren't wielding the famous sword, Abyssal Blade, which greatly boosted his attributes, and had all three hidden foundational melee skills active—allowing him to sustain extraordinary attacks and evasion—he would have been long dead.
"Oh, Brother Feng, I'm coming to help you right now!" Realizing his huge mistake, Blackie hurriedly waved his staff, chanting a spell aimed at the dog-headed leader, and fired a Shadow Arrow.
The Shadow Arrow struck the dog-headed leader's body, dealing only 17 points of damage.
Seeing this damage number, Blackie's jaw dropped in astonishment at the Leader monster's defense. He knew his attacks against Level 5 monsters dealt over 50 points of damage. Seeing it drop by a third here showed just how formidable the Leader's defense was. And Stone Peak was dealing over a hundred points of damage—what kind of attack power did that even require?
In the midst of battle, Stone Peak suddenly swung the Abyssal Blade.
Slash!
A streak of black light shot into a gap in the dog-headed leader's attack.
With a clang, Stone Peak was forced back three steps before stabilizing himself. Over 30 points of damage popped up above his head, while the dog-headed leader's giant axe merely jerked upward, pausing slightly.
"That worked. It seems my strength is just barely enough." Stone Peak was quite satisfied with that attack.
In combat within the Divine Realm, players could not only defend and dodge monsters but also interrupt their attacks. This would cause the monster to pause briefly, terminating its assault. It was a very advanced combat technique, one that didn't become widespread until six months after the Divine Realm opened. Especially in boss fights, if the main tank hadn't mastered this skill, it would lead to a party wipe, because no player could withstand the boss's frantic, continuous attacks.
That momentary pause created an opening in the dog-headed leader.
Stone Peak charged forward without hesitation, channeling all his strength into his right hand, gripping the Abyssal Blade and unleashing a flurry of strikes.
Four streaks of sword light hit exposed flesh where there was no armor.
With the damage amplification effect active, it directly stripped nearly 300 HP from the dog-headed leader. Combined with Blackie's output, the leader's HP dropped to just over 900.
"Awooooo!" The dog-headed leader went berserk, hurling its giant axe aside and drawing the two large sabers from its waist.
The change in weapons also changed the dog-headed leader's attack style.
If the dog-headed leader wielding the giant axe was a Berserker, then one wielding dual sabers was a Dual Swordsman—a blend of strength and agility, no longer relying solely on brute force to crush everything.
The two sabers' attack patterns were no longer monotonous, and the attack speed increased significantly. Stone Peak had just dodged one blade when the next was already following. He hurriedly blocked with the Abyssal Blade.
Sword and saber collided, scraping out blinding sparks, and Stone Peak was sent flying backward.
Still in midair and before he landed, Stone Peak saw the dog-headed leader leap powerfully, raising a saber high for a downward strike.
"Going all out now?" Stone Peak was shocked and quickly moved to block with the Abyssal Blade.
Parry!
BOOM!
The Abyssal Blade stopped the saber, but Stone Peak plummeted like a meteor, crashing heavily onto the ground. Just as he thought the dog-headed leader's attack should be over, the leader descended from the sky, both sabers plunging down with it, aimed directly at his chest.