Reon's eyes narrowed as he took in every movement of the Ironcw Direwolf, feeling his heart pounding in time with the creature's inteormy presence.

  His whispered question hung in the air, "Is this the guardian of the cave the system told me to defeat?"

  The Ironcw Direwolf's power was almost overwhelming, radiating a deadly, primal force eveer than the Shadow Cw Bear.

  Reon knew he couldn't front this beast directly with just brute strength, not even with Cloudia and his Sword Aura at full force.

  But now, with no element of surprise and no room to retreat, he had no choice but to face it head-on.

  He had yet to truly explore the power of the fourth form of his Soulbou and Teique, a form he'd unlocked only retly after asding to the Advaage and his Instinctual Awareness.

  "Cloudia," he said, meeting his panion's pierg gaze, "this fight will be harder than previous one. We'll have to stay sharp."

  As the Direwolf took a menag step forward, Reon tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the familiar surge of dark fme flood into his bde, the aura swirling around him like fmes of shadow.

  A gust of cold wind tore through the chamber, and the creature cocked its massive head, studying him with a cold, almost calg intelligence.

  Then, without warning, the Direwolf unleashed a bst of wind energy in his dire, tearing through the air with a howl, like a tornado r toward him.

  Reon's instincts kicked in, and he dived to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. Razor-sharp currents of wind sliced through the air just a breath away from him, one grazing his arm and leaving a shallow, stinging cut.

  He gritted his teeth, ign the pain, he focused his gaze on the beast, the cut only deepening his resolve.

  This was more than a simple fight—this was a test of his newfound strength and resilience.

  Cloudia growled low, sensing his need, and sprang forward in a blur of movement. She was a dark shadow against the silver mist, her form almost melting into the haze as she lunged, weaving around the Direwolf with a fluid, practiced grace.

  As she activated her Mist Illusion skill, the mist arouhied, creating a distorted fog that cast ghostly, shifting afterimages of her figure around the Direwolf, causing it to snarl in fusion as it swiped at illusions.

  Reon seized the opening, summoning his strength and calling on the new form of his Soulbou and Teique he'd unlocked:

  "Fourth Form—Unleashed Fury."

  The momeivated the form, he felt a surge of energy from Cloudia, tapping into her tent poushing her into a heighteate.

  Her speed and strength surged, her strikes being sharper, her movements faster and more ferocious.

  He, too, felt her energy flow through him, his own speed heightened as he advanced on the Direwolf, fully eling his Sword Aura until his bde pulsed with the shadowy energy.

  "Now!" he shouted, signaling Cloudia to clear his path. She leapt aside, slipping bato the mist, her form blending perfectly with the illusions.

  Reon's sword sshed through the air, his strike perfectly timed as the beast lunged forward, its cws tearing at the empty space where Cloudia's illusion had just vanished.

  His sword ected with the Direwolf's side, the dark energy of his Sword Aura cutting into its deray fur, creating a brief fsh of shadow as it met flesh.

  The beast roared in fury, the chamber reverberating with the force of its cry. It staggered back, but the wound only seemed te it further.

  The Direwolf's winds intensified, swirling around it in a powerful vortex, its gleaming eyes fixed on Reon with a newfound bloodlust.

  Despite his attack, the beast's thick, wiry fur had absorbed much of the blow, defleg even the sharp edge of his Sword Aura—a bde sharper than the kee steel Earth could fe.

  Its coat was an imperable armor, dehan tempered metal, woven with nature's own unyielding strength. Not even his most focused strike could pierce it ly.

  Only one vulnerability remaihe creature's neck, where the fur thinned ever so slightly.

  Reon recalled this weakness from his resear the Skyreach Mission Pavilion. To nd a decisive blow, he would have to strike there, aiming true with every ounce of strength he could summon.

  Without wasting a sed, the Direwolf reared back, its jaws parting as it summoned another bst of wind, this one even more powerful.

  The force of the gale barreled toward Reon, tearing at his footing and threatening to send him hurtling backward.

  "Cloudia, fall back! Aim for the neck when you see your ce!" he called, his voice barely audible over the roar of the wind.

  Cloudia didn't hesitate; she darted around the beast, positioning herself behind it, her body low, her eyes gleaming as she prepared for a coordirike.

  Reon braced himself, gripping his sword with both hands as he held it before him, feeling the Sword Aura ing around his sword to use it like a shield, anch him against the relentless force.