'Shit!'

Kuro successfully blocks the wolf's attack, but it was too heavy to the point that he was pushed back.

"Oi, help me out here guys!" Kuro turned to the shivering 3, "I thought you wanted to get stronger!"

"B-but, we're scared... It's a wolf, and we're just kids! It's your fault that we're gonna die!" Because of Gran's words, Kuro became enraged and turned to his opponent.

"Hey, these guys are turning deadweight to me, can you push them out of here?"

"""Wait what?!"""

The wolf barks in response, prompting 3 wolves to bite the collar of their clothes and throw them out.

"Ow what the-?!"

"H-hey!"

"Kuro, what are you-?!"

Kuro saw the wolves that threw them out. He saw blunt injuries and burns.

'Ah... I guess I really am the cause.'

As they were put out of the ring, Kuro turned back to the wolf. He saw it's expression, as if it was asking whether there would be any other requests. His eyes looked at the top left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time remaining: 6:49

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"Yeah. Now, no more interruptions. You guys! If you dare interrupt us, I'll die, so don't you guys dare."

The 3 that were about to scream became fearful of his words. One wrong move, and Kuro, as well as them, dies. They were forced to shut.

Again, Kuro swung his sword directed to the wolf's head. It dodges and uses its claws to strike him, Kuro abandons his sword and evades, prompting him to use fire magic and hit the wolf's arm with his fist covered in flames. The wolf pulls its arm back, but Kuro managed to graze its arm with the fire. His right arm picked up the sword that was on the ground and did an upward strike. It hit the wolf, but the attack was too quick to the point that Kuro couldn't cover it with mana, making his attack comparable to small rock being thrown at someone. Suddenly, the wolf used its other claw and struck at Kuro with speed. Immediately, as Kuro saw it, he tried to retreat back, but he failed, giving him a big scratch on the chest down to his right hip.

"GAH!" Kuro screams as the searing pain kicked in. To Kuro who wasn't accustomed to injuries due to Earth's softness, this was an experience beyond him.

As Kuro yelped in pain, the wolves, in joy of their leader getting a good attack on him, howled and barked in excitement.

"Can you see anything?" Gran asked Kenny, the tallest one among them, as he was trying to see Kuro.

"No, I can't see!"

"Quick, carry me!" Bea puts her hands up high at Kenny's face. Kenny lifts Bea up, only for her to see a wolf's butt.

"Oh come on!"

"GAAAAHHHH" Kuro used fire magic to close the wound on his hip and as much injury in his torso.

The wolf doesn't give him an opportunity to heal, and continues to strike him down, forcing Kuro to slow down sealing his injuries and keep dodging. However, the moment Kuro dodged, he tripped over due to the pain of his hip and his weak back, he fell on his back, leaving him wide open. The wolf, seeing this opportunity, still didn't attack. It waited for Kuro to stand up.

'This guy...' Kuro looked at its eyes, it wasn't boasting, it was waiting.

'Truly a prideful being...' Kuro stood up slowly and prepared his sword, seeing as he won't have any time to heal, he needs to go on the offensive. He looked at the timer once more...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time remaining: 5:51 -> 2:13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Eh? It shortened by a lot?!'

Suddenly, the wolf pounces on him. In panic, he swung his sword upwards. The sword hit the wolf's jaw, letting it impact on its palate.

'An opening!'

Not wasting his chance, he uses all his mana for the offensive counterattack. He aimed for its underbelly.

'Imitation: Sword art: Cross slash! [1]'

Immediately after striking it, he let go of the sword, and clad his fist in mana and hit it with the last bit of his mana. when he punched it, the stinging pain of the scratch on his torso worsened. Even though he healed it to the point it shouldn't bleed too much, the pain could still be felt. However, the said could now be felt by the wolf. The fist that hit it was a fist that had trained itself ever since it's owner could first walk. But it had still retaliated, it raised its paw and hit Kuro's head. Though the claws didn't hit him, it was still a heavy hit. When they hit each other, they both collapsed. The wolves barked repeatedly at their leader to stand up. Between the crowd of wolves, Kenny, Bea and Gran pushed their way inside. There, they saw Kuro on the ground.

"Kuro stand up!" Bea was the first to shout.

"Kuro come on!"

"Come on Kuro, stand up!"

The 3 yelled at Kuro, who was bleeding slowly.

'How about you guys try getting this sort of injury... Gosh damn...'

Kuro, annoyed, placed both his hands on the ground and pushed up. His opponent, the wolf, did the same. He looked at the timer.

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Time remaining: 1:24

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Stand up damn it!'

His arms felt as if they were twigs that were about to break, the fatigue on his arms and pain of his body were too unbearable for a 6 year old, but his pride as an opponent for the wolf didn't allow him to yield, his pride as a dragonkin wouldn't let him stay down. He saw his sword and held it tightly as he stood up, using it as a cane. There, both him and the wolf had stood, both in great pain. He couldn't hear the wolf's growl anymore due to the amount of blood lost, they could move, but they stood still. No matter how one looks at them, it was now merely a battle of attrition. Time kept ticking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time remaining: 0:47

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Come on, lose, lose please lose.'

Kuro's hands were shaking as he held onto his sword. The pain of his torso was unbearable, but for the wolf, hard and blunt hits on its underbelly, which is where every wolf's weakness is, made it spew blood from its mouth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time remaining: 0:39

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time never stood still, yet it felt so slow for the both of them. Sweat poured down like rain, his breathing becoming more and more ragged, before finally...

*THUD*

One of them fell. The wolf smirked at his opponent. Kuro, was the last man standing.

"It was... A good battle... Leave... Far away... NOW..."

The wolves followed the victor's wish, and carried the Ex-Alpha with them. As they left, Kuro collapses for the last time.

"""Kuro!"""

"Ugh... That... Was too much... For training..."

Kuro's eyes slowly closed, but before it could fully close, he heard voices different of the 3.

"Kuro! Bea! Eve--"

'Ah... Was today my birthday?...'

Part 1 - End

References:

[1] - From SAO, but I originally got it from a game called Toram Online