Salomon marchait lentement dans une forêt épaisse et dense, où les arbres imposants semblaient tisser un toit de feuillage presque impénétrable. La lumière du jour peinait à filtrer à travers les branches, laissant l'endroit baigné d'une obscurité inquiétante. Le vent soufflait doucement, faisant bruisser les feuilles comme un murmure secret porté par les bois.

Chaque pas faisait craquer les brindilles sous ses bottes, son manteau sombre flottait légèrement dans le courant d'air. Il tendait l'oreille, attentif aux bruits environnants : un grognement sourd, le craquement d'une branche, le battement soudain des ailes d'un oiseau effrayé. Des bêtes rôdaient, leur présence presque palpable dans l'atmosphère pesante.

Mais Salomon ne ralentit pas. Les ombres de la forêt semblaient l’entourer, comme si elles le connaissaient, le reconnaissaient. Son regard perçant balayait les lieux, prêt à affronter toute créature ou tout danger qui croiserait son chemin. Pour lui, la chasse ne faisait que commencer, et cette forêt n’était qu’un obstacle de plus dans sa quête éternelle. 

Salomon continuait sa progression, ses sens aiguisés en alerte, lorsqu'un cri de détresse déchirant perça le calme inquiétant de la forêt. Un appel à l'aide, désespéré et faible, mais suffisant pour que ses facultés surnaturelles en saisissent toutes les nuances.

Sans hésiter, il concentra son ouïe pour localiser la source du bruit. Elle était lointaine, à plusieurs dizaines de mètres, bien au-delà des capacités d’un humain ordinaire. Mais pour lui, cela ne représentait pas un obstacle. Ses yeux s’illuminèrent d’une lueur rougeâtre pendant un instant, et son corps réagit avant même que sa conscience ne le lui ordonne.

D’un mouvement fulgurant, Salomon s’élança, traversant la forêt dense comme si les arbres et les buissons n’étaient que des ombres éphémères. Les branches, bien qu’épaisses, semblaient plier devant sa prodigieuse vitesse, et les racines traîtresses sous ses pieds ne faisaient rien pour ralentir son élan. Il était comme une ombre mouvante, un prédateur nocturne glissant dans l’obscurité. 

Salomon arriva enfin sur les lieux, s'arrêtant au bord d'un marais embrumé. Devant lui, se dressait une créature imposante, son corps massif recouvert d'une peau grise semblable à celle de la pierre, et sa tête entièrement constituée de roche brute. Ses griffes, longues et acérées, brillaient dans la faible lumière filtrant à travers les arbres, témoignant de leur dangerosité.

Face à la créature, un groupe de survivants désespérés se tenait en cercle. Les jeunes hommes, armés de vieilles épées, tentaient courageusement de repousser le monstre, bien que leurs mouvements trahissent leur peur et leur inexpérience. Derrière eux, des femmes et des enfants se rassemblaient, tentant de se protéger du mieux qu'ils pouvaient, leurs regards emplis de terreur fixés sur la bête.

Salomon observa la scène un instant, ses yeux froids analysant les forces en présence. La créature, bien que lente dans ses mouvements, possédait une puissance brute écrasante. À chaque coup de griffe, elle repoussait les jeunes hommes qui peinaient à maintenir leur formation.

Sans perdre plus de temps, il avança lentement, sa silhouette sombre émergeant de la brume. D'une voix grave, il frappa le chaos environnant :

"Stand back. This is not a fight you can win."

His imposing presence made the creature hesitate for a moment, which turned its massive head in his direction, while the survivors looked at the stranger with a mixture of wariness and hope. Solomon clenched his fists, ready to engage the creature in a duel he knew was inevitable. 

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The creature slowly but completely turned towards Solomon, its eyes glowing with a menacing light, as if it recognized in him a worthy opponent. It completely abandoned the survivors, ignoring them now to focus all its attention on this man who dared to face it.

Solomon, without taking his gaze away from the beast, addressed the survivors in a firm and authoritative tone:

"Leave. Go hide, far from here. If you stay, I do not guarantee your safety."

Hesitating for a moment, the survivors finally fell back, quickly gathering the women and children to disappear into the depths of the forest. Once assured that they were far enough away, Solomon turned his attention back to the creature, which growled lowly in response.

With a powerful gesture, the beast planted its massive claws in the ground, causing a tremor that vibrated the air around them. With a ferocious roar, it tore gigantic blocks of rock from the marshy ground and hurled them at Solomon with colossal force.

But Solomon, undaunted, drew a dark sword that was hidden behind his back. In a split second, he was in motion, pushing the rocks aside one by one with almost supernatural precision. Each blow echoed in the air, a mixture of metal and broken stone, while Solomon seemed to dance to the rhythm of the creature's assaults, his face impassive and focused.

When the last rock shattered under the power of his sword, he fixed his icy gaze on the creature and murmured, almost to himself:

"If that's all you have, this fight will be settled quickly."

He stepped forward, his weapon ready, while the creature, seeming to understand the challenge, roared once more before charging. 

The creature, mad with rage, charged straight at Solomon, raising its sharp claws to stab him right in the chest. But Solomon, with supernatural agility, dodged with deadly precision, avoiding each blow with fluid and calculated movements. He watched the beast's every move, looking for the perfect opening.

When the opportunity presented itself, he didn't hesitate. In a flash, his sword sliced through the air and cleanly sliced the creature's left hand, sending shards of stone and flesh flying in its wake. The creature let out a heart-rending roar, a mixture of pain and fury, as its mutilated hand collapsed heavily into the swamp.

Blinded by its anger and incomprehension in the face of this human who defied all logic, the creature struck the ground with titanic violence. The impact generated a monstrous shockwave, devastating everything in a considerable radius. Nearby trees snapped like twigs, and the earth cracked under the raw power of the attack.

Solomon, however, remained unfazed. A split second before the wave reached him, he summoned a shield of swirling shadows, a creation of his own magic. The dark barrier enveloped his body, absorbing the impact entirely and dissipating the destructive energy as if it had never existed.

When the dust settled, Solomon stood there, intact, his gaze fixed on the creature.

Solomon, after observing the creature in the grip of his rage for a moment, calmly put his sword away behind his back. He no longer needed the blade for this phase of the fight. A slight smile appeared on his face as he prepared to conclude the fight.

With an almost imperceptible movement, he moved at a phenomenal speed. In a fraction of a second, he disappeared from the creature's sight and reappeared on its upper part, now just above its massive head. The beast didn't even have time to react, its gaze barely turning to where it had disappeared.

With disconcerting ease, Solomon grabbed the creature's head with one hand, exerting brutal pressure on its neck. He turned its head with a sharp blow, breaking the bone and breaking the creature's integrity in an instant. The head, heavy and made of stone, detached itself from the body, falling to the ground with a dull thud, its rocky surface cracked by the force of the gesture.

The creature's body then collapsed, heavy and lifeless, while the menacing aura that surrounded it slowly dissipated into the air. Solomon stood up, observing his now headless opponent with implacable coldness. 

Solomon slowly turned his head towards the survivors, his icy gaze sweeping the deserted battlefield. In a calm, almost indifferent tone, he said:

"The threat is no longer current, you can come out of your hiding place."

About ten meters away, the survivors emerged timidly from their hiding place, their eyes filled with gratitude mixed with fear. They advanced, their steps hesitant on the marshy ground, their eyes still fixed on the inert body of the creature that now lay in a morbid silence.

One of the young men, visibly bolder than the others, advanced cautiously, his voice still betraying his astonishment:

"How is it possible that you were able to defeat such a creature... with your hands?"

Solomon raised an eyebrow, his gaze becoming more piercing, and fixed the young man with an icy look. A shiver ran through the young man's skin, who, panicked by the intensity of the gaze, hastily backed away, moving away from him as if Salomon's mere presence was enough to intimidate him.

Another man, older, probably the leader of the group, stepped forward calmly, looking respectful but cautious. He spoke in a more measured voice:

"Please excuse my friend's impertinence. We thank you deeply for your help, and we wish to offer you a reward. If you allow, we would like to show you our gratitude. Would you agree to follow us to our town, which is a few steps from here?"

Salomon accepted.

Et ainsi, le groupe se mit en route, Salomon suivant les survivants à travers les sentiers forestiers. Le paysage semblait plus paisible à présent, comme si la menace de la créature avait laissé place à un calme presque irréel. Le groupe se dirigea vers la ville, mais la présence de Salomon, malgré sa nature sombre, semblait être devenue un point d'attraction pour les habitants, qui commençaient déjà à parler de lui.