Alex felt rejuvenated entering the next room. His exhaustion was gone, and his mana stores had been completely refilled. Stretching his body, he felt stronger and faster if only by a little bit. The greatest difference he notices however was his senses and perception.

His mana senses drew details with greater clarity such that he could better define the signals running through his body. The electricity running through his muscles flickered and shown with more information than before. Alex’s attention was turned to Finn. The blur remained for living things outside himself. The closer he stood the better definition was shown to him. As he tested his new senses, he looked at the next challenge they faced.

“It is the boss of the dungeon,” Alex stated.

“I figured that was the case. The single enemy. Higher level. Big demon horns. Did you face up against him last time?” asked Finn.

“Yes, I did. He was level 20 then. Be careful of his swords. His longer one will likely be used for longer sweeping attacks and the shorter one for quick burst attacks.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve faced enemies with longer ranges than my own many times before. Just get me an opening or two and I will open him up further. You should be wary of his swords as well. I’ve got more protection against them then you.”

The boss’s throne was the same as before. The inhuman man stepped down to greet them while saying nothing. It darted forward toward Finn. Alex took out both of his daggers so that he could better deal with the pair on the boss. With a yell Finn’s fists met metal. The boss twisted his wrists letting the attacks glance off his blade. It was followed up by a few quick attacks from the shorter blade that Finn stepped back to avoid.

Alex stepped in already anticipating the boss’s moves. He already knew much of what the boss could do. He just needed to remember. The horned creature brought its long sword around to Alex’s side. Bringing his daggers to block caused a ringing to emanate. Finn attacked from the other side causing the minute blade to be brought against Finn.

The boss monster was as skilled with the blades as Alex remembered. As he protected himself and watched for openings, he realized that he was subconsciously trying to mimic its style of combat ever since. While it didn’t always work out that way with one blade he did try and perform longer blows with his dagger and then quickly dart out and attack with his empty hand that could deliver a powerful attack with his magic.

The horned demon of the dungeon danced around the pair with grace as it deflected attacks. It seemed to anticipate their every move. When they attacked it parried. When it counterattacked, they were forced back. Its greatest strength was its speed. The speed at which it could defend itself was remarkable. Whenever Alex felt close to landing a hit the large blade which he expected to be slower came back around to block him every time.

Its dual blades formed an impenetrable barrier, its every motion an orchestrated defense against their onslaught. Alex felt the boss playing with them. Like their presence was barely worth its time. It had yet to speak but Alex could still hear its words from their first encounter. He knew they had to change things up. Force the boss to make a mistake somewhere or somehow.

As the intense clash between the group and the boss continued, Alex's mind raced. He could feel the frustration building within himself and Finn. The boss's defenses were seemingly impenetrable, its agility and mastery of its dual blades making it nearly impossible to find a weakness. But they couldn't afford to falter now. Alex knew that they had to find a way to turn the tide of the battle.

With a quick glance at Finn, Alex signaled a change in tactics. They needed to disrupt the boss's rhythm, to break through its calculated defenses. As Finn launched another series of attacks, Alex focused on observing the boss's movements even more closely. He started to notice subtle patterns in its reactions, moments when it shifted its weight or adjusted its grip on the blades.

Taking a deep breath, Alex switched his approach. He began to intentionally create openings, baiting the boss into making specific moves. He feigned vulnerability, allowing the boss to believe it had the upper hand. Just as the boss lunged forward with a powerful strike, Alex swiftly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blade. In that moment, he saw what he was looking for—a brief lapse in the boss's guard.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Alex seized the opportunity. His daggers struck in a choreographed sequence, one blade deflecting the boss's weapon while the other aimed for a vulnerable spot near its torso. The boss managed to evade the full impact of the blow, but Alex had successfully landed a hit. A surge of excitement surged through him as he realized they were making progress. Then he was hit in return. The moment was deflated as a long gash was opened up on the side of his arm. It stung but Alex applied numbing throughout.

Finn continued to provide support, his fists and magical abilities testing the boss's defenses from different angles. The boss's focus was divided between the two of them, allowing Alex to exploit moments of distraction and wear down its stamina. The shorter blade could not effectively cut through Finn’s hardened skin. He moved away too quickly for the boss to deepen its blows against him.

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Fists blurred striking against steel. Finn kept searching for openings on his end. Occasionally he struck out with kicks to change up his attack pattern. His kicks acted as a longer sweeping attack of his own that stopped the boss’s flow of attacks against him. Energy surged within him in every attack he did. His perception slowed time as he searched for the openings. He kept a hopeful eye on the simple cut that had opened up on the boss’s torso. The creature hadn’t seemed to care for the wound and continued to fight on while pushing them back. Finn knew however that their efforts could be replicated and that the boss could falter once more.

Analyzing the way, the boss attacked after repeating a few of the same attacks, Finn watched the shorter blade move through the air. It didn’t show any signs of tiring except one. Finn repeated some of the moves once more to confirm his suspicions and make sure that it was because of his actions and not because of something that Alex had done. Taking a step back he started to move to the sign of the boss and it in turn adjusted its positioning. When it struck with the minute blade and then tried to overextend to break Finn’s pacing the boss winced for a moment, almost imperceptibly, as it stretched itself and its open wound in turn.

Giving a nod to Alex, Finn moved to take advantage of the pause and injury that Alex had opened up. With a towering height advantage Finn had trouble throwing punches to the head but he used that to his advantage by focusing on the lower body and legs. Unless the boss wanted to throw off its own rhythm fighting Alex it needed to be careful of its shorter opponent. As the fight had gone on Finn focused on those lower blows. The horned monster had come to expect them.

So, when Finn varied it up by throwing a wide kick toward the creatures head then spinning his body to punch its knee the boss wasn’t ready. It twirled its blade up to block the kick then back down as Finn’s fist went for its knee. The creature pulled its blade downward and started to overextend. In its moment of weakness Finn’s spinning moment shifted and altered the trajectory of the punch. His fist glanced off the blade but kept going into the boss’s hip. It roared out in pain as Finn backed away.

At the same time, Alex took advantage and attacked the boss’s torso once more. Blood coated Alex’s blade for a second before the boss backed away. It seemed to consider the wounds for a moment before the bleeding stopped. Wiping the blood off itself revealed that the wounds had largely healed with only faint marks left behind. It looked up and stared at the pair with an evil menace behind its eyes.

Spinning its hour hand blade, it stopped the blade at 12 o clock before lowering the blade down at them. Without warning the blade shot forward out of its hand and toward Alex. Finn with his better perception realized the change in the boss’s action before Alex. The power in his legs swelled as he pushed himself to meet the blade. Alex was raising his defences as Finn was in the air. Finn hardened his skin around his forearms and chest ready for the impact.

The blade hit Finn like one of his own punches to the gut. The moment was transferred to him, and he was launched backward into Alex. They scattered to the floor and were stumbling to get back up as the floating blade came back down on Alex. He grimaced as he felt the blood trickling down his forearm. His blades met the hour hand as Finn ran forward to attack the boss. It retracted its sword with a thought. The blade slid silently back into the boss’s palm. Its eyes turned their attention to Finn. A large bruise had formed on his chest where he was struck. His breath was now a bit unsteady.

He dodged past the shorter blade and had to shift his body as the next blade came by. His hands deflected the blades whenever possible. As he made ground the combination of the two blades working together slowed him down.

Finn could feel the pressure mounting as he danced around the boss's relentless blade assaults. He had to be quick and precise, using his height advantage to keep the boss at bay. But the boss was cunning, and its attacks were becoming more coordinated. Finn's chest throbbed with pain from the impact of the previous blow, but he pushed through, using his adrenaline-fueled determination to drive him forward.

Seeing an opening, Finn decided to change his tactics. Instead of trying to engage the boss head-on, he focused on his agility and speed. He ducked, weaved, and sidestepped with calculated precision, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp edges of the boss's blades. His strategy was to tire the creature out, to make it overextend and reveal its vulnerabilities again.

At the same time, Alex wasn't idle. Despite the wound on his arm, he remained relentless in his attacks. He used his agility and experience to keep the boss on its toes, making it difficult for the creature to anticipate his strikes. His blade gleamed as it danced through the air, occasionally finding its mark on the boss's tough hide. But every time Alex managed to wound the creature, it seemed to heal faster than before, as if it was adapting to their tactics.

Finn's heart pounded in his chest as he continued to evade the boss's relentless onslaught. He knew he couldn't keep up this pace forever, but he also knew that he couldn't afford to falter. He needed to find a way to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.

Then, inspiration struck. As the boss lunged forward with a powerful strike, Finn sidestepped at the last moment and grabbed onto one of the boss's arms. Using his momentum and strength, he swung the creature around, using its own weight against it. The boss let out a surprised grunt as it was thrown off balance, its blades temporarily immobilized.

Alex was ready for Finn’s moves. He twisted his blades downward and brought all the force that he could muster down onto the boss. Daggers pierced the boss’s neck and Alex twisted. Pulling the daggers together he tore the wound open further. The boss was dead soon after.

It melted away as the previous dungeon monsters had done before leaving behind their rewards. Two rings lay on the stone floor gleaming in the light. Alex and Finn both picked up one and inspected them.