SWNOVELXO Chapter 351: Boss Battle
The boss orangutan lunged.
Ren barely sidestepped in time, the creature's massive fists smashing into the ground where he'd just stood, sending rocks and soil flying in all directions.
The ground shook, and the trees trembled.
Ren spun to the side, launching a Push from his palm to stagger the beast, but it barely flinched. The blast only made it stumble a step before its glowing yellow eyes locked back onto him.
"Damn." He muttered. "You're tough."
The orangutan moved like a boulder given life. Its thick orange fur bristled as it barreled forward, and its fists came down again, twice, three times, each impact like thunder.
Ren ducked and wove between the attacks, but the force of the air pressure alone traveled through his vine armor, making his bones rattle.
He'd fought monsters. He'd fought Knights. But this thing? Fighting it felt like trying to fight a falling mountain.
The orangutan roared in frustration, surging forward with speed that took Ren off guard.
His eyes widened and he jumped back, his bio armor of vines boosting his already prodigious speed and strength like they were extra muscles.
However, it was not enough.
The orangutans claws grazed him along his ribs, ripping the surface of the armor. It wasn't able to penetrate through, but the real danger was the force behind the blow.
It hit like a car, one of his ribs snapping from the impact.
He grabbed as he landed in a crouch, skidding across the ground. Already, green tendrils were already repairing the damage to his armor, reinforcing it so that that kind of force would have a hard time penetrating through again.
His rib snapped back into place, his regeneration repairing it.
His fingers flexed. That was close.
Time to go all in.
He charged forward, ducking under a wild haymaker and slammed a Push enhanced punch into the creature's side.
The hit landed solidly, but it was like punching a wall wrapped in chainmail. The vines on his knuckles frayed. The orangutan snarled, swiping horizontally with its forearm.
Ren blocked, his forearm raised, vine armor absorbing the brunt, but the sheer power sent him flying into a tree, splintering the trunk in half.
This time, the armor stopped the force from travelling inward and snapping his arm.
He staggered to his feet, a grin on his face.
"Alright. Your body's a fortress." He growled. "Let's go for the tower sitting above it."
The head. The brain. That was the only thing he needed to destroy in order to win.
He blasted forward, kicking off the ground with a Push. He closed the gap in a blink, leapt, and drove a knee toward the beast's jaw.
The orangutan leaned back, evading, but Ren didn't stop.
He twisted in midair and fired another Push upward, the force rocking him downwards, and he landed on the creature's shoulder.
His fists pummeled into its skull. One, two, three solid hits.
The vines on his arms coiled tighter, acting like a brace, driving his knuckles deeper.
The orangutan howled and twisted its torso, trying to grab him, but Ren leapt backward just as a clawed hand swiped past.
He hit the ground in a roll and shot up running.
The beast bellowed and slammed both fists down again. The shockwave lifted Ren off his feet.
While in midair, he planted a Push beneath him, redirecting the force, and launched himself toward the orangutan's face again.
He slammed into it, grabbed its fur with one hand, and drove a fist straight into its eye socket.
The boss roared in pain, thrashing, trying to tear him off. Ren didn't let go.
He plunged his hand into the pouch at his waist, grabbed a knife, and plunged it into the same eye.
The creature screamed and smashed its head against a tree, finally knocking Ren off.
He tumbled through the underbrush, rolled to his feet, and turned just in time to see the orangutan charging blindly, blood pouring from its face.
This was it.
Ren inhaled, a calm settling over him. He already had this in the bag.
"Let's end this."
He launched forward. A Push surged through his legs, propelling him straight at the monster's head.
As it swung, he ducked under, wrapped a vine around its wrist to anchor himself, and swung upwards, a bundle of vines coiling around his other hand and sharpening into a long thin spike.
He landed on the creature's shoulders and jammed the bundle into the damaged eye.
Then he Pushed.
The vines erupted, piercing skull, brain, bone.
The orangutan gave one last, rattling howl, then collapsed, dead.
Ren flipped to the ground as the monster fell behind him, the ground trembling from the impact of its weight.
He stood slowly, his breathing ragged, his armor cracked and soaked with blood and sap.
But he was alive, and the guardian of the second ring was dead.
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Thorn and Lilith sat in the shade of one of the trees, their backs against the bark.
Far off in the distance, they could hear it. The low booms, loud cracks, and the occasional guttural roar. Ren was still fighting.
Thorn let out a soft sigh, taking another swig of water, and glanced at Lilith. Her eyes were fixed on the distant trees, expression blank.
Thorn had to admit that he was surprised. The silence between them was oddly comfortable. Heavy, but not stifling.
Then, without looking at him, Lilith asked, "Do you think I'm a good wife to Ren?"
Thorn blinked.
Of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them.
He sat up slightly straighter, considering her words.
She wasn't asking to be comforted. She wasn't fishing for validation. She genuinely wanted to know.
He scratched the side of his head. "Well," he began, "you're definitely… intense."
Lilith didn't respond, her eyes still locked on the trees.
Thorn's voice grew more serious. "Look, Lilith. I think some of the decisions you've made were… questionable."
"You stabbed a woman in the throat at a campfire before Ren gave the signal just because you were…" He trailed off, not finishing the sentence. "That's kind of hard to top."
A faint wince passed over her face.
"But," he continued, "even with all that... I don't think anyone fits Ren the way you do. You're both insane in your own special ways, and I mean that in the nicest way possible."
She finally turned to look at him, eyes searching his.
He met her gaze and shrugged. "He's not normal. Neither are you. But you get him. And he gets you. That's rare."
Lilith's expression softened. Her shoulders eased, and she looked away.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "For jeopardizing everything. For killing that woman. I lost control."
Thorn waved a hand. "It's fine. Really. I mean… sure, it could've gone badly. But it didn't."
"We're still alive. Ren's still fighting like a madman in the trees somewhere. And I'm still here, trying to process the fact that orangutans can throw rocks like catapults."
Lilith gave a shaky laugh, wiping her eyes.
Thorn leaned back against the tree. "Look, Lilith. Even with all your chaos, it worked out. That's all that matters, right?"
She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess it is."