NOVEL'S EXTRA: I Will Die at the Peak-Chapter 67: Juuhra vs alpha

The sky darkened, and the third moon was rising fully above the horizon. The wind slid through the trees, lifting dry leaves into swirling circles.

Juuhra and Alpha stood still, only a few steps apart. Their eyes were locked, breaths calm and measured. The silence pulled the tension taut, like a drawn bowstring.

Juuhra suddenly raised his right hand. A dense energy began to gather at the tip of his thumb—pure, compressed power. Without wasting a moment, he thrust it forward:

"I don’t have time to wait for you. Dark Hol."

The energy orb was released with a piercing whine. The air warped along its path; leaves and fine dust twisted into spirals as they lifted off the ground. Just a few meters from Alpha, the orb abruptly accelerated, as if tearing through the air.

Without so much as a blink, Alpha extended his right claw. With a sweeping motion, he struck the orb head-on. The energy split with a metallic crack, scattering in two directions.

The fragments slammed into the trees behind him, shaking their trunks. Thick bark shattered and fell to the ground. Wisps of smoke rose from the points of impact.

At the same moment, Alpha vanished from his spot. The instant he touched the ground, he launched forward without leaving a trace.

By the time Juuhra registered the movement, Alpha was already in front of him. His claw was descending straight down toward Juuhra’s right arm.

Juuhra pulled his arm back quickly and assumed a defensive stance. As the claw struck the outer side of his arm, a sharp metallic clang rang out, followed by a spray of sparks.

Juuhra leapt back a few steps; his feet tore into the ground, leaving deep marks as fine clouds of dust kicked up around him.

Alpha didn’t hesitate after the first claw strike. His movements were swift and fluid; with a single step, he closed the distance and launched a second strike aimed directly at Juuhra’s chest.

Juuhra twisted his body to the left, narrowly dodging the attack, and instantly leapt backward. The moment his feet hit the ground, he spun on his heel, deflecting another incoming strike with expert precision.

Alpha didn’t slow down. His attacks came one after another, relentless and rhythmic. As his claws tore through the air, Juuhra managed to evade them each time by mere centimeters. He wasn’t defending—his full focus was on completely avoiding each blow.

Just then, as Juuhra’s attention was locked onto Alpha, the elite wolves took their chance. Silent shadows crept in from both sides, starting to close in on him. From behind, they leapt, aiming to strike his back mid-air.

Sensing the threat, Juuhra slightly turned his head.

The moment he realized the danger, he bent his knees and dropped low. At that exact instant, a surge of energy erupted from his back—two massive black wings burst open.

As the wings unfurled, a sharp gust of wind surged outward. The air pressed low to the ground, scattering dry leaves, dirt, and fine dust into the air. Vision blurred for a few seconds.

Caught mid-air, the elite wolves lost their orientation. Juuhra took advantage of the moment; with a sudden leap forward, he escaped the ambush. But directly ahead of him, pushing through the turbulent winds, a shadow emerged.

Alpha.

His claws gleamed with a blue light. Without losing any momentum, he swept past Juuhra’s right side and struck with precision, targeting his arm.

The light sharpened in an instant.

When Alpha’s claw made contact with Juuhra’s right arm, flesh and bone shattered instantly. The severed limb flew into the air, dark blood—almost black—gushed from the wound.

Alpha’s attack continued without pause, slicing straight through the two trees behind Juuhra, felling them with a thunderous crash that echoed through the forest.

Juuhra staggered but didn’t fall. His eyes were still locked on Alpha. His wings were spread wide, and his breath came sharp and heavy.

His right arm was gone. The area was once again swallowed by deep silence.

"You’re strong," Juuhra said. His voice wasn’t warm—it was cold and razor-sharp.

"My father wanted a being like you. I guess you’re what he meant when he said ’interesting’."

Alpha showed a flicker of surprise. His steps slowed.

"You... how do you know our language? Are you from the tribes of the Lotha Forest too?"

Juuhra didn’t answer. His gaze dropped to where his right arm had been. Blackened blood still dripped from the stump. Suddenly, a bony protrusion began to extend from the torn flesh—dark, twisted, and solid.

Muscle, veins, and nerve fibers wrapped around it, layering rapidly. Then, skin formed over the structure. In seconds, a new arm was fully formed—flawless, indistinguishable from the original.

"Talking is boring," Juuhra muttered, narrowing his eyes. "My father will be here soon. Let’s end this pointless game."

The moment the words left his mouth, a beam of black light burst from his newly formed arm, slicing through the air toward Alpha.

The beam moved so fast it was nearly invisible. Alpha instinctively dodged to the side, but the light grazed his shoulder, carving a deep gash. Blood began to trickle out slowly.

Alpha now understood—there would be no more verbal exchanges. This opponent wasn’t here to talk.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward. The remaining elite wolves had already surrounded the area, ready to strike.

But this time, Juuhra didn’t fall for the same trick. His wings spread wide, and he soared upward.

Alpha tilted his head up—Juuhra was gone from sight. A moment later, he began leaping up the thick tree trunks, climbing higher with each powerful jump.

Every place he touched cracked, sending splinters raining down. As he rose toward the sky, he suddenly stopped.

There was no sound.

And then—Juuhra appeared behind him.

Black energy sparked once more at his fingertip.

"Bam."

Alpha’s instincts kicked in. Without thinking, he twisted his right arm behind him and fired a blast of pure energy from his claw.

Juuhra’s attack grazed past Alpha’s head by a hair’s breadth; the moment he turned, the upper part of his ear was sliced open. A single drop of warm blood slid down his face.

Alpha plummeted toward the ground. Above, Juuhra hovered steadily. His wings were spread wide, and his cold eyes followed Alpha’s descent without emotion.

Alpha bent his knees as he landed. The force of impact cracked the ground beneath him, sending spiderweb-like fissures crawling outward.

His breath was still heavy, but his gaze didn’t waver for a second. He looked up again. Juuhra was still there—silent, focused, like a predator watching its prey’s last moves.

Between the trees, the other elite wolves were watching too.

Juuhra’s gaze remained locked onto Alpha. His lips moved, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

"Looks like I won’t be able to take this one alive after all. Oh well... the body should still be useful."

Slowly, he brought his palms together. The black blood coursing through his veins began to surge. Energy was drawn from his entire body toward his hands; veins bulged along his arms, and tremors radiated from his fingertips.

" —Dark End..."

Between his hands, a black orb the size of a marble began to form—barely visible at first, then slowly glowing with intensity. The orb distorted the air around it.

The surrounding space quivered, and nearby leaves twitched without direction. Waves of energy rippled across the ground like liquid static. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Alpha felt the weight of it immediately. Every muscle in his body tensed. His instincts screamed.

"Everyone, to me! Now!"

The elite wolves didn’t hesitate. They rushed to Alpha’s side, forming a protective perimeter around him. Running away wasn’t even an option—behind them was a pack they were sworn to protect. If they retreated, the rest would fall.

Juuhra completed his charge just as the wolves gathered into their defensive formation.

The energy in his hands had taken full shape—a swirling vortex of layered blackness. It was small, but the pressure it exuded felt like a crushing weight.

He glanced at the orb one last time.

Then, with a subtle motion, he opened his palm and let it fall.

"—Endo."

The orb drifted slowly toward the ground. Without taking his eyes off it, Alpha backed away, then turned to the other wolves.

"Form a line behind me."

The wolves gathered around, lining up back to back as ordered. Alpha began drawing in every last drop of energy left in his body. His muscles tensed, his form grew bulkier.

His fur thickened, and his claws extended—longer, sharper. The color of his eyes deepened, his gaze turned fierce.

The moment the orb touched the earth, everything around them seemed to freeze. The silence was so absolute, even the wind stopped blowing. Then, a deep, oppressive hum began to rise.

From the point of impact, darkness started to spread. This wasn’t a blast of light—it was a concentrated void, devouring everything in its path. On the surface, it looked still, but at its core, it pulsed with overwhelming gravity.

First, the grass and dried leaves on the ground vanished without a sound. Then the surrounding trees were torn from their roots, one after another, pulled upward. Branches snapped, bark exploded into the air.

Some wolves had been too close to the edge. They tried to retreat, but there was no longer solid ground beneath their feet.

They slipped—slowly at first, then faster—until they were pulled in and swallowed by the darkness like fading shadows.

Juuhra still stood at the very center. His wings were open, his eyes still. He didn’t move. The darkness engulfed him too.

Moments later, the void began to rise. It stretched upward, forming a massive pillar—pitch black, dense, carrying everything it had consumed within. It reached for the sky, growing endlessly, as if it had no end.