Thankfully, he had teleported out of the disaster zone, so the attack didn't hit him directly, but it was still enough to affect him mentally.
That was just a casual swipe with its claws...
Yet it levelled something the size of an average city back in the Federation...
He barely managed to stabilise himself enough to regain focus, and the King was still right in front of him.
Alex had become used to being called the 'King class prodigy' by now, but he felt embarrassed to even hold that title while facing off against the King of Evermoor.
He tried dodging to the side, but it was too late.
In a movement many times faster than Alex could achieve, the beast sliced through the air once more.
Zzooom!
Alex felt the pain instantly as the attack cut straight across his right arm as he tumbled backward for nearly a Kilometre from the attack.
The King of Evermoor simply looked down at him from afar, not even a single change in its expression yet, like it was just dealing with a pest.
Disoriented, Alex looked down at the source of his pain, only to be visibly stunned and shocked by what he was seeing.
"My arm... It's gone!"
He desperately looked all around himself, trying to locate the area where his arm landed.
Because the arm that was missing happened to be holding onto Virtue's Edge at the time!
If he somehow lost that sword, then things would really have taken the worst turn possible for him...
Whoosh!
But out of nowhere, the sword came flying at him from a distance and landed perfectly in his other hand, like it had been there the whole time.
Unexpectedly, it seemed the sword had a function that he didn't know existed until this moment.
He took Virtue's Edge and started firing off any attack he could at the beast in an attempt to counteract-
"Weak."
His attacks were swatted away mid air, even the ones where he had infused his Phoenix Flames into them, and Alex was hit by a wave of energy like a shockwave, sending him flying backwards once more.
Tens upon tens of kilometres away he was finally stopped after leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
He had been knocked into countless trees, each barely slowing him down, until he crashed through enough that he came to a complete stop.
If it weren't for the trees, he would have carried on for another hundred kilometres or so.
"Ptui!"
Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Alex tried to get back up on his feet, but less than a second later, the King was before him once again.
He tried lifting Virtue's Edge to send out another volley, in a desperate hope that one of his attacks might actually make it through.
But like many things in life, it was wishful thinking.
Before he could even send a volley of attacks at the beast, Virtue's Edge vibrated violently within his hands until he could no longer keep his grip steady on it.
Whoosh!
Just like when his sword came flying back to him like an obedient pet, it was ripped away from his grasp and flew into the hands of the King, which had one of its claws outstretched towards him.
It was clear that it was the culprit that caused his sword to betray him.
"Weak."
The King tried to crush the sword within its grasp, expecting it to crumble.
But no matter how hard it squeezed, the thing didn't budge.
And at this moment, Alex saw an opportunity and didn't hesitate in grasping it.
'Ignite!'
Instantly, the residual Phoenix Flames left inside Virtue's Edge that had been built up in preparation for his attacks all exploded out at once, in the palm of the King of Evermoor.