As soon as the boar charged past the obstacle he had placed in its path, he brought the giant sword down on its back.
This attack used all of his power. It was an attack so mighty that it brought the boar to its knees.
Not only that, but the giant sword also cut into its back. Even though the defense of the boar's hide was formidable, the giant sword still cut in deep enough to strike its spine and sever it.
The boar stopped feeling pain in its lower half because of its injury. It also couldn't control its hind legs anymore.
That attack had paralyzed its hind legs. Coupled with the force of the blow, it was brought to its knees and couldn't stand up.
Arthur used this opportunity for another attack. He raised his sword again and pierced it downward to strike the boar's chest.
The giant sword pierced its hide, sank into both its lungs, and finally sank into the ground. He had missed the boar's heart, but he succeeded in nailing it into the ground.
The boar was like a giant slab of meat nailed to the ground. Unfortunately for it, this wasn't enough to kill it instantly.
The boar still wanted to resist. It wanted to stand and fight, but this made its injury become worse..
The friction between the boar's flesh and the sword in its body was causing serious damage to it. It squealed in pain, but it still didn't give up.
Arthur decided to cut its misery short. He also wanted to retrieve his sword as quickly as possible so he wouldn't be without a weapon if another enemy appeared.
So he pressed the sword downwards and let it cut into the torso of the boar. He made a wide injury across its torso that exposed its lungs to the air and finally cut its heart.
The boar finally couldn't take it anymore. It began to weaken. This weakening was fast. In less than 20 seconds, it had stopped struggling.
Only then did he remove his sword from its body. It was also then that Ruff came over to gloat at the boar.
Ruff was barking in the boar's face while Arthur was breathing loudly. He even bit the boar when it grunted at him.
He looked on with mild amusement as he breathed intensely to recover his stamina. The helmet on his head made the sound of his breathing more harsh than it should be.
Within his armor, he was sweating after the two intensive exertions he just made. The armor was cooking him alive.
He said to himself, "This would have been good if I were fighting in freezing conditions."
Then he looked at the two boars dying at his feet and said, "But the heat is still worth it."
Boars are common beasts in the green forest. Despite being common, they are already dangerous and difficult to kill.
Even Ruff is finding it difficult to harm them. He couldn't injure them seriously despite the two boars being helpless against him.
They were just lying on the ground, unable to fight back, but his teeth were only able to barely pierce their tough natural armor.
If he doesn't have his own armor, he will be at a disadvantage against them. So the heat is a small sacrifice to pay for protection.
The heat will become especially worth it when he encounters the more dangerous beasts that inhabit the green forest in the future.
Already, it is clear that these beasts aren't enemies that one fights with small swords. A giant sword and thick body armor are the minimum requirements.
"Things will be easier in the future when I reach the second mortal coil. Until then, I better leave as soon as possible."
He doesn't want to fight another boar or, worse, one of the wolf packs that hunt in the green forests, so he wants to leave quickly.
Unlike boars, who live in relatively small herds or wander alone, encountering one wolf usually means encountering their whole pack. It would be potentially deadly to encounter them.
Unfortunately, that is something that has become likely now that he has two large boars dying and spilling their blood everywhere. If the people of Death's Door don't want carcasses lying around them, then it won't do him any good to continue hanging around fresh meat.
Since he wants to leave, he now has to decide which boar to take with him. He can't carry both of them, so he has to pick one.
He didn't consider the decision for too long because he was running out of time to leave peacefully and because the decision was easy.
He chose the first boar he killed because it was dead and because it was smaller than the second one. The second one is still dying. Its weight will also slow him down more than that of the first one.
With his decision made, he swiped the blade of the giant sword against the fur of the second boar to clean it. When he had removed all the blood from the giant sword, he sheathed it and put it on his back.
Then he bent down to carry the boar. He grunted as he lifted it and placed it on his shoulder.
Next he returned the way he had come. He didn't walk leisurely as he was in a hurry. Instead, he jogged at a brisk, even pace.
He couldn't run for fear of overexerting himself, which will put him in an unfavorable situation if he does encounter an enemy.
Besides, running with such a large object on his shoulders can make him trip and fall. That would be bad, so he chose to jog.
He called to Ruff, "Let's go, boy. Lead the way."
Ruff barked and ran after him. Then he overtook him and went ahead to make sure that they don't run into an enemy unaware.
With Ruff scouting ahead, he will have time to drop the boar and draw his sword if they encounter an enemy. It is a cautious approach that is warranted because of how dangerous the green forest is.