Chapter 36: The Wind Wolf King’s Fury

The magical aura detected ahead was so dense it was almost terrifying.

Not only was the quantity immense, but a particularly striking presence stood out amongst it all.

It was like a multitude of stars surrounding a moon, yet no matter how numerous the stars, they could never eclipse the moon’s brilliance.

They had walked for less than half an hour, only to encounter what was very likely an elite demonic beast. It was hard to tell if such luck was good or bad.

“An elite demonic beast.”

“Master,” Hilvyn’s voice was soft, “should we fight?”

The answer was beyond doubt. This was the only path; a detour was unrealistic. Retreating? Impossible.

“To not fight means abandoning this route,” Elara declared. “So, let’s take them on.”

The cave was shrouded in complete darkness. The two of them switched off their glow lamps, and Elara, guided by her spatial perception, led Hilvyn slowly forward.

Their strategy remained the same: first identify the type of demonic beast, then formulate a plan of attack.

The sounds of the beasts’ footsteps seemed to indicate they were resting or merely pacing idly, light and slow. Yet, in the next instant, all footsteps abruptly ceased, as if something had been detected.

Elara’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint. ‘This is bad!’

As if confirming her fears, a moment later, a chaotic rush of footsteps thundered towards them.

“Ice wall to block! Run, first!”

Shadow Concealment and Wind Chase activated simultaneously. The two reopened their glow lamps and sprinted away without a backward glance.

“Awooo—”

A high-pitched wolf howl echoed from behind, reverberating through the cave. The overlapping echoes made it sound as if an entire pack was howling.

“Well, now we know what kind of demonic beasts they are, heheh.”

Elara couldn’t resist a jest even as they ran.

It felt like there were at least forty of them. If they didn’t run, they’d be overwhelmed and encircled in minutes.

Should they replicate the tactic used against the Shadow Leopards, using an Ice Spike Cage? Aside from whether the demonic wolves would continue their assault after a few died, the elite Wolf King was an undeniable variable. If the cage broke, they’d be caught in an even more inescapable encirclement.

However, the current situation was that the distance between them and the pursuing pack continued to shrink.

“Master, I feel like I can throw ice fireworks.”

“You can.”

From then on, Hilvyn continuously conjured ice fireworks and dropped them onto the ground as they ran.

Once Elara gave the command, the fireworks detonated, and a chorus of chaotic, pained wolf howls erupted from behind them, right on cue.

This was effective.

‘This magic is truly useful,’ Elara mused. ‘The timed detonation function is incredibly powerful.’

“Once the wolf pack closes in, we’ll turn and counterattack.”

“Understood!”

Forty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters…

Her spatial perception still showed nearly thirty wolves in relentless pursuit.

“Counterattack!”

Both turned in unison. Hilvyn raised her magic staff forward, condensing several Wind Spears that shot straight ahead. The wolf pack’s formation was dense, allowing each Wind Spear to kill one demonic wolf or severely wound two.

Meanwhile, Elara used Dark Arrow and her blades to finish off the stragglers that managed to close the distance.

The strength of these pursuing demonic wolves was generally B-grade. In the narrow passage, they had nowhere to dodge the high-level, wide-area magic, resulting in heavy casualties.

After two rounds, only a few injured, crippled wolves remained from this wave.

But they dared not slacken. Even low-grade wolves were mere cannon fodder, serving only to provide cover and exhaust the enemy’s magic. The true victory or defeat always lay with the powerful ones lurking behind.

Demonic wolves reaching A-grade had the potential to become Wolf Kings. A Wolf King would develop a unique skill: Wolf King’s Command, allowing them to command weaker demonic wolves.

Suddenly, spatial fluctuations rippled in the distant darkness. Elara’s senses sharpened, her crisis perception flaring. She decisively leaped, tackling Hilvyn to the ground.

Several sharp wind blades grazed past their heads, stirring a strong gust of wind. They struck the dark rock wall behind them with a resounding explosion, sending rocks tumbling down.

“Damn it all,” Elara swore.

So insidious, launching a sneak attack without any sense of martial ethics.

Four demonic wolves emerged from the darkness into the glow lamp’s range.

The leading wolf was adorned in a coat of blue-green, estimated to be four meters long, larger than a bell cow, with a faint aura of wind swirling around its body.

Beside it stood three slightly smaller demonic wolves, all of A-grade strength.

“So, this is the Wind Wolf King.”

Elara still felt a lingering fear from the wind blades. A direct hit would have been fatal.

Her sweaty palms tightened their grip on her dual blades.

“Awooo—”

The Wind Wolf King let out a long howl, and its three A-grade demonic wolves immediately pounced. The Wolf King, however, did not move an inch.

Elara frowned, choosing not to use Shadow Strike. Instead, she activated Shadow Concealment and dashed several meters forward.

“Protect yourself first!”

Before her words fully faded, the Wind Wolf King instantly unleashed several more rounds of wind blades, targeting Elara, who was closer to it.

Elara perceived the spatial fluctuations and instantly vanished into the spatial rift, only to reappear in her original spot.

Her intention was clear:

‘I can’t disappear for too long, otherwise this damned wolf might lose its target and lock onto Hilvyn, and her defensive magic might not hold.’

Shadowsilk Bind!

One demonic wolf was bound by a shadowy hand. Elara then created a clone, successfully splitting the three wolves apart.

“Hilvyn! Attack that one!”

Hilvyn understood immediately. From behind the ice wall, she raised her staff, concentrating several Wind Spears that shot towards the bound demonic wolf and the one entangled with the clone.

One died, one was injured!

“Well done!” Elara praised loudly, her morale greatly boosted.

Two more rounds of wind blades came, and Elara employed her trick again, using Spatial Evasion to avoid them.

Remarkably, the wind blades struck the unfortunate demonic wolf that was engaged with Elara, severing its hind leg as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.

The instant Elara reappeared, she dispelled her clone and, turning back, fired a Dark Arrow at the demonic wolf that had been fighting the clone.

Another one down!

She then turned to see that the hind leg of the wolf fighting her had been cleanly severed, blood gushing from the wound.

“Hilvyn, excellent work!”

Hilvyn: ‘Actually, it wasn’t me…’

Elara swiftly turned and, with a single strike, pierced through the chest of the already scarred demonic wolf.

Three squirrels! (This seems to be a playful idiom or an inside joke, likely referring to how easily the three A-grade wolves were dispatched, like tiny squirrels.)

Although these three demonic wolves were A-grade, once commanded by Wolf King’s Command, they were reduced to mere executors of orders, devoid of their own tactics. This, ironically, made them much easier to deal with.

Now, only the lone Wolf King remained, yet the pressure had only eased slightly.

“Awooo—” The Wind Wolf King let out another howl and charged directly at Elara.

“So fast!”

The Wind Wolf King, with wind swirling around its feet, instantly appeared before Elara, opening its blood-soaked maw. Elara barely evaded, retreating into the shadows, causing the bite to miss.

Almost simultaneously, an Ice Spike Cage abruptly rose, trapping it. Then, the ice spikes began to stretch and constrict.

But the cage didn’t even last two seconds before it was shattered. The Wolf King’s body was streaked with blood from multiple wounds, yet they were merely superficial.

It was enraged.

At that moment, Shadowsilk Bind shot out from beneath its four limbs. Elara emerged from the shadow beneath the wolf’s belly, her enchanted blade piercing its vulnerable heart area.

“Awooo—”

The Wind Wolf King howled in excruciating pain, violently twisting its body with the blade still embedded. A powerful claw slammed into Elara’s ribs.

The immense force sent her flying, crashing heavily against the rock wall.

Elara’s vision swam, and a sweet taste filled her throat. She coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, her body convulsing uncontrollably from the agony, every ounce of strength to change position utterly drained.

“Master!” Hilvyn, unable to restrain herself, rushed forward recklessly.

The Wolf King was currently shaking its body wildly, but the blade seemed welded to it; the more it thrashed, the more violently the blood flowed.

“Mmm… mmm, un…” Blood frothed in Elara’s throat, her words indistinct, without a single clear syllable.

Hilvyn, however, understood. This magic, which she had learned herself, had never been used before.

Unyielding Wind!

Elara felt her body lighten, the pain rapidly receding. After three breaths, she pushed herself up, standing.

The immediate priority was to deliver the finishing blow!