The sounds of howling and footsteps against the dirt became louder and louder. Then, a few seconds later, they were able to spot the first sight of movements amidst the trees on the other side of the river.
The wolves’ white furs stood out amidst the brown and green forest colors, and soon enough, it was all they could see in front of them. One by one, the canine monsters wandered ahead, revealing their figures as they approached the river line.
The tension in the army reached a crescendo.
“Steady now!” Orvin called out to them.
His words had a limited effect, but at least no guards seemed intent on deserting.
The wolves didn’t seem eager to charge ahead either, waiting and staring at the humans on the other side of the wide river with bloodthirsty gazes. At the front of this monster army, there were six larger white wolves which seemed to lead the charge.
Red’s crimson sense couldn’t reach them from this side, but he had enough experience to tell these were all Lesser Ring Realm monsters. It took the beasts a minute to gather outside the tree line, upon which the boy counted about sixty wolves.
Less than half the human’s number, yet quantity meant little when fighting monsters. There was, however, the absence of one wolf in particular, which left them confused.
Rimold asked in confusion. “Where is the alpha wolf?”
His question was answered a few seconds later. They heard the sounds of trees toppling behind the wolf army, and from behind them, they finally saw it. A gigantic monster stepped out of the foliage, breaking trees like it was nothing to make its way through.
Everyone held their breathes. This wolf was easily twice the size of even its Lesser Ring Realm counterparts, standing well over three meters tall. Its fur glimmered with an ice mist, and its eyes seemed to glow with a strange light as it stared at the humans across the river. There was no rage or madness in its gaze, and instead the creature seemed to carry an intelligence unbefitting a monster.
It sat there, watching them, as if examining its enemies and making plans. No one made the first move, and for a second, there was an eerie silence in the area.
Then the alpha raised its head and let out another deep howl. Red and everyone around him covered their ears with pained expressions until the sound was gone.
However, that seemed to be the signal for the battle to start.
The six leading Lesser Ring Realm monsters charged ahead towards the river, the other wolves all following behind them. For a second, Red thought they would just wade through the rushing waters, something that would work to the humans’ advantage.
However, as soon as the leading wolves stepped in the water, the river surface seemed to freeze beneath them, forming a solid path through they could walk.
Allen’s eyes widened in shock. “They can do that?”
Not only did they seem capable of doing that, but the path they created seemed to last long enough for its brethren who couldn’t use Spiritual Energy to run through too. Suddenly, there were dozens of wolves making their way over the river.
Orvin saw this and raised his hand. “Shoot the ice beneath their feet!”
The archers did as much. Volleys of arrows rained down on the monsters, yet most of them either ended up stuck on the creature’s backs to limited effect. Those that did manage to hit the ice found themselves unable to crack the solid surface. Well, all except for one arrow in particular.
Rog let out a shot of his own. The arrow whistled through the air with incredible force before hitting the ice surface and breaking it apart. A Lesser Ring Realm wolf and a lot of its smaller brethren fell into the river all at once, struggling against the flow.
Yet there were five other paths that continued unabated and before Rog could shoot any more of them, they were already more than halfway through the river. Orvin raised his sword up and looked at his men.
“Brace for impact!”
On the other side of the river, the alpha wolf finally seemed to stir into movement. As soon as that happened, though, the Baron also charged.
He suddenly jumped with incredible speed towards the other side of the river. His initial impulse seemed to be able to carry him to the other side in a single movement, and both the wolves and the humans watched in wonder and shock as the Baron flew over their heads.
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The alpha wolf, of course, noticed this too. It stopped moving, growling at the approaching human before opening its mouth wide. A huge gout of white mist shot out of its throat at incredible speed towards the flying Baron, freezing the air where it passed through.
It looked as if there was no way the man would be able to dodge it, and he didn’t try to do it either. Instead, the white mist crashed against by an invisible round barrier and was deflected to the sides without touching the Baron’s body.
Red stared at this in wonder. He was certain the man never used a barrier talisman, so was it something conjured out of his own Spiritual Energy? The boy didn’t have the time to think too much about it as he watched the Baron charging through the air towards his target.
The wolf didn’t seem affected by the fact its initial attack didn’t work. It raised one of its paws in the air, seeking to rip the man apart with its sword sized claws. The Baron still kept flying in his straight path, unable to change directions, and it seemed as if he was about to dash straight into his own death.
Everyone held their breaths.
Then, all of a sudden, Red saw something flash out of the Baron’s figure. A green light made a straight line towards the claw, clashing into it and making it change directions from the impact. This allowed the man to charge straight past the wolf and towards his back.
The wolf growled in annoyance. Whatever clashed against its paw didn’t seem to have hurt it, though, so the monster just turned around and tried to bite the Baron, who had just landed on the ground.
Another green flash of light. This time it hit the wolf’s snout, making it flinch and allowing the Baron to dodge out of the way. The wolf seemed to be increasingly angered, and it tried to chase after the man in a bout of frenzied strikes. Yet, every time this green line appeared out of nowhere and distracted the wolf long enough for the Baron to avoid being hit.
Trees around the monster were destroyed, and the very ground seemed to freeze over from the savagery and strength of its attacks. However, it was unable to hit the Baron no matter how hard it tried.
Red squinted his eyes and for the first time he was able to catch a glimpse of the true appearance of this flying green light.
‘It’s… a flying dagger?’
The boy was extremely confused.
“Don’t be distracted!” Orvin called them all to attention. “They’re charging again!”
The wolves, too, had their attention diverted by the fight happening behind them. Yet, now they seemed to have regained their focus, charging through the river towards the humans. In a few seconds, there was no more than a few dozen meters between them.
Gustav’s bodyguards took out their weapons, and both of them suddenly started to glow with a bright yellow light, which Red recognized from their fight yesterday. Their fluctuation suddenly began to strengthen in his crimson sense and they brace themselves for the clash.
Then the moment finally came. Four of the leading wolves charged at the bodyguards with surprising coordination, hoping to overwhelm them in a single attack. Yet they were met with the two’s steel-like defense and strength, as they blocked their bites and scratches with their weapons without losing any ground.
Red wasn’t able to see what happened, though, as one of the disengaged Lesser Ring Realm wolves made their way around the fight and charged at him and his companions.
“Crap!” Narcha raised her saber and charge ahead to put herself in front of them.
The claw hit against her saber and sent her flying backwards. She crashed against the soldier’s line, making them stumble, yet the wolf was momentarily stopped in its tracks. It tried to follow up, before an arrow and a dagger clashed into its side, sliding off its icy fur.
It howled in anger, looking over at Rog and Rimold, but Eiwin then took this opportunity to flank it and strike at its front leg with a well-placed kick. The wolf stumbled, and Rog suddenly shot another arrow into it, this time managing to pierce into its fur. The monster howled in pain.
Narcha recovered from the impact and got up, seemingly eager to rejoin the fight. They were about to press their advantage and kill the monster before the rest of its brethren arrived. A tide of dozens of wolves suddenly clashed into the human army, a lot of them jumping to the rescue of one of their leaders.
Eiwin had no choice but to step back as the monsters tried to surround her.
A wave of impact roiled through the soldier’s line. The men in the vanguard lost their balance, crashing back into the companions as the wolves struck with their entire weight against their shields. Sounds of splintered wood, ripping flesh, and screams of pain resounded through the battlefield all at once.
Red could barely see what was happening, and he only felt multiple fluctuations being snuffed out in an instant. He stood behind Narcha and Eiwin as the women held against the initial charge of the horde, ravenous creatures reaching and attacking with their claws and vicious bites, hoping to find purchase in anything at all. Still, his companions lost no ground and pushed the wolves back.
Red’s vision suddenly cleared, and he looked around, assessing the battlefield.The line barely held against the charge, but now the wolves had lost the momentum behind their initial charge. He did notice something strange, though.
‘There’s not as many wolves attacking us.’
Perhaps they were deliberately avoiding the strongest section of the army. And it seemed like this strategy was paying off as they focused on the weaker guards.
They threw themselves again and again against the soldier’s shields without regards for their lives, and eventually their sacrifices paid off. The humans couldn’t hold against such vicious attacks, and their line soon collapsed as the monster flooded through and forcefully split the army into multiple parts as the fight descended into a chaotic melee. However, his companions, who were all located at the center of the army, couldn’t focus on that as the Lesser Ring Realm wolf charged forward again, keeping their attention.
Red had a bad feeling about the situation and his suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later.
The wolves all around the battlefield suddenly disengaged from their immediate opponents and collapsed inwards, pushing towards the center of the army in unison. Towards the boy and his companions.
Red shivered. “They’re trying to surround us!”
It seemed the wolves had a definite target in mind.