Kael's breaths came in ragged gasps as he leaned against a charred tree, his legs trembling beneath him. He had barely managed to defeat Draven. All that confident talk during the fight? Just a bluff.
He felt a wave of relief, but it was quickly overtaken by the exhaustion that had been lurking beneath the surface. His muscles screamed in protest, cramps seizing his limbs. Ethereal Steps had pushed him to his limits, and now he was paying the price.
"I was so nervous," Kael thought, his mind racing. "He almost had me... so many times. If I'd made one wrong move..."
His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a reminder of how close he had come to losing. "I gave it everything. Everything. Now, I can barely stand."
Kael looked down at his shaking hands, remembering the precise, desperate movements that had carried him through the fight. "Speed... it was my only advantage. Had to use it. Had to win."
"Now, I want to rest"
The ground beneath Kael vibrated with an unfamiliar energy. It wasn’t the usual tremor of battle—this was something different. Something far more dangerous.
"I guess, I am really fucked"
And then, they all heard it.
A deafening roar, shaking the very air around them. It rumbled through the forest like thunder, echoing in their chests. The sound sent a chill down Kael’s spine, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. He knew that roar.
The wolf was none other than Argothal, the infamous Three-Headed Beast.
The name alone was enough to make the bravest falter. This beast was a legend in itself, and it wasn’t something you faced lightly.
Even though they were in virtual reality, the sensation of fear was very real.
Some of the participants staggered back, eyes wide, their bodies instinctively cowering. They knew what was coming—and none of them were prepared.
Those who took charge after Draven's elimination barked orders. "Prepare yourselves!" they shouted, their voices cutting through the panic. "Get into position! Stay focused!"
But it was too late. The beast burst forward from the forest with astonishing speed, a blur of fur and teeth. The speed of its movement defied reason—it was as though it teleported, appearing in front of them in the blink of an eye.
It charged straight at the nearest group of participants, and chaos erupted. They tried to counter, using their abilities to attack and protect each other. One team manipulated the ground, turning it into sticky mud, hoping to slow the creature down. But the wolf—no, the beast—had other plans.
With a sudden surge of energy, the wolf broke free from the muck, its power almost supernatural. It moved faster than any of them could react, its bodies—three heads, each with a mouth dripping with hunger—snapping and tearing into the closest players. It was like something out of a nightmare.
Kael, still trying to catch his breath from his earlier battle, could only watch from the sidelines. He could see it—the wolf wasn’t just fast; it was deadly. But he also knew something else.
He couldn’t defeat him.
His muscles screamed at him to stay down, but his mind refused. He had to move, had to escape. The wolf was chaos in motion, but he... he was something more.
He turned to run, his body groaning in protest. But then, he heard his name.
"Kael!"
He froze.
He turned, and there, standing beside him was a young girl. Her blonde hair was tousled in a messy bob, falling around her face like the wild winds of a storm. Her eyes—sharp, dark green—cut through the madness of the battlefield with unwavering focus.
Her fair skin seemed to glow in the chaotic light, and though she was young, there was a determination in her expression that made her seem older, more experienced. She had a presence about her, a calm intensity as though she was used to danger.
"I’m Miren," she said, her voice steady, unshaken by the chaos around them. "We can beat it. I need your help."
Kael took a step back. "I—I’m not in any condition to fight. I just—"
"I know," she cut him off, her gaze piercing through his words, seeing through the exhaustion that weighed him down. "But I need you. It’s the only way."
Kael hesitated, looking back at the wolf as it tore through their ranks. The beast’s three heads snapped and lashed, each one a deadly force in its own right. He knew Miren was right. But he was so tired. His body had nothing left.
Miren read him like an open book. "The wolf has three abilities," she said, her voice never wavering. "It can cancel out any Parasite’s ability for a brief moment. It can burst with speed like nothing you’ve seen, and it regenerates quickly. You’ve seen it. This won’t be easy, but together, we have a chance."
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Kael’s head was spinning, his thoughts clouded by fatigue. But Miren’s words cut through the fog. She was right. He could help. They could beat it.
With a deep breath, Miren took a step forward, eyes fixed on the three-headed monster. "We can defeat it," she said, her voice firm. "We have to."
He glanced at her, his heart pounding. For the first time in this fight, he wasn’t sure if he could do it. But something in her gaze, something in the determination that radiated from her, made him take that first step forward.
The battle raged on, and Kael couldn’t help but watch, his eyes tracking the movements of the beast as it tore through the participants. But something was happening.
Despite the overwhelming odds, the teams were beginning to push the three-headed wolf back. They worked in unison, using their combined abilities—attacking from every direction, attacking its sides, drawing the wolf’s attention to one area while another team prepared their next strike. The ground beneath the beast became more unstable, their teamwork putting it on the defensive.
Kael, still standing by Miren, couldn’t help but think, Maybe they can actually do this. Maybe they can beat it.
He watched as the wolf stumbled, its three heads snarling in frustration. There was a collective cheer among the participants, their spirits lifted by the sight of the mighty beast faltering for the first time.
But then, without warning, the wolf let out a deafening howl—a sound that seemed to shake the very air around them. The ground trembled, and Kael felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
The wolf surged forward, its power suddenly amplified. It was faster now, more vicious, each of its heads snapping with a fury that Kael hadn’t thought possible. The participants couldn’t react quickly enough. In an instant, the wolf tore through them, picking off two members with a savage swipe of its claws, one by one. They fell, their screams muffled as the beast tore into them.
Kael’s thoughts stalled. Okay... maybe not.
He watched, wide-eyed, as the once-coordinated team fell into disarray. The wolf was back to its terrifying self, moving with the speed of a storm and the ferocity of a natural disaster.
Great. So much for that. I guess I was wrong.
The wolf’s eyes gleamed with a savage joy, its regenerative ability kicking in as it healed and became stronger by the second. Kael could feel the heat of the battle, the desperation in the air.
He looked to Miren, shaking his head. “Yeah... I was wrong. That thing’s probably gonna kill us all.”
Miren didn’t answer at first, her eyes locked on the wolf. Then, finally, she glanced at Kael and said, deadpan, “You’re just realizing that now?”
Kael just grinned sheepishly. “What can I say? I like to be optimistic.”
The battle continued, the participants barely hanging on. The wolf’s relentless onslaught had left many on the ground, barely able to stand. The air was thick with despair as the once-coordinated teams now struggled in disarray. Some had given up entirely, their energy spent, their spirits broken. The three-headed beast had them cornered, and there didn’t seem to be any way out.
Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, something happened.
A projectile—a blur so fast no one had seen it coming—whizzed through the air with incredible force. In the blink of an eye, it pierced the middle head of the wolf, going straight through it and embedding itself deep inside. There was a deafening explosion of energy, a pulse that sent shockwaves rippling through the air, knocking participants off their feet.
For a moment, there was silence. The wolf let out a guttural roar, but the blast had already dealt its damage. Its middle head was now limp, smoke rising from the crater where the projectile had struck. The participants stood in stunned silence, staring in disbelief at the beast as it staggered, clearly weakened.
"What just happened?" someone muttered, their voice thick with confusion.
No one could answer. They all exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what had just occurred. The projectile was too fast, too powerful for any of them to have noticed it in time. It had struck with such precision and speed that they had no idea who—or what—had fired it.
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The scene shifted again, this time to a quieter place—the memory of a conversation between Kael and Miren.
Kael sat on a rock near the edge of the clearing, rubbing his sore shoulders. The memory of the battle still fresh in his mind, his exhaustion creeping back in. He glanced over at Miren, who had her eyes closed in concentration, her hands resting on the earth as though she were communing with it.
She broke the silence first. “I have a parasite. It’s called Fluxis.”
Kael raised an eyebrow. “Fluxis?”
Miren nodded. “It allows me to control energy. I can channel it, manipulate it—make things explode with it. That kind of thing.”
Kael leaned forward, intrigued. “So, what are we doing with this Fluxis of yours?”
Miren’s lips curled into a small smirk. “I’m going to take a rock—fill it with energy, and then we’re going to launch it. With your speed and my energy control, we’ll make it fast enough to pierce through the wolf’s defenses. It should be enough to finish the job.”
Kael’s eyes widened. “And if we miss?”
“If we miss…” Miren's grin widened, almost mischievous. “Plan B.”
Kael looked at her, waiting for the inevitable catch.
She leaned in a little closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “Plan B: we’re fucked. So we run.”
Kael blinked. “That’s... your backup plan?”
“Yep,” Miren replied with an easy shrug. “Either we win, or we run like hell. No in-between.”
Kael let out a low chuckle despite himself. “Well, at least you’re not pretending everything’s going to be fine. I respect the honesty.”
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Back in the battle, The wolf struggled, its remaining head snarling and thrashing wildly, trying to regain control after the explosive impact. Its body twitched, blood oozing from the destroyed middle head, but it wasn’t finished yet. The beast let out a bone-chilling roar, a final defiant attempt to keep fighting.
Kael, still battered and drained, instinctively took a step back. I should run. Now’s my chance. It’s almost done, but I’m not sure I can take another hit from that thing.
His legs felt like lead, his muscles tight from the exhaustion of the previous battle, but his instincts screamed at him to flee. He glanced at Miren, standing with quiet determination, and almost made a move toward the forest edge.
And then... the wolf collapsed.
Its massive frame fell heavily to the ground, its body twitching one last time before it lay still. The remaining heads slumped, their snarls fading into silence. The battle was over.
As the participants stood there, panting and catching their breath, a collective wave of relief washed over the group. The once terrifying presence of the three-headed wolf now lay lifeless on the ground, its twisted form serving as a grim reminder of the battle they’d just endured.
But before anyone could fully let their guard down, a sudden message blinked into the air, flickering in bold letters across the screen above the battlefield.
"Attention: Only 100 students remain of the original 600. Prepare for the next phase."