When the battle first started, over sixty Grey Storm Wolves were charging downhill towards the downed caravan. However, in less than twenty minutes, there were less than ten remaining. After the fall of Aldrich’s Keep, Mayor Nadeo and the Chief Constable, Lewis, doubled up on the training that all the constables had to go through, ensuring that all of them were well prepared for any possible threat from the wild Spirit Beasts. And thankfully, their efforts weren’t fruitless.
In the event of a surprise attack, the constables kept their calm and found the best possible way to minimise the damage done to them and those that they were protecting. Naturally, they had to thank the healers from Yakkyoku Clinic for stepping up and disposing of the few beasts that roamed past their defences but all in all, their reaction to the pack of wolves was optimal, given the situation that they were in.
Finally realising the demise of their comrades, the wolves huddled up together to prevent any more casualties. Unfortunately, the constables had no intention of letting the beasts escape peacefully.
“Don’t let a single one out of your sights!!! God knows if they will come back with more reinforcements!!!” The constable officer hollered out.
“Yes, sir!!!” Surrounding the few wolves, the constables formed a solid circle, barring the path of escape for any of the beasts. In their hands, high-powered elemental weapons shone in a brilliant light, as if they were a charged up laser preparing to fire. Once the constable officer gave the signal, there was no doubt that the surviving beasts would be utterly terminated.
“*AWOOOOOO!!!*.” With death imminent, one of the Grey Storm Wolves howled out in despair. As if responding to its mournful cry, the remainder of the beasts followed suit.
“Ready your attacks!!!” Raising his hand high in the air, the constable officer planned to give the wolves an end. For the sake of those that died in the earlier battle and the safety of all the residents in the town, the constable officer ignored the anguished bawlings of the wolves.
“*WHHOOOOOOOSSHHHH!!!*.” However, before he could give the signal, a dreadful wind smashed straight into the encirclement, sweeping all of the constables off their feet.
“Damn it!!! Now what?!?!” Clearly irritated by the sudden change of events, the constable officer cried out.
The constables in the forefront of the battlefield were unable to figure out what had hit them. However, for Shin and the other healers who were situated way back, they were able to clearly distinguish the identity of the attacker. A violent spiral of wind dropped down from the grey skies, seemingly drawing the clouds along with it. The crackling of thunder that was uncommon for the region reverberated through the heavens, breaking the monotony of the spring afternoon. Trees that should have been firmly rooted to the ground could be seen spinning uncontrollably, hurling themselves straight to any poor soul that passed its path.
“A tornado?! Can the Grey Storm Wolves create such a phenomenon?!” Kesyl eyes bulged as she questioned her own sanity.
“No, Grey Storm Wolves are at most a Tier 2 Spirit Beast. Even in large numbers, there was no way that they could create such a violent scene.” A calm and sensible answer came from her side. Shin, who was furrowing his brows in contemplation, was clearly moved by the tornado making a sudden appearance.
“Healer Shin? If it’s not the Grey Storm Wolves...”
“Yeah, looks like the final boss has arrived...” Confirming Kesyl’s wild conjecture, Shin created a water wall once again to boost his defences.
“AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” A vociferous howl, one of the likes that neither Shin nor Kesyl had felt before, descended upon the group of constables and healers.
The vicious tornado began to dissipate revealing a twenty-metre tall giant. Four meaty legs that resembled pillars of buildings clawed deep into the bloodied soil. Its luminous eyes glistened spectacularly, bringing fear to its enemies hearts. Opening its jaw, the humongous beast revealed its full set of jagged fangs that could maul through the toughest of flesh with ease.
“A Tempest Wolf King… I should have guessed...” Shin shook his head in disappointment at his lack of awareness.
The signs should have been obvious. Packs upon packs of Grey Storm Wolves weren’t a common sighting in the remote town. Being relatively weak, the Grey Storm Wolves tend to avoid human settlements for fear of annihilation. To be so bold as to attack a trading caravan that was just a stone throw’s distance from a major town, there had to be a powerful backer that gave the beasts their confidence.
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“A Tempest Wolf King? What’s that?” Kesyl questioned the disturbed teen as her eyes quivered in trepidation.
“A mighty Tier 5 Spirit Beast. Judging from its size, it might even be on the brink of evolving into Tier 6… Nonetheless, the constables are in for a tough fight now...” Shin explained to the girl patiently.
When Shin first brought up the idea of creating a search party to find Junius, Lady Seph put forth a set of conditions. Firstly, he had to be accompanied by Bingbing at all times. Secondly, he had to always report to her where he was going, and finally, he had to memorise the majority of all wild Spirit Beasts that plagued the land of the Himmel Empire. That way, once he knows what kind of adversary he was facing, Shin could either decide to make an immediate escape or to put up a fight. Typically, if he were to discover a Tempest Wolf King, no matter what the situation, he would do his best to escape. However, with the protection of the town’s constables and an array of unmoving patients lying behind him, there was no way that Shin would consider fleeing.
“Healer Rahwil! Don’t worry about us! Please help the constables take down the Tempest Wolf King!” Shin cried out.
A Tier 5 Spirit Beast was the equivalent of a Rank 40 Spirit Spectre, and the only healer present that was in that realm was Healer Rahwil. As a member of Yakkyoku Clinic, he had a duty to protect the rest of the healers from harm’s way, even if it meant abandoning the constables in times of peril to save his own. Thus, from the start of the battle, even though he could clearly fight in the vanguard, Healer Rahwil stood at the back lines and placed all of his attention on protecting Shin and the others.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. We can’t afford to let the potential debris from the fight destroy the landscape. Otherwise, how are we going to treat the injured?” Shin calmly explained, unaffected by the queer gazes that people were sending him. Even when facing a Tier 5 Spirit Beast, he was still as cool as a cucumber.
“... Fine then. Be careful then.” After a short pause, Healer Rahwil let out a sigh and leapt straight into the front lines to assist the constables.
“Hah… Bingbing, do you think that you could help me this one time?” Glancing downwards at his bosom, Shin muttered in a voice that only he could hear.
The snowy white gerbil, who seemed unaffected by the commotion of the outside world, drowsily opened up her eyes after hearing her name being called. Lazily poking her head out from Shin’s robes, Bingbing took a quick peek at the Tempest Wolf King as her whiskers flung about with an adorable sneeze. It only took three seconds of observations before the Tier 8 Spirit Beast made up her mind.
“You’re going back to sleep?!?!” Shin gasped at the gerbil’s next actions. Opening her mouth, Bingbing yawned deeply before snuggling in the warmth of the young teenager’s clothes.
“Come on! It’s just one time!”
“...”
“Please? I’ll give you your favourite snack when we reach home!”
“...”
No matter how much Shin pleaded, Bingbing simply ignored him by shaking her tail. Lady Seph’s orders to Bingbing were to protect Shin in his times of peril which was subjective to the sentient Spirit Beast’s judgement. If Bingbing were to leave Shin’s side to deal with the Tempest Wolf King, a potential attacker that might have been lurking in the shadows might pounce out of nowhere and damage Shin. Additionally, after taking a look at the Tempest Wolf King and its adversaries, Bingbing deemed that there was no need for her to act as she deemed the combined powers of the constables and Healer Rahwil to be sufficient to take down a mere Spirit 5 Spirit Beast.
“You’re heartless, do you know that?”
“*Yip* *Yip*.” For the first time, the snowy white gerbil responded. Apparently, she had taken issue with Shin’s accusation and proceeded to protest.
“Yeah, yeah… You’re not heartless… Just cold-blooded!”
“*Yip* *Yip* *Yip!!!*.” “I know that you’re a mammal!” “*Yip* *Yip* *Yip* *Yip!!!*” “Yeah, yeah. I know that you helped me many times before...” “*YIP* *YIP* *YIP* *YIP* *YIP!!!*” “Okay, fine! I get it already!!! Sorry, for calling you that! There’s no need to shout!” “*YIP* *YIP* *YIP* *YIP* *YIP!!!*” “Urghhh, I said I was sorry! What else do you want?!?!”
The back-and-forth bickering between Spirit Beast and human continued for a while, bringing in strange looks from the onlookers.
“BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!”
Unfortunately, Shin and Bingbing were unable to continue their disobedient son, and annoyed mother act as a thunderous explosion decimated the area. Piles of smoke and dust burst forth into the air, creating a thick fog that blinded everyone. Sensing a threat approaching Shin, Bingbing created a clear ice barrier that encased both the youth she sought to protect and the little girl that happened to be within arm’s length of him.
Once the dust settled, the fight between the constables and the Tempest Wolf King became more and more apparent. Even though it was facing overwhelming odds, the savage beast still managed to hold its ground, landing clean hits every so often.
“Isn’t the Tempest Wolf King a Tier 5 Spirit Beast? How can it do so well against Healer Rahwil and the others?” Kesyl innocently asked.
“Kesyl, you need to understand this. The cultivation system is not a complete guide on the power of the individual or beast. For instance, even though I am a Spirit Apostle, I might be unable to triumph against well-trained, combat-oriented Spirit Practitioner in a fist fight. However, when it comes to treating patients, no Spirit Practitioner in the world could match my ability.” Shin nonchalantly stated. There was no arrogance in his voice as all that he said was the truth.
“The same goes for the Tempest Wolf King. Its strengths lie in its tremendous ability to control the area. With its elemental wind powers, it could create tornados, split open attackers and even move at blinding speeds. In a group battle, the Tempest Wolf King is almost unparalleled in its tier.”
“I see… That’s why Healer Rahwil and the others are struggling to beat it...” Enlightened, Kesyl’s face brightened up.
“Not only that, the constables are trying their best to prevent any form of collateral damage. So they must draw the Tempest Wolf King far away before they go all-out.” Shin hit the pin on the needle when it came to the constable’s assault plan.
Fearing that their battle would cause excessive damage to the bystanders, Healer Rahwil and the constables were doing their best to prevent any destructive abilities from flying Shin’s way. Thus, they had allowed the savage beast to control the flow of the battle until they were a safe distance away.
“Well, let’s just watch. It’s not every day that you get to witness a high-level battle such as this one...”