Zachary knew what happened. It was Marble, of course it was. The little yin-yang cat was Katherin’s ace. She had picked the perfect opportunity to reveal her strongest summon. And she wasn’t done yet.
The black and white blur that was Marble turned to look at Aaron. The man had an expression full of shock as he stared at the carnage. His was mostly hidden behind the giant seagull but his head was exposed.
Marble disappeared once more and reappeared in front of Aaron’s face with claws raised.
Blood splattered on the ground.
“Kill that cat!” Aaron's furious shout rang out.
The giant seagull reacted, swiping its large wings out in all directions. It stabbed its beak in the air randomly in a futile attempt at retaliation. But Marble was already gone. It had returned to Katherine’s embrace and she was turning to run.
Aaron stood back up, clutching the right side of his forehead which was pouring blood, “Chase her!”
Katherine and her tiger were rushing toward the edge of the arena that bordered the jungle. Since her attempt to kill Aaron failed, she could only forfeit. She had no more summons or any other tricks.
The mantis and the stag beetle turned and gave chase. The giant seagull also took flight but it was even slower.
“Damn it! Fine!” Aaron shouted as he grabbed at his summoning belt, “Zephyr, kill her for me!”
A ray of sky-blue light shot out of his brow and took the shape of a huge grey wolf. The beast came out of its summoning orb in a full sprint. It overtook the two insects in the blink of an eye.
“Awwooo!”
Katherine looked back and for the first time, a flash of worry crossed her face. She patted her mount and urged, “Jade, faster! Faster!”
They were almost at the edge of the field. In front, the other survivors made way for her frantic escape. Behind her, the grey wolf which was as big as a bull was closing fast.
“Almost there,” Zachary muttered as he watched, “Almost there.”
“Kill her!” Aaron roared.
The wolf opened its mouth and launched a familiar attack. An almost invisible pulse of air shot out like a cannonball.
Pa!
A powerful explosion of air sent the tiger and Katherine flying.
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At the same time, the wolf leaped and made swiping motions with its front paws. Blades of wind shot toward the still airborne Katherine and her mount.
Crimson mists sprayed out against a clear blue sky. Two bodies fell to the ground, covered in horribly deep cuts, their blood staining the barren ground.
“Grrr…” The tiger growled weakly.
It was still alive but only barely. With its last breath, it grabbed Katherine’s limp figure with its mouth and tossed her forward. It was just enough for her to make it over the boundary of the dueling field.
Seeing this, Captain Willis struck the bell and stood up to announce the end of the duel.
However, as she did so, Aaron’s wolf launched another air cannon attack at Katherine. She was lying on the ground, unmoving. There was no way for her to dodge. It seemed that she was going to die after all.
“Onk!” A loud and fearless snort sounded.
A furry pig appeared out of nowhere and blocked the attack, taking the ball of explosive air head-on.
Pa!
Onkie flew several meters and crashed down hard. But her tough body and thick fur protected her from severe injury. She quickly rolled to her feet and snorted angrily, her eyes ablaze with fighting spirit.
“Awooo!” The huge gray wolf howled at the new challenger.
But then, a powerful wave of soul power pressed down on all of them, instantly bringing the fight to an end before it started.
“The duel is over, Aaron is the winner. Recall your summon!” The captain ordered.
Aaron did so reluctantly. As he did so, he glared at Zachary.
“This isn’t over.” He mouthed.
Zachary’s eyes narrowed. He also knew that this wasn’t over. That huge grey wolf Aaron summoned had to be the grey wolf king that guarded the ruins. The one that had sent him into the abyss, he now knew what had happened to it. Even though the world was vast, enemies were bound to meet again.
Zachary turned away and rushed to Katherine’s side. She wasn’t breathing and her soul force was nonexistent. He checked her pulse. It was weak but still there. Ignoring the stares around him, he picked her up and carried her back to his group. As he walked, his activated ability summoning and sent Wander’s healing power through his hands.
“How is she?” Heather asked.
“She’ll live,” Zachary said as he laid her down.
He knelt beside her and held a palm against her chest, continuing to heal her. Although this was not as effective as directly receiving Wander’s healing breath, it was the best he could do without revealing Wander to so many prying eyes.
After several long moments, Katherine coughed up a mouthful of blood as she came to. She groaned in pain as her eyes fluttered open. Her bloodstained face regained a bit of color. When she caught sight of Zachary, she smiled despite her condition.
“Zach… I did the best I could.” She coughed up more blood, “I killed one of his powerful summons… and I drew out one of his aces. Cough, cough… be careful, he has more than one.”
At her statement, Heather, Nellie, and the others looked at each other with deep worry. From the duel, everyone understood that Katherine was not weak. It was just that Aaron was too strong. Aside from the powerful summons, the fact that he managed to dodge that sneak attack was a testament to his skills and fighting instincts. He would be a nightmare opponent for anyone in the second round.
“Zach…” Katherine weakly grasped his hand that was on her chest.
Her touch reminded him of the days they spent as a duo, struggling against the challenges of the jungle. He decided that he still disliked her for the monolith debacle but he didn’t hate her.
“Kate.”
She smiled when he called her name, “I’ll leave him to you.”
“Alright.”
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