Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Shadow
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Shadow
The Big Bad Wolf Joins the Fray!
It felt as solid as gaining a heavenly host of a million soldiers.
"Hey, you crazy bird! You maniac!"
She let out a cheer, clearly thrilled to see me too.
Do I really mean that much to her?
Sorry, but we're different species—we could never make it work.
"What did I ever do to deserve this...! Gah!"
Boom!
Black Wolf's kin was none other than a Shadow Wolf.
If you asked what a Shadow Wolf was, the obvious answer would be a wolf of shadows—pretty cool, right?
I'd seen its abilities in the fight against Red Cloak.
Not only could it slip into shadows like me, but it could even manipulate them to bind and restrict an opponent's movements.
Handling shadows? This one had the edge over me.
I'd only gained my power less than three months ago at most, while Black Wolf had wielded hers for decades.
Plus, unlike me, she was pretty damn big—big enough to stand up to the Lord of Tin.
The size of an ox or a tiger... against an elephant...
"A wolf that wields shadows. To think one still remains..."
"Hmph, the size difference is obvious."
"Anyway."
The reason I'd tossed her in like that was simple.
Black Wolf could shrug off an attack like that no problem.
Still, I figured I ought to lend a hand.
Sizzle!
My pumpkin-colored feathers lit up briefly, unleashing a burst of intense light.
Ting!
For a moment, the shadows in this area swelled, giving Black Wolf something to work with.
Ssshh.
The massive golem's foot came crashing down to crush the wolf, but Black Wolf melted straight into the shadow.
Boom!
Thud!
Black Wolf leaped out of the shadow and retreated backward.
Normally, she'd exploit the opening for a counterattack, but against this opponent, she had no choice.
After pulling back, Black Wolf whipped her head around to glare at me.
"Crazy bird! What the hell is going on here?!"
Black Wolf, who apparently adored me so much.
She seemed unable to contain her emotions.
"Caw."
I lifted my wings slightly to show how glad I was to see her.
"Uh... good to see you too... no, that's not the point!"
Black Wolf wagged her tail a bit before stamping the ground with her front paw.
"Explain what's happening... wait, have you gotten bigger? No, that's not important right now!"
She wanted an explanation of the situation.
But there wasn't much to explain.
"Shadows... right, there were a few among our enemies with powers like that."
What we needed to do was take down the massive golem right in front of us.
An overwhelming bulk reminiscent of an elephant.
Slow, but so enormous that even the slightest movement made it impossible to evade.
"A wolf and a crow. A fine combination. And their powers seem somewhat effective... but..."
The golem fixed its gaze precisely on me.
"This won't be enough."
Boom!
Booom!
If before it had merely been walking, now it was charging—like a bull at full gallop.
The Lord of Tin barreled forward, pulverizing everything in its path.
No special abilities, but that sheer mass and power delivered devastating destruction.
"Dodge it... no, shit! There's something weird on your back! Hey! Flash like you did before!"
Black Wolf burst from the shadow and shouted urgently.
The golem ignored her and charged straight at me, so this wasn't out of fear for her own safety.
She must have figured dodging wouldn't be easy with Moona strapped to my back.
Ting!
As she asked, I unleashed the tri-colored light once more.
"Hold it longer this time!"
"Caw!"
Ssshh.
The shadows gathered.
The golem was huge, so its shadow was enormous too.
Rrrrip!
Just like with Red Cloak, the shadows lashed out and bound the golem's body.
"Grr... what the hell makes this so strong?!"
But we couldn't fully restrain it.
Black Wolf strained with all her might, but overcoming the golem's brute strength was impossible.
Still, its speed slowed a bit, creating a tiny opening.
And that tiny opening was more than enough to dodge an attack.
Whoosh!
I darted sideways, slipping out of its path.
Grrrind!
At the same moment, the Lord of Tin shattered Black Wolf's shadow bindings.
Boom!
Its merciless fist slammed into the ground.
Ruuuumble!
If I'd been on the ground, that would've been dangerous.
The shockwave alone nearly threw off my balance.
"Not bad speed. But even this wouldn't have beaten Scarecrow."
Having missed, the Lord of Tin turned its head and locked eyes on me again.
"Caw, caw."
I circled once to catch my breath, then landed right beside Black Wolf.
"Whew... hey, you should've left that plump guy on your back somewhere else! You can't dodge with that thing weighing you down!"
Black Wolf glared at Moona dangling from my shoulder.
If Moona had been somewhere safe, Black Wolf wouldn't have had to struggle like that.
"Caw caw."
Thanks to you showing up, I could dodge easily.
I dipped my head slightly in thanks.
"I'd have to be insane to give my tail to a lunatic like you...! I can't just let you die either...!"
Black Wolf seemed to regret handing over her tail to me.
"And what the hell is that? It's covered head to toe in metal!"
Fair enough—after so long apart, seeing me fight something like this would shock anyone.
The Lord of Tin was made entirely of metal, after all.
"I could see hunting some decent-sized beast, but ugh... that thing? Doesn't even look edible."
"Caw caw."
Black Wolf seemed to want me calling her for regular hunts, chats, or sharing meals—some kind of camaraderie.
But what could be done?
I'd already summoned her.
"Ugh... seriously..."
She wagged her tail slightly as she eyed the slowly advancing Lord of Tin.
"So, what's the plan?"
Though our last teamwork was our first, she seemed to know me better than expected.
She knew I wouldn't fight something like this without a plan.
"I doubt you'd pick a fight with that thing on a whim. You didn't call me just to buy time to run, right?"
"Caw..."
"...Why are you avoiding my eyes?"
Just messing with her.
As Black Wolf said, I already had a plan to take it down.
Evolution would make things smoother.
And Black Wolf's help was the key to this strategy.
"Caw! Caw!"
I let out a loud cry, signaling the start of the plan.
"Swung!"
Swungswung responded by scattering a heap of silver coins.
"What? Silver coins out of nowhere?"
What Swungswung threw weren't ordinary coins.
They were tributes offered to me by humans.
In the first place, I'd done business here to gather resources for facing the Lord of Tin.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Using 「Night Summoning LV1」.]
The silver coins scattered in the air transformed into pure white light.
That light gathered into my feathers, becoming my power.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[The silver coins have become your tribute.]
[Designating your domain.]
[Your current domain is the Lord of Tin's Temple.]
"This power... yes, the same one I felt earlier."
The golem halted its steps.
It was on guard against the power I'd just used.
Night Summoning let me set the time of day in a specific area.
Until now, I'd called twilight to empower my skills, but now I had a new option.
An option that could subdue this golem more easily than anything else.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Afterglow descends.]
⚔ STATUS ⚔
「Afterglow Feather LV1」
The afterglow dyed some of the feathers in its light.
Feathers dyed in afterglow can emit that light, and any foe struck by it will enter a shadowed state for a set duration.
Afterglow Feather's effects are amplified in special situations.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Using 「Afterglow Feather LV1」.]
One feather turned a bluish hue.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[「Afterglow Feather LV1」 temporarily transcends its limits.]
[Using 「Afterglow Feather LV10」.]
In that instant, all my feathers were dyed in afterglow.
The reason I'd kept Moona on my shoulder the whole time was simple.
Even with the sage by my side, he wouldn't be a hindrance at all.
Afterglow's effect turned both friend and foe into shadows without distinction.
For allies unable to shadow themselves, this skill offered safe protection from enemy attacks.
Ruuuuumble!
The afterglow light filled the entire temple.
"Ooh... this power again... Kiwiieeeek!"
Moona, now a shadow kiwi, let out his signature cry.
I didn't know why, but every time he turned pitch black like that, some feral instinct seemed to awaken in him.
"What? The kiwi bird's a shadow now?"
Even Black Wolf, a shadow manipulator, was stunned.
She'd never seen a skill that turned others into shadows.
But this wasn't the end.
If I'd just wanted to keep Moona safe, I could've skipped Night Summoning.
The reason I'd gone all out with the silver coins was simple.
The one hit by this skill wasn't just Moona.
"...I see. So that's how you plan to overcome it."
The Lord of Tin muttered.
Its body had long since turned into inky black shadow.
Overwhelming mass and durability.
Those were its weapons, but as a shadow now, they meant little.
"...No wonder you called me—this changes everything!"
The shadow-wielding wolf wagged her tail furiously.
This wouldn't be like before, where we were too busy dodging.
A Shadow Wolf and a former Shadow Crow.
With two shadow manipulators, victory was within reach.
"...Swung!"
Right, you too.
Not two, but three.
"Caaaaw! Caw!"
With everyone turned to shadow, we—who could strike shadows themselves—held the advantage.
"Caw-gak. Caw-gak."
Hey, Tin Woodman who attacked me.
How's it feel now?
I cried out with that meaning infused, then charged at it.
"Kiwiieeeek!"
Moona's menacing screech was the cherry on top.