27 - The Abyss Wolf Onslaught
Crackle—!! The surface of the blood-red gate rippled violently. With a noise like space itself tearing apart, the pitch-black darkness finally revealed its form.
Whirr. A massive maw slowly emerged from the gate. A gigantic head covered in inky black fur, powerful muscular forelegs, and finally its tail. The beast had fully materialized.
"......"
The overwhelming presence stole my breath away. It was at least twice the size of a normal wolf. A hulking monster that made Leon—nearly 190cm tall—look like a child. Its entire body was shrouded in fur so dark it seemed to swallow light whole.
"Abyss Wolf...!!"
A wolf-type beast from the abyss. A boss monster that had no business emerging from a D-rank gate—something that belonged in at least an A-rank dungeon.
That was when it happened.
Thwip—!! Clang—! The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.
The first to react was the archer, Lina. Even in her terror, instinct had her draw her bowstring. But...
Her arrow didn't even pierce its hide. It bounced harmlessly off the steel-like bristles standing rigid on its body.
"Wha...?"
Lina's face drained of color. In that instant, the beast's red eyes flashed.
"Grrrrr!!"
Whoosh—! It kicked off the ground and leaped. Its target: the tanker standing at the front, Leon.
"Evangeline sunbae!!"
My shout came at the same time as Piarot unleashed a silver flash, attempting to transform—but the wolf was faster.
"Uwaaaah!!!"
Leon roared, hoisting his tower shield high. Textbook defensive stance. Impenetrable enough to block even an ogre's club swing. But he'd picked the wrong opponent.
Crunch—!! Something shattered.
"......!!"
The beast didn't dodge or swat the shield aside. It simply opened its massive jaws and bit down on the entire tower shield—along with Leon's right arm hidden behind it.
"Uwaaaaaah—!!!"
A gut-wrenching scream tore through the forest.
"My arm!! My aaaarm!!!!"
The wolf jerked its head back, lifting Leon's 100kg-plus frame into the air like a ragdoll. Crack, crunch! Sickening tearing sounds echoed. The steel shield crumpled like a cookie crumb.
And then—
Splurt—! Blood sprayed out like a fountain.
"Kyaak!!"
Rip—! Along with the shield, everything below Leon's elbow was torn clean off. His body hit the ground in a pathetic heap.
"......"
In the frozen moment that gripped us all, my body moved before my brain could catch up.
Thud-thud—! I charged forward, targeting the brief gap as the wolf savored chewing on the severed arm.
"Piarot!! Now!!"
At my scream-like shout, Piarot's dazed eyes sharpened.
"Got it!!"
Boom—! Shadow spears erupted from beneath her feet, slamming into the wolf's flank.
Clang-clang-clang!! But its fur was tough. The first spear embedded in its side with a metallic screech but failed to penetrate.
"One more!!"
Piarot gritted her teeth and squeezed out more mana. The second spear struck its belly with heavier force.
Thud!!
"Yelp!!"
The beast staggered back a step. Not a critical hit, but the impact landed. That was all the opening we needed.
"Guh... ugh..."
I grabbed Leon by the scruff as he rolled on the ground and dragged him back like a sack to safety. Hans hurriedly threw up a flame barrier. I retreated to the safe zone and laid Leon down.
"Hngh... my arm... my arm..."
Leon was in shock. Blood was pumping from the stump like a hose. Left like this, he'd bleed out in under a minute.
I dumped out my bag. Sprinkled potion on the wound, pulled out bandages, and tied a tourniquet just above the stump as tight as I could.
"Gaaah!!"
"Hold it together! If you wanna live, keep it together!!"
After staunching the flow, I poured hemostatic agent directly on the wound. My hands were slick with blood. The acrid stench assaulted my nose.
"Tch..."
I panted raggedly, glaring toward the beast.
Clang—!! Clang!! Metallic clashes shook the entire forest.
Piarot and the Abyss Wolf. Their movements were too fast for the naked eye to follow. Silver flashes and black shadows intertwined, scattering in all directions.
Piarot kicked off the air to target its throat; the wolf twisted nimbly, countering with razor-sharp claws.
Crunch—! The ground it merely grazed split open like tofu. A glancing blow was lethal. No room for a single mistake in this ultra-high-speed exchange.
"Damn... what the hell is this monster?!"
The assassin Kai spat curses, his face pale. His daggers looked pathetic by comparison—this fight was on another level entirely. No way to even intervene.
But we couldn't just stand around gawking.
"Lina!! Kai!!"
My bellow snapped the two out of their daze.
"Huh? Wha?!"
"Aim for hairless spots! Feet or eyes! Do something!"
"O-okay!!"
Lina bit her lip and hastily nocked an arrow.
Thwip—!!
The Abyss Wolf dodged Piarot's shadow spears, zigzagging wildly. It leaped off trees, twisted midair to deflect attacks. Its afterimages made it look like three or four targets.
"It's... too fast!! I can't aim!!"
Lina shrieked, bowstring drawn as she wobbled side to side. A miss could hit Piarot instead.
"Damn it, just shoot!!"
Thwip, clang!!
Kai hurled throwing knives into any gaps he saw, yelling. But they bounced off the steel fur without effect.
Boom!! Scraaape!!
Piarot's silver form flickered in and out, dodging claws, retreating, then diving back in repeatedly.
"That's not easy!!"
Lina cried out, voice breaking. We'd dry up and die at this rate. We had to pin down its movements.
I shouted until my throat burned.
"Sunbae!! Stop chasing it!!"
"Huh?!"
"Direct your power from above downward!! Pin it down!! Nail it to the ground!!"
Piarot's eyes flashed at my words. She stopped pursuing and leaped high into the air.
Whoosh—! Summer sunlight filtering through the clouds illuminated her silver hair brilliantly as she hung in the sky. Like a goddess descending upon the battlefield.
"Hah—!!"
She slashed her hand downward. A massive arrowhead-shaped shadow spear materialized in the air and plummeted vertically.
Boom—!!
A crushing weight slammed onto the Abyss Wolf's back.
Crack!!
It spread its legs wide, lowering its stance to endure. Monstrous strength. But...
"One more!!"
Piarot clenched her fist like wringing out the air. The second spear drove into its shoulder like a wedge.
Ruuuumble!
Overwhelmed by the immense pressure, its knees buckled. Its paws sank deep into the earth, movements sealed in that instant.
"Now!!"
Thwip!!
Lina's arrow launched as if she'd been waiting. It traced a perfect arc straight into the exposed instep of the immobilized Abyss Wolf.
Splurt—!
"Kyaaang!!!"
The beast's howl exploded.
"We did it!!"
Lina cheered. The wolf limped, losing its balance. That tiny gap sealed the fight's outcome.
"Too late."
Piarot, already landed, dove into its embrace.
Slash, stab!
Her shadow blade severed the healthy opposite ankle as well.
Thud!
Unable to use its legs, the massive wolf toppled forward. It lifted its head to bite at Piarot, but the battle was decided.
Her black spear was aimed right at its red pupil.
"Bye."
Squelch—!!
The spear tip pierced the eyeball and burst out the back of its skull.
"Grrr......"
The enormous body convulsed, then slumped lifelessly to the ground.
Thud.
Whoosh—.
Piarot casually flicked her hand. The massive shadow spear impaling the wolf's head dissolved into black smoke and vanished into the air.
Battle over.
She walked slowly back toward us. Perhaps traces of the fierce fight—her silver hair clung sweatily to her forehead, and a long streak of blood marred her pale cheek where the wolf's claw had grazed her.
"Sunbae... your cheek's hurt..."
I asked worriedly. She indifferently wiped it with the back of her hand.
"Ah..."
Sizzle—.
In that moment, red mana steamed up from the wound like a haze. The torn flesh writhed in real time, knitting back together.
In just one second. The deep gash vanished without a scar, restoring her porcelain-smooth skin.
"I'm fine."
"!!!!!!"
Gasp—gasps echoed around us. Lina and Kai's jaws hung slack; even Leon, mid-tourniquet, stared blankly, forgetting his pain.
Overwhelming destructive power, followed by superhuman regeneration beyond common sense. The party's gazes shifted from awe to primal terror, as if beholding a monster.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh...
Her dazzling silver hair began darkening from the roots. The ferociously glowing red eyes dimmed, reverting her to the familiar black-haired girl.
Stagger.
Her eyes unfocused, and her body pitched forward limply.
"Huh...?"
I reflexively lunged, catching her as she collapsed.
Thump.
Her body in my arms burned like a furnace, her chest heaving desperately.
"Hah... hah..."
I brushed aside her sweat-matted hair and whispered softly.
"Sunbae... you did amazing. Truly the best."
At my praise, the exhausted girl in my arms laboriously lifted her head to look up at me. The cold witch who'd just butchered the beast was gone.
She buried her face in my chest and smiled innocently, like a child.
"Yeah...!! Hehehe..."