Kair’s thoughts turned into action as he pulled his arm back and launched his hand like a spear, piercing through the creature.
“Aaaaargh!” The almost humanlike sound of pain echoed above the young wolf.
Desperate to stay alive, he threw himself to the side as the creature’s body fell lifeless to the ground.
Above it, he could hardly believe it.
“Ka-Kair?!” Two pairs of eyes descended upon the young wolf before quickly turning toward the next creature.
How?
But he doesn’t have a lineage.
He shouldn’t even be fighting!
How can he do something that someone like me, with a lineage, can’t?
I’m pathetic!
The dark-furred young wolf’s gaze followed Kair for dozens of meters.
With every creature, a kill.
He aimed for the same spot, and with every death, another wolf became fired up.
The same feelings were exploding among every wolf Kair saved or helped.
Kair hadn’t realized it, but he was already relatively well-known among the wolves ever since the destruction of his city, and the fact that he hadn’t awakened a lineage during the ceremony had only made him more well-known.
Now, everyone was watching someone who should have been less capable than them saving them.
That collective feeling made the wolves begin to move with greater ferocity.
At first, it was barely noticeable, but soon Cassian’s green eyes were analyzing the situation.
Standing above a small mountain of creature corpses, all of them with poisonous fluids dripping from their bodies, the young lion observed the battlefield.
Is he helping more wolves out of instinct?
If I remember correctly, he was raised by them…
That wasn’t even the most impressive part.
It was the feeling that was raising their morale.
Cassian realized they weren’t fighting out of pride, but so they wouldn’t feel inferior.
Because of the feeling that a “wounded” wolf, or perhaps a sick one, was fighting without fear while they weren’t.
Impressive…
If only he had inherited his uncle’s lineage.
He could even become a problem for the lions’ plans and tip the balance further in favor of the Duskfangs.
It’s truly unfortunate for them and fortunate for us.
With a low sigh, Cassian descended the mountain, aiming at the nearest creature.
At an impressive speed, they were cut.
But contrary to what one might have expected, it was only a light touch.
A small scratch.
But it was enough.
That small scratch began to bubble with a disgusting green liquid.
Within seconds, the creature was dead, and another notification appeared in the corner of Cassian’s eyes.
Dozens were eliminated this way, and the balance on Cassian’s side began to tip in favor of the young people from the camp.
On the other side, the wolves opened up more space, while between the two sides of the battlefield, the serpents were the link that maintained the balance.
Almost like a macabre symphony, Cassian’s orders began to make sense, and the entire battlefield started to tilt toward victory.
The turning point came when powerful howls erupted from the rear.
“Rovan!” “The Ironfangs have arrived!” “Please, I beg you!
Tell me our escape route is ready!” “I’ve reached my limit!” The cries echoed among the survivors.
Hope was vivid in their eyes, and so was exhaustion.
Several dozen minutes had passed since the battle began, but even so, Rovan saw hundreds of dead among the young people from the camp.
“Listen!” Cassian nearly roared from atop a small mountain of corpses.
“Take the wounded!
Help the person beside you and prepare to retreat!
Those who can still fight, stay behind!
They’re Common Rank creatures!
We need cover to prevent more deaths!” The command echoed across the battlefield, and the howls of the Ironfangs followed it, almost like thunder.
The pack advanced toward the front line without fear of death, and the survivors began to retreat.
As for Kair…
He was panting.
He had lost count of how many notifications had appeared in the corner of his eyes.
But his satisfaction was obvious.
He had fought back.
The wolves passed by him with slight nods of respect, while others gave him a strange look that Kair couldn’t identify.
A little longer and we’re safe.
Dawn should be starting soon, and we can leave this hell.
“Kair, with me!
You seem to have learned how to kill these creatures more efficiently than I have.
Let’s support their retreat.” Cassian’s voice reached Kair’s ears.
When he turned around, the young lion was drenched in blood.
Several cuts covered his body, and poison dripped from his blades.
He wore a genuine smile of admiration, almost like a faint sense of pride.
Kair nodded and returned the smile.
The massacre continued.
With the Ironfangs fighting alongside Kair and Cassian.
Everything seemed to be going better and better.
The casualties were almost nonexistent, and with every passing minute, more young people managed to escape through the passage.
The Ironfangs are terrifying.
It’s almost as if they’re one being.
One covers the other’s back, some with steel fur, others with claws, even powerful bites.
They’re truly a well-coordinated killing machine.
Kair observed every member of Rovan’s pack.
In his hands, one of those creatures, still dying, slipped between his fingers.
He realized there was no hatred or pain in its death.
It was almost as if, somewhere within the persistent madness in those intelligent eyes, there was something like curiosity and…
Hope?
A dark shiver ran down Kair’s spine.
He finished the creature quickly.
“Good!
We’re retreating now, everyone!
Almost everyone has been evacuated, and we’re exhausted.
Ironfangs, you can lead the way out!” Cassian commanded, and almost as if it were a shared instinct, everyone obeyed him.
They slowly began to retreat.
And Kair could already see the passage between the rocks and the runic circle.
However…
“GRRRR-ROAR!” A familiar roar echoed throughout the cave.
Kair turned around and, as it entered the cave, recognized the creature.
Now, with more light and space, he could see its fur.
The feathers, sharp as scalpels.
And the intelligent, yet insane eyes of the giant spider.
It was the size of a small house and must have weighed hundreds of kilograms.
“Elite!!!”