The howl echoed through Valtara.
“AWOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
The sound rolled over the arena walls and into every street of the kingdom.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
The outer wall exploded inward.
Stone flew through the air.
People screamed.
Several enormous Abyss Wolves leaped over the broken wall, landing inside the city with enough force to crack the road beneath their feet.
Their eyes glowed red.
Their claws scraped against the stone.
And behind them—
More wolves appeared.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
The Valtara generals immediately drew their weapons.
“EVERYONE OUT OF THE ARENA!”
Their voices thundered across the city.
“PROTECT THE CIVILIANS!”
Warriors rushed into formation.
Kaelion spread his sapphire wings.
Jarek summoned an iron shield in one hand and a sword in the other.
Ryuzen stood silently.
His eyes moved across the wolves.
Something was wrong.
They weren’t acting like ordinary beasts.
They weren’t attacking randomly.
They were moving together.
One wolf charged toward a group of civilians.
A Valtara warrior stepped in front of it.
BOOOOM!
His shield collided with the wolf’s claws.
The warrior was pushed backward.
Two more warriors joined him.
“PUSH!”
CLANG!
Three weapons struck the wolf.
The creature staggered.
Another warrior rushed in.
BAM!
The wolf finally fell.
But before anyone could celebrate—
Five more wolves jumped over it.
“MORE!”
The soldiers raised their weapons.
The battle had begun.
The Generals Take Command
The Valtara generals were not ordinary warriors.
They had spent decades defending the kingdom.
One general raised his sword.
“FORMATION THREE!”
Warriors immediately moved.
Some protected the streets.
Others protected the civilians.
The strongest warriors formed a defensive line.
Kaelion flew above them.
“THEY’RE COMING FROM THE EAST!”
Jarek looked toward him.
“How many?”
Kaelion’s eyes widened.
“Too many!”
A giant wolf jumped toward him.
Kaelion twisted in the air.
The creature’s claws missed.
Kaelion folded his sapphire wings and dropped.
BOOOOOOM!
His knee struck the wolf’s back.
It crashed into the street.
Kaelion landed.
“That’s one.”
Another wolf attacked from behind.
Jarek’s iron shield appeared instantly.
CLANG!
The claws slammed into it.
Jarek grinned.
“My turn.”
His shield disappeared.
A massive iron hammer appeared in his hand.
WHAM!
The wolf was sent flying.
Kaelion laughed.
“Nice!”
Jarek looked at him.
“Focus.”
Kaelion smiled.
“I’m focused.”
Then three wolves attacked him at once.
Kaelion’s smile disappeared.
“Oh.”
Ryuzen slowly reached for his weighted whip from his back.
SHING!
Blue thunder crawled along the whip
Then Eldran stepped forward.
His expression was unusually serious.
“Ryuzen.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“What is it?”
Eldran pointed toward the wolves.
“Look carefully.”
Ryuzen watched.
The wolves weren’t moving randomly.
One group moved toward the western street.
Another group moved toward the northern gate.
A third group waited.
They were surrounding Valtara.
Eldran’s eyes narrowed.
“They’re being controlled.”
Ryuzen’s expression changed.
“Controlled?”
“Yes.”
Eldran looked toward the forest.
“Something is directing them.”
A wolf suddenly charged toward a group of civilians.
Ryuzen disappeared.
BOOOOOOM!
Blue thunder exploded beneath his feet.
He launched himself into the air.
The wolf jumped.
Ryuzen twisted sideways.
Its enormous jaws snapped shut beneath him.
CLACK!
He grabbed his whip.
WHAAAAAP!
The whip wrapped around a nearby tower.
Ryuzen swung around it.
The wolf turned to follow him.
Ryuzen released the whip.
He flew directly toward the creature.
His fist became covered in blue thunder.
KRAAAAM!
His fist struck the wolf’s head.
The beast crashed into the ground.
The civilians escaped.
Eldran watched him.
Then he spoke.
“Stall them.”
Ryuzen looked back.
Eldran’s eyes were already focused on the forest.
“They’re being controlled. I will go find the mastermind.”
Ryuzen understood.
“How long?”
“As long as you can.”
Eldran tightened his grip on his staff.
“If I find the one controlling them, the wolves may stop.”
Ryuzen nodded.
“Go.”
Eldran disappeared into the distance at extreme speed.
He didn’t teleport.
He simply moved so quickly that his body became a blur.
Ryuzen watched him leave.
Then turned back toward the wolves.
He smiled faintly.
“Alright.”
Blue thunder surrounded his body.
“I’ll stall them.”
The Valtara generals immediately took command. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“FIRST FORMATION!”
Warriors moved.
“SECOND FORMATION!”
More warriors rushed toward the eastern streets.
“KEEP THE WOLVES AWAY FROM THE CIVILIANS!”
The kingdom erupted into battle.
BOOM!
A warrior struck an Abyss Wolf with a massive axe.
CLANG!
Another blocked its claws.
Three warriors attacked together.
The wolf staggered.
But then five more wolves appeared.
“More!”
“Don’t let them break the line!”
Kaelion flew above the battlefield.
His sapphire wings released a powerful blast.
BOOOOOOM!
Several wolves were thrown backward.
He looked toward Jarek.
“Jarek!”
Jarek was already fighting.
His Endless Iron Forge created a massive shield.
CLANG!
A wolf’s claws slammed into it.
Jarek immediately replaced the shield with a spear.
SHING!
He drove the spear into the ground.
A wave of iron spikes erupted upward.
The wolves jumped away.
Kaelion grinned.
“Nice!”
Jarek looked up.
“Focus!”
Kaelion laughed.
“I am!”
A wolf suddenly jumped behind him.
Jarek’s eyes widened.
“KAELION!”
Kaelion turned.
The wolf was already there.
BOOM!
Jarek created an iron shield between them.
The claws slammed into it.
Kaelion stared.
“Thanks.”
Jarek smirked.
“Watch your back.”
Kaelion spread his wings.
“Got it.”
He shot upward.
The generals and warriors attacked from every direction.
The Abyss Wolves were enormous.
Each one was several times larger than an ordinary wolf.
Their claws smashed through stone.
Their jaws could swallow a person whole.
But Valtara was a kingdom of warriors.
They refused to retreat.
“PUSH THEM BACK!”
“KEEP MOVING!”
“DON’T LET THEM SURROUND US!”
The battle continued.
One wolf lunged toward a group of civilians.
A general intercepted it.
CLANG!
His weapon struck the wolf’s claws.
The impact sent him sliding backward.
“GHH!”
Two more warriors joined him.
“NOW!”
They attacked together.
The wolf roared.
Another group attacked from behind.
Slowly…
The wolves began moving backward.
Street by street.
Block by block.
The warriors forced them toward the outer edge of Valtara.
Kaelion flew overhead, sapphire energy exploding from his wings.
“LEFT!”
Jarek immediately turned.
A wolf’s claw missed his head by inches.
“Thanks!”
“Don’t thank me! Hit it!”
Jarek created three massive spears.
SHING!
SHING!
SHING!
He launched them.
The spears struck the wolf’s chest and forced it backward.
Kaelion dived.
BOOM!
His sapphire claws slammed into its shoulder.
The wolf staggered.
“KEEP GOING!”
The generals pushed forward.
The warriors screamed.
Every attack drove the Abyss Wolves farther away.
Finally—
BOOOOOOM!
The last giant wolf was forced beyond the city walls.
The warriors stood there breathing heavily.
Silence.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then someone dropped their weapon.
CLANG.
Another warrior fell onto one knee.
“I’m… exhausted.”
A general wiped blood and sweat from his forehead.
“Everyone… hold the line.”
His voice was barely strong enough to carry.
The wolves stood outside the city.
They growled.
Their red eyes stared toward Valtara.
They hadn’t been defeated.
They had only been pushed back.
Kaelion landed heavily.
His sapphire wings disappeared.
He was breathing hard.
Jarek leaned against one of his iron weapons.
“Those things are monsters.”
Kaelion looked toward the wolves.
“They’re not normal.”
Jarek nodded.
Ryuzen looked toward the wolves.
His hand slowly moved toward the Life Contract sword at his waist.
Then he looked around.
The generals were exhausted.
The warriors were exhausted.
Some could barely stand.
Others were treating their injuries.
Kaelion’s breathing was heavy.
Jarek’s arms were trembling from continuously creating weapons.
Ryuzen understood.
If the wolves attacked again now…
Valtara couldn’t fight them for long.
Ryuzen stepped forward.
Kaelion looked at him.
“Ryuzen?”
Ryuzen walked past him.
“Where are you going?”
Ryuzen didn’t answer.
He reached the edge of the city.
The warriors watched him.
He looked back at Valtara.
Then at the exhausted warriors.
Then at Kaelion.
Then Jarek.
Then Lyra.
Lyra stood farther behind them.
She had been fighting earlier too.
Her Moon Wolf energy was still faintly visible around her body.
“Ryuzen…”
Ryuzen raised his hand.
Blue thunder exploded from his body.
KRAK-KOOOOOOM!
Everyone looked up.
Lightning shot from the ground.
It raced around the entire city.
One pillar.
Then another.
Then another.
Blue thunder connected them.
A massive dome of lightning began forming.
Kaelion’s eyes widened.
“What is he doing?”
Jarek stared.
“Wait…”
The Thunder Barrier continued expanding.
BOOOOOOM!
It completely surrounded Valtara.
The entire city was now enclosed.
The wolves threw themselves at the barrier, claws and fang slashing, howling In rage, desperate to break through but it didn’t even crack
Ryuzen realized something.
The wolves were too large to fight comfortably on the ground.
If he stayed there, they could surround him.
So he changed his strategy.
Blue thunder gathered beneath his feet.
KRRRRZZZT!
Ryuzen jumped.
BOOOOOOM!
He launched into the sky.
The warriors below looked up.
One wolf jumped after him.
Ryuzen twisted.
The wolf’s claws passed beneath him.
Another wolf leaped from a nearby building.
Ryuzen saw it.
He grabbed his whip.
WHAAAAAP!
The whip wrapped around the wolf’s neck.
Ryuzen pulled himself toward it.
He landed on its back.
The wolf shook violently.
Ryuzen nearly fell.
“Whoa!”
The creature jumped.
Ryuzen jumped with it.
He used thunder beneath his feet.
BOOM!
He shot higher.
The wolf fell beneath him.
Ryuzen spun in the air.
He pointed his sword downward.
“Thunder Strike!”
KRAAAAA-BOOM!
A bolt of blue thunder slammed into the wolf.
The creature crashed into the ground.
The warriors stared.
One of the generals whispered:
“He’s fighting them in the air.”
Another nodded.
“Those beasts are too large. He’s using their size against them.”
The Battle Intensifies
The wolves became faster.
Ryuzen began moving constantly.
He jumped from the ground.
Shot into the sky.
Used the whip to change direction.
Released it.
Spun.
Struck.
Then dropped again.
BOOM!
One wolf attacked.
Ryuzen blocked.
CLANG!
Another came.
He kicked it.
BAM!
A third opened its jaws.
Ryuzen threw his whip inside the mouth.
WHAP!
He pulled himself forward.
The wolf tried to shake him off.
Ryuzen climbed onto its head.
Then drove his sword into the air beside its neck.
He didn’t want to kill it unnecessarily.
Instead, thunder exploded through the blade.
KRAAA-BOOM!
The wolf was knocked unconscious.
Ryuzen jumped away.
Another wolf attacked immediately.
“LEFT!” Jarek shouted.
Ryuzen turned.
A claw came toward him.
He blocked.
CLANG!
“RIGHT!” Kaelion shouted.
Ryuzen ducked.
Another wolf passed over him.
“BEHIND YOU!” Lyra screamed.
Ryuzen twisted.
He saw a massive wolf.
He smiled.
“I’ve got it.”
He swung his whip.
WHAAAAAP!
The whip wrapped around the wolf’s front leg.
Ryuzen pulled.
The wolf lost balance.
Ryuzen launched himself upward.
BOOOOOOM!
He drove both feet into its chest.
The beast fell.
Ryuzen continued rising.
For a moment, he was high above the battlefield.
Below him were hundreds of wolves.
Behind him was Valtara.
The entire kingdom was protected by the blue barrier.
And inside it…
Thousands of people were watching him.
Ryuzen looked down.
Then his eyes sharpened.
“Let’s finish this wave.”
He raised his sword.
Blue thunder gathered around him.
KRRRRRRZZZZT!
The sky darkened.
Lightning spread through the clouds.
Lyra stared.
“Ryuzen…”
Kaelion smiled.
“He’s about to do something big.”
Jarek raised his head.
Ryuzen brought the sword down.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive wave of thunder descended.
The wolves were thro wn backward.
The ground shook.
The forest lit up blue.
When the light disappeared, dozens of wolves lay scattered across the battlefield.
The warriors inside Valtara erupted.
“RYUZEN!”
“BLUE THUNDER!”
“KEEP GOING!”
Lyra’s eyes shone.
She raised both fists.
“RYUZEN! YOU CAN DO IT!”
Ryuzen looked toward her.
For a moment, he smiled.
Then another growl came from the forest.
Ryuzen turned.
More red eyes appeared.
His smile disappeared.
“More…”