Two Wolves

Two wolves: one in the open, one in the dark.

"How clever could a beast's trickery truly be? It only serves as a laughingstock."

Cecia recalled the classic story 《The Wolves》 from her textbook, but this was indeed how wolf packs hunted large prey.

Cecia had only half her mental power remaining. She adjusted her position, pressing her back firmly against a large tree as she gasped heavily for air.

【Aegis of Light】 consumed far too much energy, but it had saved her life, preventing her slender arms from being snapped by the ravenous wolves.

Feeling the solid trunk behind her, she knew that exposing her back would be exposing her fatal weakness.

The wolf she had crippled was still wailing, its cries dwindling into a whimper that sounded like a leaky, battered bucket.

The unharmed wolf let out low growls, constantly exerting pressure on Cecia and letting out occasional howls.

Cecia couldn't see the missing wolf, but it was clearly lurking as a shadow, waiting for an opportunity.

With both beasts eyeing her like hawks, Cecia decided to take the initiative.

A fireball grew larger and larger in her hands as she gathered her mana.

The fireball roared as it streaked through the air like a meteor, flying straight toward the wolf in the open. The Night Wolf darted and twisted, attempting to merge into the shadows, but the brilliant firelight exposed its form. Flames licked at its fur, constantly tormenting it.

The fire burned.

Before thirty seconds had passed, the wolf reached its limit and pounced at Cecia, aiming straight for her neck.

Cecia decisively coated her hand with 【Aegis of Light】 and thrust her arm forward, letting the wolf bite into it.

The moment the Night Wolf sank its teeth firmly into her arm, she struck with Starhunter in her other hand. The cold scimitar reflected the moonlight as it thrust straight toward the beast's face.

The scimitar sliced through the air, its Sharpness enchantment taking effect in a swift and precise strike!

Yet the Night Wolf didn't budge, letting the scimitar slam into its face. The dull impact failed to crush its corrupted skull. Even when Cecia stabbed the blade into its eye, the wolf pulled her backward without hesitation, trying to drag her away from the tree and expose her back.

It had changed its target—it no longer sought to tear open Cecia's throat itself, but rather to let its companion finish the job.

Damn it!

Such incredible will to fight! No matter how Cecia attacked, the Night Wolf refused to let go.

The wolf kept leaping back and forth. With the distance between them, Cecia couldn't put full force behind her scimitar, nor could she reach its throat.

Once she was pulled away from the tree, the wolf hiding in the dark would surely seize the moment to strike.

Clamping down on Cecia's arm, the Night Wolf continuously dragged her backward, steadily wearing down her 【Aegis of Light】. Their stamina was terrifyingly formidable; if this dragged on, Cecia would inevitably be worn down to death.

She stopped resisting the wolf's tugging and instead forcefully pushed forward.

Cecia could only gamble—gamble that the hidden wolf wouldn't be fast enough to pounce on her exposed back.

Combining the Night Wolf's backward pull with her forward momentum, she tackled the wolf to the ground. As it fell onto its side, Cecia plunged her scimitar directly into its throat.

The scimitar, Starhunter, burst with light and flame. The immense energy instantly tore open the wolf's throat, sending gushes of blood pouring forth.

Cecia had little physical strength left. She chose not to pull out the scimitar, as it was wedged deep in the bone of the wolf's throat, and extracting it would leave her open to attack.

Right at that moment, the lurking Night Wolf pounced, knocking Cecia to the ground.

Black marks of the Abyss crawled across its entire body. With a hideous visage, its strength was a notch above the others!

Damn it, it found an opening after all. Cecia's mana was completely depleted, making it impossible to maintain 【Aegis of Light】.

Her mana was drained, and her spirit was exhausted. Every attempt to channel mana sent sharp, searing pain through her soul.

Cecia gathered her final bit of energy to cast 【Aegis of Light】 offensive-style. Although 【Aegis of Light】 lacked the lingering burn of 【Fireball】, it possessed a powerful impact and a purifying effect.

The burst of light struck the Night Wolf dead-on, repelling the beast while blasting it with purification.

For Abyssal creatures, the purifying effect was twice as lethal as fire. This was why Cecia had chosen to use 【Aegis of Light】 for her attack.

The barrier of light condensed into a brilliant beam, knocking the final Night Wolf straight backward!

Cecia pushed herself up and used every ounce of her strength to rip Starhunter free.

She held it in a reverse grip, blade facing outward along her forearm.

Cecia let out low growls, kicking the corpse of the Night Wolf beside her to intimidate the remaining beast.

Cautious yet greedy, the wolf stared at her, drool dripping from its jaws.

Cecia lowered her center of gravity. If she were tackled to the ground again, she would have no chance to fight back.

The purifying effect was still active, preventing the Night Wolf from vanishing into the shadows. As the purification continuously weakened it, Abyssal marks squirmed across the surface of its skin.

Furthermore, Cecia possessed a rich affinity for light and fire elements.

Every inch of her skin made its teeth itch with desire. It had always been the greediest of the three wolves; otherwise, it would have struck earlier to assist its companion when Cecia was being dragged.

It wanted to savor the feast all to itself. Looking at the girl's tender skin and the intense Abyssal fluctuations surrounding her, its devouring instinct caused saliva to overflow from its jaws.

For a Night Wolf that had absorbed so much Abyssal energy, this would surely be its most exquisite meal.

The Night Wolf finally stopped waiting. If it waited any longer, its own Abyssal power would be completely purified away, stripping it of its advantage.

The girl before it had exhausted both her mana and physical strength.

The Night Wolf launched its attack, showcasing its lithe body, sharp claws, and nimble speed.

Not just its strength, but everything about it had been transformed by the Abyss.

What followed was a bloody brawl. The Night Wolf pounced forward while Cecia dodged cautiously.

Without 【Aegis of Light】, Cecia's defensive capabilities were severely weakened.

This time, Cecia targeted its vulnerable underbelly. Since the creature's attacks consisted of pouncing, slicing open its stomach was her only way to survive.

Gathering its strength, the Night Wolf leapt forward with swift agility, aiming straight for her neck. Cecia held her scimitar horizontally before her, blocking the assault.

Seeing that a frontal attack was futile, the Night Wolf shifted its body in midair, twisting away from the blade. Upon landing, it raised its front paws and lashed out with its sharp claws from below.

It abandoned its prized biting attacks, choosing instead to wear her down with the claws mutated by Abyssal corruption.

Though Cecia had never learned swordsmanship, she could only spin her blade continuously to fend off the Night Wolf's relentless onslaught.

Dragging this out would only drain her remaining stamina to no avail, so Cecia decided to trade wounds with the final wolf.

As it pounced once more, Cecia thrust her slender, unprotected, alabaster hands forward, gripping the hilt tight as she rammed the blade straight into the Night Wolf's underbelly.

She ignored the excruciating pain in her arms and the frenzy of wild claw strikes as the wolf thrashed in desperation.

Her entire body was covered in claw marks left by the Night Wolf.

A chunk of flesh had been torn from her delicate white hand, the wound burning with a searing pain, as if stoked by fire.

But she knew she couldn't stop. She dragged the scimitar through the Night Wolf's underbelly, and its internal organs spilled out like red plastic bags tumbling from a trash can.

Splat, splat.

The Night Wolf lost all power to resist and collapsed limply to the ground.

Reeking of Abyssal corruption, Cecia collapsed to the ground, covered in blood. Beset by a deathbed surge, the dying wolf beside her twitched, attempting to take one last bite.

The small piece of flesh it had just torn off still left an enchanting aroma inside its mouth.

This was the finest meat the Night Wolf had ever tasted in its life.

The final Night Wolf twitched twice more, unable to move as the Abyssal aura slowly dissipated.