Chapter 216: Fighting the Monsters
The moment I gave the command, the infernal wolf vanished, leaving me holding empty air. The monsters stopped in surprise, surveying the forest with wary gazes. When they failed to find it, they refocused their black eyes on me and raised their claws. All of a sudden, the Aegis felt fragile, and I shivered, clutching my staff.
A terrifying scream tore through the air, and the monster closest to me flew through the air, thick arcs of black blood trailing after it. It slammed into a tree several dozen feet away, embedding itself deep into the splintered trunk. It screeched in pain and clawed at the gaping hole in its chest, but was helpless to stem the flow of blood. After a few seconds, its eyes dulled and its arms fell limply to the ground.
A golden blur streaked through the clearing, landing atop another monster. I caught a glimpse of the wolf raking and tearing through its hulking body before it dropped to its knee, head torn free from its body.
The air filled with furious screeches, and the monsters charged forward, slashing their claws at the wolf. It leaped into the air and soared high into the air, disappearing as it crossed the starry sky. A moment later, it pounced from a tree, bringing another ape-like monster down.
I stood amid the chaos, forgotten in the storm of teeth, claws, and very angry wolf. The wolf fought without honor or mercy, slowly whittling their numbers with ambushes. It wasn’t actually much stronger than the monsters, only faster, but used that advantage to its full potential. The lumbering monsters were clumsy in comparison, reacting only after one of their kind was dead, swinging claws at after-images and shadows.
It happened suddenly. The Infernal Wolf made to strike one of the remaining monsters, but whether through chance or overconfidence, it missed the kill. The monster screeched in pain as the wolf tore through its chest, searching for its black beating heart, somehow managing to fend off death just long enough to wrap its swarthy arms around the wolf.
The others reacted instantly, charging toward the pinned wolf. Their scythe-like claws whistled viciously through the air, releasing powerful wind blades in their wake. The wolf could have withstood any single one of them, but combined, they held enough power to threaten even a beginning-stage fifth-level creature. Where the wolf excelled in speed, it lacked in defense, forgoing armor and magical reinforcement for powerful legs.
It snapped at the monster holding it down, finally tearing one of its arms off, but by that time, the others arrived. Powerful claws slammed into its body from all directions, seeking to tear fur, muscle, and bone asunder.
The Aegis flashed the moment the first claw connected, appearing around the wolf. Clouds of sparks erupted outward as the attacks scatted off the barrier, denied access to the vulnerable flesh beneath. The golden shield cracked and shook, but held the monsters at bay until the wolf squirmed free.