Chapter 84 One Versus Many
Over the past three years, his territory had suffered rogue attacks more than once—and the frequency had only increased. This was already the second attack this month. Normally, rogue incidents happened once or twice a year, usually when food in the forests ran scarce and desperate rogues crossed borders in search of prey. Smaller, isolated trespasses were common. But full-blown assaults involving large numbers of rogues—those were rare, often happening only once a year.
Yet something had changed.
Zion had noticed a disturbing pattern in these recent attacks. They weren’t random anymore. They felt orchestrated. Intentional.
And that was why, this time, he waited. He observed. He needed to be sure.
And now that he was—he was done holding back.
In a matter of seconds, Zion killed the rogue in front of him with a single, devastating swipe of his paw. His claws tore deep into the wolf’s throat, leaving a gaping, bloody wound. The rogue staggered back, blood pouring freely from the gash—so much that his healing abilities couldn’t keep up.
Instinctively, the wolf shifted back to his human form and collapsed to his knees, clutching at his throat in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. But the wound was too severe. His trachea had been torn open, flesh hanging grotesquely as blood gushed between his fingers like a broken faucet. There was no saving him.
"Ugh—Cough!" the rogue groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body trembled. The other rogues stiffened, clearly shaken by Zion’s sudden, lethal strike. But Zion’s attention wasn’t on the dying man—it was locked on the tattoo inked over the rogue’s chest, just above his heart.
A spider lily intertwined with a crescent moon.