The alpha emerged from the den entrance, flanked by its two betas, with the remaining F-ranks spreading behind them like a dark wave. Despite the daylight streaming down, the massive beast commanded the space with absolute authority. Its amber eyes was fixed on Lira and Jay with that terrible intelligence.
Lira could hear Jay's ragged breathing beside her, noticed how her friend leaned slightly to the left where the alpha's strike had connected. The injury was worse than Jay wanted to admit.
Her own ribs ached with each breath. The high-grade healing potion had done its work, but not completely. She could feel the incomplete fusion, the bones that had knitted but still carried phantom pain. The potion's effects had worn off, leaving her with functional but damaged ribs.
"You think we can take them?" Lira asked quietly.
Jay's response was immediate, though strained. "Do we have a choice?"
The alpha didn't move. It simply sat, majestic and calm, watching them like a king observing insects. The F-ranks spread out on its command, a silent gesture that sent them circling to create a perimeter around Lira and Jay. Every escape route was being cut off.
"It's confident," Jay said, her voice carrying something between respect and anger. "Sacrificing the F-ranks like pawns. Most beasts protect their pack to preserve strength."
Lira understood immediately. "It knows it can rebuild. With its strength's level, that is."
"Arrogant bastard." Jay's hands clenched into fists despite the pain in her ribs.
The four remaining F-ranks stepped forward, their movements were slow but deliberate.
"It wants to tire us," Lira said. "Let the F-ranks, wear us down, then finish us when it's amused."
Jay shifted position, moving so their backs were against each other. "Then we don't give it the satisfaction."
The wolves closed in. Then, without warning, they exploded into motion.
The first beast reached Jay in a blur of fur and crystal spines. The earth responded to her will, rising in a perfect prism that trapped the wolf mid-stride. The second beast charged straight into earth spears that manifested without warning, the weapons impaling it through the chest and head.
The earth prism began shrinking, the stone walls closed inward with unstoppable force. The trapped wolf thrashed desperately, but the prison only tightened. Bones cracked as the beast's howl was cut short as the pressure became overwhelming.
Behind her, Lira had already drawn her bow as the wolves started moving. Two condensed aether arrows formed on the string, shimmering silver with compressed energy.
The first arrow caught the charging wolf in the leg, the second struck its head a fraction of a second later. The beast tumbled from its own momentum, brain matter already leaking from the skull wound before its body stopped rolling.
The last wolf was too close.
Lira didn't panic. She coated her bow in aether, the weapon glowed with silver energy, and she swung it like a club. The reinforced edge caught the beast in the jaw with a crack that echoed across the clearing. The wolf's head snapped sideways, stunning it.
Before it could recover, Lira had already drawn the string. Two aether arrows formed at point-blank range.
BOOM.
The impact was devastating. Brain matter, skull fragments, and blood sprayed outward in a grotesque fan. The wolf collapsed, its head barely recognizable.
Lira turned, breathing hard, to check on Jay. Her friend stood among two corpses, with earth still coating her fists.
"Nice work," Jay said.
Then Lira noticed.
The betas had moved. They stood behind Lira and Jay now, cutting off the retreat route they'd been considering. The alpha remained in front, perfectly positioned to prevent any escape toward the open zone.
They were boxed in.
"Can you take the alpha?" Lira asked, their backs still pressed together.
Jay grinned despite their situation, the expression wild and slightly unhinged. "Can I? I'm itching to obliterate this bastard."
"Good. I'll take the betas." Lira paused. "Be careful."
"You too."
They broke apart.
Lira had already pulled her bow, taking aim at the betas before she'd finished speaking. Four aether arrows formed on the string. She released two at each beta in quick succession.
The beasts didn't stand idle. Both dodged with ease and immediately charged, responding to Lira's initiated aggression.
In a fraction of a second, they covered the distance. The first beta raised its massive paw to strike, with its claws extended, aiming to split Lira's skull.
Lira had coated her feet in aether the moment she'd shot. The speed boost activated, her body responded with enhanced reflexes. But even with the boost, the betas were faster.
The first paw missed the bridge of her nose by centimeters as she bent backward, her spine arching impossibly. But the second beast was already there, its paw and unretracted claws threatening to slice her head clean off.
Time seemed to slow. Lira was still bent backward, her face turned toward the sky, watching the massive claws descend. She didn't panic. Her hands found the ground as she dropped fully into a handstand, the claws missed and struck the earth where her head had been.
CRACK
The floor shattered under the beast's impact, sending fragments of stone spinning through the air.
Lira pushed off, flipping backward and landing ten meters away. Both beasts didn't give her breathing room. They charged immediately, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
She made a decision and ran.
Moving away from the den, deeper into the forest. She jumped, catching a branch seventeen meters up a massive tree, pulling herself into the canopy.
The betas followed, smashing through vegetation with no regard for damage. Trees splintered under their assault as they pursued.
...
Unlike the heated battle on Lira's side, Jay and the alpha wolf stood ten meters apart, staring at each other in silence.
"You know," Jay finally said, pausing before continuing, "I thought you used your claws when you struck us. But noticing we're still alive, you didn't."
The alpha's amber eyes tracked her without blinking.
"I should appreciate you though. A sneak attack with claws like yours would have split us in half." She snorted. "Especially Lira."
"But it really annoys me that you aren't taking me serious. I'm strong enough to end you, you know?" Visible irritation crossed Jay's face.
"Underestimating your enemy is one way to fall from grace," she continued, despite knowing this beast didn't understand her vocabulary.
The alpha rose suddenly, standing on all fours. It towered over Jay, easily seven meters tall. Then it extended its claws. The gesture was deliberate, almost ceremonial. It still didn't attack.
Jay grinned at its actions, appreciating the attention. "Let's do this."
...
Lira hopped from tree to tree as the beasts chased below, bashing into trunks and destroying them with no effort. They'd gone quite a distance from where Jay and the alpha stood.
She notched four arrows on her bow, enhancing and coating them with aether. She twisted mid-leap and released.
The first beast dodged the arrows with ease. But as they passed, they curved mid-air, striking it in the back with sharp impacts. The blows didn't slow its stride.
The second beast took the hits head-on, charging through with sheer force and determination.
Lira had to up her game. She dropped from the trees, the sudden movement startled the charging beasts. Seven arrows formed on her string this time, all targeting a single beta.
She released.
Upon contact, multiple explosions erupted. The concentrated assault sent the beast tumbling from impact, force, and momentum combined.
The second beast halted, processing what it had just witnessed. Lira shot four arrows at it immediately. It dodged desperately, having seen what those projectiles did to its companion.
The beast continued its stride, thinking it had escaped. But it was wrong.
The arrows curved back through the air, striking and exploding on impact. Though it didn't go tumbling like its mate, the force was enough to stun it completely.
Lira stood sweating lightly from what she'd just done. Both beasts started coming to their senses. But when they recovered, they noticed something strange. They felt heavy. Slow. Like their bodies were slightly foreign.
Lira had used a skill called Pulse Release. It worked on impact, releasing aether pulses into the target's body. The effects were concussive knockback and internal disruption of aether flow, which made their own energy feel foreign and difficult to control.
She clenched her right side as it ached, but she couldn't afford to rest. Not with two beta wolves in front of her. She had only five arrows left in her quiver.
...
Jay hadn't engaged the alpha yet. Both stood at a standstill, each waiting for the other to commit. Jay was tense, but the alpha was calm, relaxed, and confident.
Jay coated her fists and feet in earth and aether, preparing to engage.
She moved suddenly, the ground beneath her feet exploding from the force. She charged at the wolf, closing the distance in a blur.
The alpha shifted its weight slightly to the right, barely dodging Jay's charge with minimal effort.
Jay paused mid-stride, creating skid marks across the floor. But she wasn't done. She suddenly phased into the earth, her body disappearing completely.
The calm beast was startled. It jumped several meters from its previous spot as Jay shot out from where it had been standing.
Several earth spikes rose in waves, trying to stab the beast from its right side. It dodged quickly, moving sideways to the left with agility.
Suddenly, giant earth hands rose from the ground, wrapping around its legs and restraining it completely. The beast was startled, having never expected this tactic.
Jay was already over it, fist drawn back, aiming to crush its skull.
The alpha vibrated, the motion was so rapid it was almost invisible. It yanked itself free from the trap and moved backward.
BOOM
Jay's fist smashed the earth where the alpha had been a moment ago, shattering it into pieces. Fragments sprayed outward from the impact crater.
"Nice reflexes. I'll give you that." Jay grasped her left ribcage, coating it in earth. She was feeling a stinging pain from the earlier strike.
Before Jay could move, the alpha moved first, surprising her. Its agility was no joke. It appeared to have teleported, suddenly beside her right side with raised paw aiming to strike her ribs.
The beast was too fast for Jay to counter directly. But she was smart enough to act quickly. She sank into the ground as the massive paw struck where she'd been.
She countered immediately while still in the earth. Multiple earth spikes rose, aiming to impale the alpha from below.
The alpha jumped backward to dodge, but Jay appeared from the ground right beside where it landed. She struck with both fists.
BAM
The beast didn't go tumbling, but the impact was jarring. The earth beneath the beast shattered, the force transferred through its implanted claws.
The alpha snapped at Jay, aiming to bite, but caught only air. Jay had phased into the earth once more.
She appeared on its other side, repeating the same action.
BAM
The beast moved a few meters from its spot. It growled for the first time, the sound made Jay grin harder. She was enjoying this.
...
The betas charged at Lira, but she didn't pull her bowstring. Instead, she clipped the bow back on her waist.
Lira coated her fists and feet in aether, preparing to engage the beasts in hand-to-hand combat.
The first beta to reach her widened its jaw, threatening to bite her head off. The beast that had been fast initially felt slower due to Pulse Release's lingering effect.
Lira shifted her body weight to the left, dodging the bite and countering immediately with a punch that made the beast's head jitter. But just as the beast tried to snap back at her, it felt a mini explosion where Lira had struck it, the delayed Pulse Release jarred its head sideways.
The second beast clawed at Lira, but she merely dodged, counter-hitting it in the chest with enhanced force.
Their fight continued for several minutes, Lira steadily gaining ground as the beasts began to slow noticeably. Their defense was still high, but they were now on par with F-ranks in terms of speed.
...
The alpha dodged Jay's earth spear and slashed into the air. The wind pressure was so dense it grazed the surface of Jay's earth-coated fists as she raised them in an X-shape to defend herself.
The beast closed the distance instantly, its jaw widened, with fangs aiming to snap Jay's head clean off.
SNAP
The alpha bit down on empty air. Jay had sunk into the ground once again. She appeared ten meters from the beast and manifested multiple earth projectiles. Bullets, spheres, spikes, spears, all hovering in formation around her.
The wolf ran sideways, dodging Jay's projectiles as it tried to close the distance. But the barrage made progress difficult. It made a bold decision to take the projectiles head-on, charging through the assault.
That was a mistake.
The projectiles exploded on impact. They weren't lethal, couldn't even graze its dense hide, but they blinded it. The beast was forced to stop mid-track, unable to see clearly.
Jay took the opportunity, continuing to shoot projectiles and explode them upon contact while closing the distance.
When she reached three meters from the beast, she placed both hands on the earth. It responded to her intent immediately.
The previously solid, hard ground started liquefying into mud. As it transformed, the wolf began to get submerged. It couldn't counter effectively due to the projectiles and explosions still disorienting it.
When almost half of its body was submerged, the beast howled in anger. But it was still sinking.
Multiple earth hands rose from the ground, pulling the beast deeper. They caged it, dragging it down relentlessly.
"I call this 'Gaea's Verdict,'" Jay said, laughing out loud like someone who'd discovered the secret of immortality.
Suddenly, one of the betas appeared right beside Jay, aiming to bite her neck.
Three arrows came down, striking and exploding upon impact. The force stunned the beast just in time.
Jay countered, raising multiple earth spikes that impaled it from all angles.
...
Earlier, while Jay was engaged with the alpha, Lira had been busy dealing with the betas. But there was a problem: their defense.
Lira pulled one of the arrows from her quiver, coating it in aether, and stabbed the beta aiming for her head directly in the eye. The beast howled with pain, but Lira wasn't done. She pulled another arrow, coating it, and forced it into the beast's throat. There was resistance, but she pushed with all her strength.
That was when they all heard the enraged alpha howl. The beta that was free ran back to its alpha.
But the beta that Lira held tight, the one she was stabbing repeatedly, acted in spite and rage. It struck her in the stomach, its claws scratching her leather armor. The force sent her skidding across the floor.
The beast forced itself upon Lira, biting blindly, trying to eat her head off.
Lira wriggled desperately, dodging its bites. She struck the arrow deeper into its eye. The beast howled in great pain, but Lira wasn't finished.
She pulled the arrow down its face, tearing through the eye socket, and her other hand found the arrow lodged in its neck. She gripped it tightly, then pulled and sawed until she finally killed it.
Lira was covered in the beta's blood. She wanted to rest, but couldn't. Jay could be in danger.
She ran after the remaining beta.
By the time Lira reached the den area, she saw it. The submerged alpha, Jay standing over it, and the beta charging her friend.
Lira made a split-second decision. She took the bow from her waist and pulled her last three arrows.
She took aim, coated the arrows in aether, and released.
The arrows struck their target just before Jay finished it.
...
Now.
Lira was already near Jay and the struggling, submerged alpha. The beast's head was down, only its snout and eyes were barely above the earth.
"You love what you see?" Jay asked the approaching Lira as she continued to gesture toward the wolf.
"You managed to take it down."
"Well, it's not down yet. But the greatest earth user, Jay, has used her skills to slay this proud beast."
"Yeah, yeah. Can you end it now?" Lira asked.
"I am, though. I'm crushing it from all sides and suffocating it." Jay grinned.
"You need help, Jay."
Jay suddenly wrapped herself around Lira, caressing her chest. "The only person that needs help is you with a flat chest."
Lira sighed. "Haha. Funny, Jay."
"Let's harvest all the beasts and head home," Jay said.
"After a little rest," Lira replied.
After some rest, both women went to harvest all the crystals. They collected fifty-seven in total, including three betas and an alpha. The work was exhausting but satisfying.
When they finally finished, the sun had begun its descent. They mounted the hover-bike.
They started the journey back to the enclave, leaving the den and its carnage behind them.