Child of Destiny

...

Grr!

The wolf general waiting in front of the Alpha Wolf released a low growl, seemingly giving out orders for its subordinates.

The wolves around it started to spread out, distancing themselves from their general and leaving it alone to block Shin and his group. But they didn't stay idle after that since they systematically moved in opposite directions and created a fan-shaped formation in front of the incoming group.

Shin quickly swept his eyes at their formation and failed to find a gap that they could take advantage of. Their obvious choice was to continue moving forward where the wolf general was standing alone and patiently waiting for them.

But Shin could see through the ploy of the opposing. He studied the formation of the wolves and he was sure that they would be trapped inside their encirclement if they continued moving forward.

The wolf general was obviously baiting while its subordinates were laying a trap that would hold them off the moment when they took the bait.

But there was a problem with this kind of trap. If the bait were tied at the hook with poor technique, the whole formation would instantly crumble.

But at the same time, this could also mean that this particular wolf general was confident with its strength and thought that it was enough to hold the group down despite seeing their battle prowess.

Shin followed his instincts at times like this since he was confident that they would never be wrong. "We are changing our direction slightly. Avoid direct contact with the wolf general until we break through their formation."

He looked at the formation of the wolf for the second time before continuing. "We are breaking through the right side!"

The group moved according to his instructions without any hint of hesitation. They quickly took a turn and changed their course towards the direction that he indicated.

But to their surprise, the wolves also responded. They moved strategically and circle around the group without breaking their earlier formation. They perfectly matched the movements of the group, making them face the wolf general once again.

This move greatly surprise Shin, or to be more exact, completely amazed.

This strategic move confirmed that these wolves had a certain level of AI compared to the ones that they left behind, especially the wolf general. To do such a maneuver, the leader of the pack needed to be familiar with the formation and the reaction of their opponents.

Those small details might look insignificant on the surface, but it was substantial proof that this wolf army was part of a certain militia before.

"A wolf with a strong defense, enough to block a devasting force. A wolf with an absolute strength that boasts to crush its enemies directly. A wolf with a very cunning personality leads a group for assassination purposes."

"And lastly, a wolf with a certain degree of military knowledge and strategical techniques. This sure is amazing."

It might surprise Shin a little but it was only for a brief moment since he immediately recovered himself within an instant.

"On my signal, we will change our course towards our left and crush the formation," he said, instructing everyone.

"We still are going according to our plan. Zero, hold that wolf in place. Arthur, create a path for us," he added as the distance between them and the wolf general continued to shirk.

"Copy, boss~!" replied Arthur in a nonchalant manner while Zero slightly nodded his head.

"Go!"

With that signal, everyone aside from Zero sprung towards their left, running with all they had. Of course, they couldn't run too fast since they had two priests in their group, but they at least had a decent speed that would give them enough time before the wolves could respond.

The wolves would naturally attempt to adjust their formation when they saw the sudden move of the group. Unfortunately, even if their AI were pretty high, they were still a little slower compared to this elite group of players.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Both Zero and Arthur quickly sprinted forward and went to the designated targets given to them.

Roar!

As usual, Arthur, who loved to always be at the center of the spotlight, charged forward in the most stylish way. He quickly initiated a Spirit Possession and fused with one of his Elemental Dragons.

"Vulcan!" with his shout, a Dragonkin enfolded with blazing flames appeared behind him before turning it into a light that fused with his body.

Roar!

Then the armor that Arthur was wearing took a sudden change. From gold, it turned into crimson red color. His shield disappeared while the spear on his hand grew in length. The cape behind him transformed into a pair of dragon wings as his helm turned into a dragon's head.

'Elemental Spirit Fusion: (Infernal Dragon) Lava Walker'

Roar!

Then a blazing flame enfolded his body as he started accelerating forward. The then turned into a flame dragon that opened its mouth widely, flying towards the group of wolves blocking its path.

Seeing that scene, the wolf general immediately spirited at the dragon made of fire, planning to save its subordinates.

Swoosh!

Unfortunately for it, Zero was also making his move.

The moment when the wolf general was in midflight of its charge, it suddenly sensed an immense threat coming from below. It turned its head beneath and saw a swordsman holding his swords on his side parallel with each other while the air around him was being attracted by them.

Hu~!

He spun around and also swung his swords at the same time. His swords were glowing with a jade light, attracting the air from every direction and slowly turning into a gust of wind.

A moment later, the gusts of wind grew larger and started to spin alongside Zero's movements. It didn't take long until it transformed into a huge tornado that pushed the wolf general higher in the air.

'Class Fighting Style: (Origin Skill): Blooming Tempest'

At the same time, the wolves that failed to react in time were pulled by the tornado and also threw them in the air alongside their general.

Grr!

An angry growl came out from the wolf general as it skillfully adjusted its body in the air, and got ready to launch itself towards the directions where Arthur was slaughtering its subordinates.

But right after the tornado disappeared, clearing the line of sight of the wolf general, a flash of light came from the direction slightly away from Arthur.

It briefly attracted the attention of the wolf general and threw a quick glance in that direction.

Swoosh!

But what greeted it was a powerful energy wave, flying straight in its direction.

'Slayer Skill: Eclipse Slash'

Shin threw a skill with great accuracy, delaying the plan that the wolf general had. It was as if he was able to read the mind of that particular wolf.

His actions also buy enough time for Zero to climb that high from the ground. The swordsman used the scattered wolves in the air, pulled by his tornado, as a platform to reach the wolf general.

"That guy sure knows how to make things convenient," Zero was confident that he would be able to stop the wolf general in time even without Shin lending him a hand.

But since he already got the help, he didn't mind changing his plan a little. He also had more than enough time to prepare for a much stronger skill and send this seemingly smartest and most cunning wolf general out of the four further.

Zero sheathed one of his swords and held the other with his hands. He gathered a lot of Wind Elemental Mana in it before swinging it with all he got, it was as if he was swinging a baseball bat.

Bang!

The blade of his sword seemed to collide with a mental wall as it failed to penetrate the fur of the wolf. But Zero was still wearing a calm look on his face since he already expected it to happen. Instead, he put more strength on both of his arms, forcing them to push the wolf general away.

'Self-Created Skill: (Tier 2 Combined) Roar of the Raging Storm'

Boom!

The wolf general was sent flying in the opposite direction where the group was heading. A powerful wind vortex pushed the giant wolf away and made it spin in the air during the process.

Boom!

The wolves on the ground failed to react in time when the wolf general landed on the snowy field. They were either crushed by the giant wolf itself or sent flying in the air due to the powerful impact.

Grr!

The wolf general was furious despite it seemingly unaffected by the previous attacks. It managed to land on the ground on all of these feet.

Awoo~!

Then it howled towards the sky, making the area around it shake violently. Even the wolves that managed to survive the previous fall were trembling with fear.

Swoosh!

But the man, who was responsible for its anger and currently falling from the sky like a meteor, didn't care about the scary pressure that it had.

Boom!

Yet another shockwave made the whole already tremble as Zero's swords and the shadow-like energy field around the wolf general clashed. All of the snow on the ground was even sent flying in the air as a growing crater on the ground was revealed.

The poor wolves in the vicinity were caught in their collision once again. Their sliver of health that was barely holding on was emptied.

Regardless, Zero and the Wolf General didn't pay any attention to them as they were already engaged in a fierce battle.

...