Chapter 381: Unstoppable
However, when it comes to evading pursuit, the Hidden Wolf is a master beyond compare. If it so wishes, it can slip into the shadows at any time and place—no matter how elite the hunter, none could ever track its movements. What’s more, it possesses the uncanny ability to disguise itself as any kind of wolf-type magical beast...
Earlier, Leon had relied entirely on his Mana Harness to catch a faint trace of the Hidden Wolf’s aura amid countless magical fluctuations. Now, that trace had vanished completely. In other words, the Hidden Wolf had likely sensed his tracking and had already blended into the thousands upon thousands of Frostwolves...
Now this was truly headache-inducing...
The Frostwolves before him numbered close to ten thousand. Even with all his strength, it was impossible for Leon to pick out the Hidden Wolf from among them.
But giving up was simply out of the question...
Hidden Wolves were a rare sight indeed...
Legend has it that among billions of wolf-type magical beasts, only one Hidden Wolf will ever be born. This incredibly rare creature is a treasure trove—its blood can serve as the main ingredient for more than seven precious potions, and its pelt, with some processing, makes for a superb cloak of invisibility.
And as for the Hidden Wolf’s Mana Crystal—well, that goes without saying...
The Hidden Wolf’s Mana Crystal is known as the True Gem.
Even ten thousand years ago, the legendary Sky Rank mage of the Northend World, Oliver the Eye of the Heavens, desperately longed for a True Gem. With it, he could have greatly amplified the power of the Eye of the Heavens, truly gaining the ability to pierce through the fog of time...
Unfortunately, Oliver never found one.
He died with that regret still unfulfilled.
Just from this, you can imagine how powerful and rare the Hidden Wolf’s Mana Crystal really is...
And for Leon, the Hidden Wolf’s Mana Crystal holds a special significance: it could become the eighth component of the Doombringer Staff. The True Power innate to the Hidden Wolf’s Mana Crystal could elevate the staff to a whole new realm, and it’s an essential step in forging the staff’s magical artifact incarnation.
In other words, Leon was determined to obtain this Hidden Wolf...
His six Eyes of the Mage became twelve, and his search attempts went from once, to twice, and then to three times...
Nearly every inch of the battlefield had been scoured by Leon...
Nothing. Nothing. Still nothing...
"Damn..." Leon’s head was pounding. This was the Hidden Wolf— even the Eye of the Heavens had yearned to hunt one! If he’d never encountered it, that would be one thing, but to have it right in front of him and still fail to hunt it down? That was just too much to accept...
Was he really going to give up?
Leon still refused to accept defeat. He pushed the number of Eyes of the Mage up to sixteen—his current limit of control. This time, he expanded the search area as far as possible, hoping to find the Hidden Wolf before his mana ran dry.
But just then, Xuban beside him suddenly cried out in alarm, “Sir, look—quickly!”
“...” Leon could have strangled someone right then...
When this is over, the top-tier Flame Spirit needs to have a serious talk with the Dragonblood Orcs. Seriously!
Damn it, at least the sixteen Eyes of the Mage had just been released. If I’d been completely focused on controlling them when the Dragonblood Orc shouted like that, I might’ve been scared half to death!
“Sir, look! Look!” Unfortunately, the Dragonblood Orc had no idea just how close he was to disaster. He kept making a big fuss, pointing off in the distance and urging Leon to look.
“What am I supposed to look at?” Leon sighed, dispersing the sixteen Eyes of the Mage he’d just released, then helplessly followed the direction the Dragonblood Orc was pointing...
And what he saw genuinely startled him...
In the spot the Dragonblood Orc was pointing, a fierce battle was raging—a Frostwolf, as tall as a man, was locked in a heated fight with the Sword Saint...
“The Wolf King!” Leon was startled. That Sword Saint really had some skill—he’d actually managed to flush out the Wolf King.
But...
The Wolf King’s combat prowess was downright terrifying...
From where Leon was standing, he could clearly see the Wolf King’s snow-white body, faintly shimmering with a golden glow. That was the sign of a magical beast breaking through to level thirty. In other words, this Wolf King was almost certainly above level thirty...
Just watching the duel between man and wolf, it was obvious—the Sword Saint might only be at rank one, but his single-handed sword was likely a True Spirit-grade weapon, perfectly suited to his style. His combat ability was at least equivalent to rank three. Yet, against the Wolf King, he hadn’t gained the slightest advantage...
No, no, it wasn’t just that he hadn’t gained an advantage.
Right now, the Wolf King was shielded by its pack. Leon noticed that whenever the Wolf King slipped into the wolves, it would let out a howl and unleash its innate frost magic at the Sword Saint. If the Sword Saint hadn’t been quick enough, he’d have suffered serious losses more than once...
And with wolves surrounding the Sword Saint on all sides—even though most of these Frostwolves were only around level fifteen and couldn’t truly harm him—the constant harassment was maddening. Once or twice, maybe even three or four times, he could endure. But ten, twenty, thirty, forty times? That was enough to drive anyone over the edge...
It wasn’t long before Leon realized that the Sword Saint was losing ground...
In just a few minutes, the Sword Saint had picked up several new wounds. If not for his battle aura shielding him, he might already have fallen beneath the Wolf King’s claws...
“Too reckless...” Leon shook his head. This Sword Saint really was a bit impulsive. To challenge a being of the Wolf King’s caliber without proper preparation—no matter how strong you are, even a Sword Saint could fall.
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If it were me...
I’d definitely come up with a way to lure the Wolf King away from its pack before even thinking about launching a real attack...
But now, it was too late for that. The Sword Saint was being suppressed by the Wolf King, and the fight was getting more and more dangerous.
“Hmm!” Right at that moment, Leon suddenly noticed a gray shadow flicker through the distant wolf pack.
There were still thousands of Frostwolves battling on the field, not to mention the ground littered with corpses and blood—a true scene of carnage. That gray shadow flashed by again, gone in less than a second.
But Leon managed to catch that fleeting moment...
“Charge!” He’d seized the opportunity—there was no way Leon was letting it slip away. He slapped the Dragonblood Orc beside him, and cast two acceleration spells at once. In an instant, their speed was pushed to its limit, and like twin bolts of lightning, they shot into the battlefield below...
The Dragonblood Orc led the way, swinging his weapon with every step, each strike claiming the lives of several Frostwolves. Runes shimmered across his crimson skin. No incantations, no gestures—yet whenever the Dragonblood Orc needed it, the magic inherited from his draconic bloodline would emerge on its own.
With innate strength and gifted spells, the Dragonblood Orc was truly unstoppable...
“Damn it, go where there are fewer Frostwolves...” Leon followed close behind Xuban, never once attacking himself, but casting a steady stream of enhancement spells on Xuban without hesitation.
Still, perhaps it was the momentum built up from all the fighting so far, but after bursting out of the undergrowth, the Dragonblood Orc seemed to head straight for the densest cluster of Frostwolves.
And so, a bizarre scene unfolded on the battlefield...
A dense pack of Frostwolves, a mercenary company on the brink, and a Dragonblood Orc charging around like a headless fly...
At first, the embattled mercenaries didn’t notice these two unexpected arrivals. But as Xuban made two sweeps through the Frostwolf pack, carving a path with sheer force, the mercenaries finally realized the pair’s presence...
What kind of people are mercenaries?
They’re all seasoned veterans, especially those who’ve made it into a top-tier mercenary company. Calling them battle-hardened would be an understatement. Their battlefield instincts are razor-sharp, and once they spotted Leon and Xuban, the quickest among them immediately began closing in on the pair...
Can’t blame them—who wouldn’t want to stick close to someone as fierce as Xuban...
Right now, Xuban was tearing through the Frostwolf pack, utterly unstoppable. His weapon was slick with blood, and the ground beneath him was littered with mangled Frostwolf corpses. With that kind of terrifying combat power, who wouldn’t want to fight alongside him?
So, in just a matter of minutes, dozens of mercenaries had gathered around the Dragonblood Orc—including those three Magi.
For those three Magi, someone as invincible in close combat as Xuban was like a natural shield. With Xuban covering them, they had all the time and space they needed to cast spells, unleashing their true magical power.
And so, a strange scene unfolded.
The mercenary company, which had been on the brink of annihilation, actually managed to turn the tide with the arrival of Xuban and Leon. Xuban led the charge with his blood-soaked weapon, flanked by a dozen greatsword-wielding warriors, while three Magi and a dozen Archmages unleashed spells from behind. Together, they plowed forward like a heavy tank, crushing swathes of Frostwolves beneath their advance...
The problem was, this wasn’t what Leon wanted to see...
What Leon wanted was to catch the Hidden Wolf, not to save some mercenary company...
Watching this unfold, Leon was utterly dumbfounded. Only a Dragonblood Orc could turn looting into saving the world...