The abyssals’ corrupt acid wasn’t like normal beasts’, it didn’t just melt flesh and bone, but disintegrated the target’s very mana.
A single direct hit and not even the Hunter of Yano could maintain his beast manifested, leaving him vulnerable.
Zhao launched a wave of silver feathers, their deadly precision cutting through the night air. But the salamander was ready, his corrupted body prepared for this moment.
His purple muscles tensed to their maximum, enduring searing pain as he launched forward while his body twisted in unnaturally fluid motions to dodge each projectile by mere millimeters.
‘I have you!’ His throat expanded, preparing the stream of corrupt acid that would end the legendary Hunter.
At this distance there was no way to dodge, all he needed was one direct hit to turn the tide of battle.
Victory was within his grasp.
His jaws opened beyond what should be physically possible.
The purple acid gleamed between his fangs, ready to erase the Hunter from existence, his corrosive power promising a horrible end.
Zhao launched one final wave of silver feathers, but the salamander was ready for this desperate attack. The acid would destroy the feathers without leaving a trace and finish Zhao in the same deadly stream.
He had him! The great Hunter of Yano was finally within reach! Generations in Yino would remember this moment.
The gleam in Zhao’s eyes should have warned him that something was wrong.
“Silent Flight,” Zhao murmured before disappearing like morning mist.
A whistle, not from ahead but from all directions at once. The feathers that the Hunter had been planting during the chase, dozens of them strategically positioned, returned to their master with lethal purpose.
The salamander only had time to comprehend his fatal error before the silver metal pierced it from every possible angle. Its last thought was understanding that Zhao had never been following it… he had been expertly guiding it into a perfectly orchestrated trap.
Its body collapsed, purple blood forming a pool.
“One less,” the Hunter murmured as the last feathers returned to him. His eyes were already fixed on his next prey, calculating their demise.
♢♢♢♢
“It’s over,” Luna gestured and her wolf gave the final pull, tearing through flesh and tendons with savage precision.
The abyssal’s body twisted one last time before collapsing, its multiple legs twitching as life abandoned its corrupted form.
“Who’s too slow?” she whispered, satisfaction evident in her usually cold voice.
“Impressive,” the lynx auxiliary dropped to one knee, the effort taking its toll on his newly closed wounds. “But now return to the shelter.”
“We can keep fighting,” Luna stepped forward, but the auxiliary raised a hand to stop her.
“I know,” he smiled despite the pain radiating through his body. “But your wolf isn’t the only one who can move in the shadows.”
He rose with effort, his claws gleaming again with renewed purpose. Across the hole, the boar master continued maintaining a defensive battle against the fire abyssal, his plates glowing against the corrupt flames.
“Protect your companions,” he ordered while preparing to move. “Leave the rest to us.”
Luna nodded slightly, her wolf returning to her side as the lynx auxiliary launched himself toward the other battle, his speed surprising despite his injuries.
‘Be careful,’ she thought while returning to the shelter. The shadow wolf followed like a second shadow, its eyes gleaming in the darkness with protective intent.
♢♢♢♢
“They won’t come back for a while,” Ren observed the night sky where the last medusas were disappearing toward their cave.
“We have at least an hour before they get bored of following protocol and return to hunt.”
Taro and Min exchanged worried looks. They knew that expression on their friend’s face, he was planning something potentially dangerous.
“Is the illusion no longer necessary?” Luna appeared near the group, her voice cold as always. There was no sign of fatigue in her despite the intense battle she had just fought.
“Not for now,” Ren studied the continuing battle. The auxiliaries were pressing the fire abyssal, but its corrupt flames maintained a defensive perimeter. “I need you all to help the teachers.”
“How?” Min asked, his water snake coiling in anticipation.
“Taro, your beetle can…” Ren began laying out his plan.
“Now you give orders?” Luna’s eyebrow arched slightly, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
“Suggestions,” Ren corrected smoothly. “Taro can endure quite a bit with his beetle to defend them in case of attacks. Min, your snake can weaken the pyromancer’s control from afar, just shoot water at him.”
He turned to Luna, meeting her penetrating gaze. “And your wolf can support the auxiliary master with the hawk…”
“What about you?” she interrupted. It wasn’t a casual question, she had noticed something in his posture.
Ren adjusted the Shadow Stalker skins. “I have an idea, but… it’s complicated to explain.”
“You’re going to do something stupid,” it wasn’t a question. Her shadow wolf manifested briefly, its eyes gleaming with the same intensity as its owner’s.
“Probably,” Ren admitted with a small smile that did nothing to ease their concerns.
Luna studied him for a moment before turning away. “Don’t die. It would be annoying to miss Wei’s expression when you win the bet.”
“Trust me,” Ren smiled while sliding out of the shelter. Coming from Luna, that was practically a declaration of concern. “I just need to verify something.”
The mushrooms in his hair barely pulsed as he slipped out of the hole, leaving his friends with worried but determined expressions. They had work to do.
♢♢♢♢
The mushrooms in Ren’s hair pulsed softly as he followed the trail of purple blood.
The signs of Zhao’s pursuit were everywhere, feather marks in the ground, splashes of abyssal blood, trees damaged by dodged attacks.
‘The professor is impressive,’ he thought while studying the scene. ‘But…’
His eyes stopped on a silver feather that gleamed faintly.
The constant launching and retraction of his weapons, maintaining his Silent Flight technique, the continuous manifestation of his three Silver-rank powers…
All of it required a big amount of mana.
Zhao maintained a perfect facade of control, but Ren could see the subtle signs of exhaustion in the patterns of his most recent attacks.
What worried him most was his own ignorance.
For the first time, the knowledge flowing through his golden mushrooms encountered a void.
The abyssals were creatures beyond his current understanding, there was no information in his shrooms about their weaknesses, their patterns, their limits.
‘If the professor falls…’ the thought made the mushrooms pulse with concern.
Without Zhao, they would be at the mercy of these corrupted creatures.
The auxiliaries were competent, but against more abyssals…
Ren adjusted the bag on his shoulders. He couldn’t stand by with crossed arms waiting for the best.
‘I may not have knowledge of the abyssals,’ he thought while beginning to move in the direction the tracks indicated. ‘But that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything.’