Stepping closer to the Alpha wolf's den, Sylvie lifted her head—only to see darkness and a low growl echoing from deep inside the cave. However, she could see its form, a mangy grey coat of fur, and it towered above her in height like a beast of nightmare.
'It must be at least three tres tall,' Sylvie thought with muted fear.
The beast stood on four muscular legs, each ending in claws that curved like jagged blades, intimidating and designed to carve flesh from bone with terrifying ease. Its thick, grey fur clung to the beast's muscular fra in wild and ssy tufts, coarse and matted from the decades of feral living.
Beneath the midafternoon fading sunlight, the silver strands glimred, giving the creature an eerie yet mystical atmosphere.
Its head was angular, with a long, scarred snout, a testant to the countless battles it had endured to survive. Cold, blue eyes glead in the darkness, unblinking and filled with madness towards the elf, facing it with razor-sharp fangs half open, as if prepared to devour her at any mont.
The wolf exhaled, sending plus of frost into the night air, its breath thick with the coppery scent of fresh blood.
"..."
What impressed Sylvie the most, though, was the aura emitting from the beast without taking action. She could feel its sharp claws pressing down on her throat. Slicing through her flesh... a powerful killing intent.
'I can do this... He is watching.' she thought, building courage.
As soon as she finished preparing, the fear faded. The creature remained silent. But Sylvie knew it would strike the mont she lowered her guard. She acted first without wasting her mana and hopped onto a rock—her feet clipping the stone—instantly flinging the sharp shards of ice at the wolf, slicing through the air.
Her proved correct, as the huge wolf suddenly rushed forward, slicing through the air where she stood a second before, digging into the ground with its ravenous maw snapping down at Sylvie on the rock.
"!"
It snapped at her, following up with another slash, its dagger-like claws tearing through her thigh as she snapped her fingertip, desperately forming an ice wall to cut off its attack as the force flung her off the stone.
'Ack! It hurts... Why is it so fast?!'
Temporarily slowed, Sylvie pushed herself off the ground. The rustling of grass and chilling howl echoed as the ice wall shattered, a chilling sensation filling her body while her lips trembled a slight noise coming from them.
Now faced with a giant wolf stalking the dark forest, she beca isolated. Imdiately after, a deafening howl filled the air. Unfocused, she tried to roll to her side, but the agonising pain in her thigh forced her to stop and lean forward. Disoriented, she felt a cold snap behind her as sothing swung over her head.
The wolf missed—barely.
Its body was hovering in mid-air as Sylvie's lips cracked, twisting into a smile as she slapped the ground, currently soaked in water.
'Oh, interesting!' Leonhardt's lips curled into a smile as he noticed the water wasn't natural.
"IMPALE!"
Imdiately after Sylvie scread and touched the water, a fluorescent blue light shimred around her body, as dozens of sharp pillars of ice grew from the ground, impaling the sky with a ferocious speed.
She gritted her teeth, pouring all her mana into her palm, the heat turning her skin pink as it sizzled with pure magic. Her lips trembled, turning blue as her body temperature plumted, with strands of ice streaming through her blood.
The cold, frigid spell she cast froze the ground ten ters around her.
'Did it work?'
She panted, holding the ice shard she used as a distraction in one hand and staring at the ice pillar that impaled the wolf's stomach, causing it to howl in pain. Blood poured from the wounds, turning the ice a crimson colour.
Sylvie's eyes fluttered with a strange light. A peculiar feeling from watching the wolf whimpering, a flicker of ice appeared on her thigh, freezing the wound.
"Well, that... it actually worked..."
The elf muttered in shock, staring at the beast's figure as if expecting it to break free and attack. She had thought the battle would be much harder than this, but she had done it—triumphed against such a powerful monster. It raged and thrashed, but those actions only displaced its organs and made it howl in pain.
Sylvie approached slowly, careful to keep so distance between them just in case the wolf was playing possum.
Excitedly, she touched its abdon, pushing against the thick fur and feeling the hard muscles beneath. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised what this ant—it was at her rcy.
For once in her life, she was the aggressor, as her fingertips tapped the wolf's body, each ti pricking its flesh with a small ice needle, like a child excited to see how far they could go.
The beast felt each prick and yelped, but no matter how much it thrashed and resisted, the spears pierced the wolf's weak spot, with a soft underbelly where its organs were easy to strike at.
"Aha, so that is why you were rolling around on the ground when we first arrived..."
Sylvie looked up and locked eyes with the beast.
"Trying to protect your stomach while growing and acting all tough. Aha."
Sylvie's lips curled into a twisted smile, much like Leonhardt when he stopped acting like a human. A flutter of excitent and a butterfly swam in her stomach as she clenched her hand, allowing the ice inside its body to grow thicker, tearing its flesh apart.
Blood poured down her arm, dripping off the elbow and onto the grass.
She didn't stop there—her mana surged once more, impaling the wolf again, slowly. It howled, yelping in pain. A cold and beautiful sound to Sylvie's ears. Wanting more. She smiled innocently, watching as it struggled, desperately trying to break free, yet, eventually, it could barely twitch its tail in response.
Leonhardt watched this scene in silence. He didn't realise that Sylvie could be corrupted this deeply just from his presence.
Yet his lips curled into a smile the more he watched her vibrant and excited face, frozen teardrops slipped down her face as she finally pierced its heart.
"Amazing."
However, the thod made his eyes shine with pride and wonder.
Sylvie covered her hand with a gauntlet of ice, then gouged the monster's heart with her own hand, crushing it between her fingers.
"Sylvie is scary..."
Asuka muttered while watching from a distance... a young woman stabbing the ruler of beasts constantly with blade and shards of ice.
"No. It is not extre."
Leonhardt replied while licking his lips.
His words caused Asuka's shoulders to shudder. Facing him, she saw only excitent—his eyes glowed like flas while the mana inside him bubbled. A slight smile crept onto her face. Her master was proud. She knew she felt unpleasant about it, but she also felt giddy at the fact that Sylvie had passed the test.
"Good job, Sylvie!"
Asuka clenched her fists and celebrated.
"However, it's not over yet."
"Eh, what do you an?" Asuka asked curiously.
Leonhardt didn't respond but watched as Sylvie's body froze, and she turned around, gazing around the area in shock.
"Filthy mutts!" She shouted, before kicking the huge wolf angrily, before climbing onto its chest, standing atop the dead wolf, her eyes wide and teeth gnashing.
Leonhardt noticed when Sylvie beca lost in a trance, but she seed to have recovered as the pack returned ho at his order, of course. He contacted Nyxara and had her guide the wolves lingering around back to their den so Sylvie could use them to grow even further.
anwhile, Sylvie gazed at the rabid wolves directing their animosity and rage at her, and so she asked herself a simple question.
'Can I do this?'
Reviews
All reviews (0)