Chapter 94 - 88

The moment that all three alphas and their respective packs gathered together, a cold and suffocating tension immediately filled the air. Clearly, even in the face of such disaster, the wolves from the three packs still couldn’t fully trust each other. Of course, it wasn’t as if I couldn’t understand their sentiments. After all, just a few hours ago, these three packs were on each other’s throats so it wasn’t really surprising that they would act as such. Unfortunately, I believe that the situation on our hands took precedence over their petty grudges, so I just wished that they could just set it all aside for now.

From what I could tell, this wall of vines wouldn’t be able to hold back the monster parade for even a minute. Once it fell, a flood of crazed and bloodthirsty monsters would surge in and would bring further chaos among our ranks. Naturally, that would mean that we wouldn’t be able to regroup, which would defeat the purpose of everything that we had done. ​​

'Damn it! We don’t have any time for this crap!' I cursed as my gaze fell upon the Lightning Wolf.

Probably because all three of them are of the same mind, the three alphas howled in unison and all the wolves in the vicinity could do nothing but stand down. As far as I could tell, that howl served as both a command and a warning to anyone that would dare to start a fight, and much to the alphas credit, the wolves began organizing their formation in an orderly manner as if all that hostility from before was just a lie. It was, in my humble opinion, an amazing show of both leadership and dominance.

Since no one dared to question nor disobey their alpha, it only took about ten seconds before we finished organizing our ranks. Though of course, in order for this work, it was essential to assign the right personnel in the right place. So, as planned, the most capable and elite hunters were positioned at the rear along with the Dumb Wolf and me. This was because, in our prediction, the most intense struggle would happen on the rear given that the monster parade would be persistent in chasing us down.

On the other hand, the Tempest Wolf and Lightning Wolf were at the very front because they would serve as the guide all the while keeping track of everyone. Of course, we also didn’t forget to position guards on the side although they weren’t as strong as those who were on the back. Then, at the very center of our formation were the weak, old, and young. Essentially, most wolves on the center were non-combatants but it would also function as a haven for the combatants that would be wounded down the line.

As for the ape, well, we had a hard time debating about his role back then. After all, as much as each of us hated to admit it, we were all aware that the ape was more powerful than any one of us. That was why at first, we thought of putting him in the rear to maximize his combat potential. But upon further deliberation, we ultimately concluded that it would be better to make him our scout.

There were three reasons for this. One, the ape couldn’t possibly replace either the Lightning Wolf or Tempest Wolf as a guide given that he was not only a stranger but also an entirely different species. More than that, unlike the Tempest Wolf and Lightning Wolf who were both known and feared by all the wolves, the ape was technically an unknown and suspicious individual so placing him in such a position might cause some problems down the line. Two, the alphas for some reason still haven’t fully trusted the ape so they were quite hesitant in letting him run rampant on the rear where the battle would be most intense. And lastly, because of the ape’s ability to travel from tree to tree, he was the best candidate to act as a scout given that his ability enables him to move in a high vantage point. Furthermore, because he would travel from tree to tree, the ape wouldn’t have to worry about being caught in any teleportation traps. In a way, he could even spot some traps from above and warn us ahead of time.

'It’s just kind of weird that they assigned me on the rear despite being on the same boat as the ape.' To be honest, I found the three alphas' decision to be quite suspicious. It was as if they had colluded onto something, and I was at the very center of it. 'They can’t possibly know about my real identity, right? I mean, if they did, then they should be aware that I’m too dangerous to be left alive just like what that Dumb Wolf said.'

After about thirty seconds, our formation was finally complete and we were ready to set out. When the ape saw that, he tightened his grip on the staff before letting out an ear-piercing cry.

“GRRAAAAAHHHH!!”

Along with that mighty roar, a bunch of new streaks of lights appeared on the monster’s arms. At the same time, the muscles in his arms expanded, as if giving way to those new streaks of lights. Before I knew it, those numerous streaks of lights flowed through the staff making it glitter with a bright golden light. In the next instant, the light was s.u.c.k.e.d into the ground, and it created a thunderous impact that sent even the ape tumbling on his back.

*KABOOM!!*

With that sound as the start, a plethora of vines shot up from the ground and it further reinforced the wall of vines. But instead of going on a rampage and skewering the monsters on the other side, the vines continued to move upward all the while thickening the wall of vines. Once it all stopped, the vines began to harden from the ground up until the wall transformed into what seemed to be a hardened wall of entangled thorns and roots.

'It turned into dust, huh?' It was the simplest way to summarize what had happened to the staff. 'Does that mean that it couldn’t handle the sheer power of the ape to the point of breaking down, or maybe it was the source of the power and it all had just been used up? Either way, that is a really powerful and convenient ability.'

Even though the ability has some glaring limitations, the fact that it has a very wide area of effect was still nothing to scoff at. After all, I would even bet that the ape alone could put up a decent fight against the monster parade if he used that ability right. It was even more terrifying because it seemed like the ape could control those vines at will and make them appear wherever he liked. In other words, as long as his enemy couldn’t fly, the ape would always have some advantage on the ground.

'Seriously, the ability of that Anties King pales in comparison to this one. Although just like that one, this ability might have some pretty strict restrictions too.' If the Anties King was unable to use his ability without any sand, then it wouldn’t be surprising if the ape’s ability also needed such conditions. For example, he probably wouldn’t be able to use it in an area full of sand, or some solid paved ground. Another thing was that he needed to create a staff, and creating one most likely needed a tree as a material. 'Hmm. Now that I think about it, I wonder why he didn’t carry any staff when they invaded the ant territory? I mean, even though he couldn’t use it to summon some vines, the staff could still function as a weapon…'

It was then when my thoughts were halted by the alphas’ signal to march. At some point, it seemed like the ape had already started his job. On my back, the crazed monsters were banging on the wall, all the while some of them had taken a detour on the side. Furthermore, it seemed like the crazed monster’s efforts were starting to pay off, given that the wall was shaking so hard as if it was about to fall apart.

Probably sensing that, the alphas commanded the wolves to pick up the pace. But since the wolves were already exhausted after pushing their way into this place, some of the weaker ones in the center weren’t able to keep up. And since we couldn’t afford to break our formation, we had no other choice but to match their pace, despite knowing that the enemies were closing in from behind.

Upon seeing that, I couldn’t help but sigh. 'Guess we have no choice but to engage these guys in combat…'