33. End of the Hunt

Nyx struggled to stay airborne after having been blasted away by the tempest. Gantt who she was helping had already been dropped off in the forest below.

She flapped her shadow wings to go up again and see what Aquila was doing. If she was willing to, she had the choice to pin the Divine Eagle down at the cost of a huge chunk of mana that would probably leave her incapacitated for a while.

But before she could make a decision, her eyes widened in shock as she spotted something falling from the sky, heading straight toward Aquila. She briefly recognized the two wolf tails before the figure crashed on Aquila, creating a crater and raising a cloud of dust.

Leis leaned on his sword to stand up along with the help of his gang and also witnessed the event with wide eyes. Allan groaned not far from him as he rubbed his head in pain.

Then, they heard the sounds of a chain coming from within the dust cloud and a second later, two azure small scythes shot out and landed on both sides of Aquila, stabbing the ground.

“You?!” It was followed by Aquila’s incredulous shout and the clearing of the dust after a wave of his wings. Everyone’s attention was instantly grabbed by the being on the eagle’s back.

It stood at least three meters tall with fur black as the night with a significantly longer portion on the back of its neck, similar to a mane. Its eyes seemed to be something out of a fairy tale, looking like a glowing red black hole. While on its rear legs, the muscles of the beast were easily noticeable, borderline bulging.

But what they primarily focused on was the ear-breaking grin the beast was displaying as well as the blue-colored chain of a Kusarigama that was constraining the eagle’s neck.

“What are you waiting for?!” The humanoid wolf roared. “Move your asses and pull on the chains!”

That voice was utterly unrecognizable for all of them and the tone was even more so. But that weapon couldn’t be a coincidence.

Leis was the first one to recover. “Quick! Separate into two groups and make sure those scythes stay where they are!”

The Wing Walkers got into action and Aquila groaned. His mana flared up but his concentration was shattered by the appearance of an albino snake who suddenly bit his eye, blinding it.

A blue venom infiltrated his system and it got dangerously close to reaching his brain before it was stopped by his mana. He let out another whistle-like cry before chanting his magic a second time, “[TEMPEST!]”

The werewolf on his back fell off surprisingly easily while the snake consciously decided to ride the winds to move back. On the other hand, the people who had grabbed the chain in time used it to not get blown away, which backfired on Aquila as the chain around his neck tightened.

He grunted and lifted his claw before stomping on the ground, casting another magic, “[Quake!]”

The ground started shaking and more than one person lost their footing and let go. Aquila tried to exploit that opening to get away and deployed his wings. “Atzpul!”

When he activated his skill, an unnatural wind was generated below him and made him take off with only one flap of his wings. The Wing Walkers were about to get dragged along when another voice joined the battle, “[Iron Maiden!]”

Nyx glided over and raised a hand to the sky. Two shadow constructs shaped exactly like Aquila’s wings appeared before growing spikes under it. Nyx dismissed the System prompt telling her of the creation of a skill and brought her hand down.

Aquila let out a cry stronger than the ones before as his wings got pierced by countless spikes but even then, he refused to completely fall back on the ground.

“Throw the grenades!” Leis ordered and the remaining explosives were thrown. They exploded above Aquila who was momentarily slowed down by the shockwaves of the explosions. But he still had enough force to get away. That is until another force suddenly weighed him down.

His golden eye darted to find the source and quickly spotted Flavia in the distance. “[A-Anchor!]”

He almost failed to chant because of the pain and Flavia instantly felt like she was carrying tons on her back. She collapsed on her knees but in a show of stubbornness, she maintained her telekinesis, and Aquila’s take-off was ultimately canceled.

In a moment of absolute frustration, the Divine Eagle almost missed a voice coming from behind him, “Five of Hearts.” For a second, he sensed an incredible mana signature that should not be possibly present during a tutorial.

Then, a howl resounded and the werewolf landed next to one of the scythes. Aquila glanced at the humans and saw them visibly back away in fear at the imposing beast. He thought that maybe it would give him the chance he needed.

The werewolf grabbed the chain himself and uttered one word, “Move.” The humans looked at each other and ran off without much resistance.

Aquila then tried to pull but something unbelievable happened. He wasn’t the one who dragged the beast, he was the one who got dragged.

‘What!? How does his strength rival mine?’ Aquila thought in disbelief and before he knew it, the werewolf had forced him to topple over. The beast then leaped with the scythe in his hand and landed next to the other which he also retrieved.

The werewolf whirled the two blades in his hands with expertise and then grinned before yanking the chain attached to them. He then twisted his body to the side and slowly turned around.

‘He couldn’t be…!’ Aquila opened his eyes wide as his entire body slid on the ground.

The werewolf laughed maniacally before pulling on the chain even stronger. He spun in place and the Divine Eagle was dragged around before he eventually lost touch with the firm ground.

Aquila, for the first time in this fight, wished he was not in the air. The werewolf maintained his ear-splitting grin as he gained more and more momentum until the large eagle was being jerked around in circles.

Everyone around watched dumbfounded, shielding their eyes from the wind caused by how the massive eagle was turning into a literal living fan.

“Holy shit…” Allan muttered.

A few seconds later, the werewolf let go of the chain, and Aquila was hurled toward the Eagle God’s Statue which he crashed on with a loud sound. The entire statue trembled and the ground around quaked.

At the same time, Nyx’s Iron Maiden faded away and she collapsed on the ground panting along with Flavia who had also assisted as the werewolf went all spinning top on them.

Aquila slowly got out of the hole he made in the statue and fell on the ground, without being able to move. “This…!” He exclaimed in shock as he couldn’t control his body anymore. Nothing was responding. Granted, he was in a lot of pain and the dizziness after what just happened wasn’t helping but there was no reason for him to lose control of his body.

“This feels like a déjà vu,” a growl-like voice said, filled with amusement.

Aquila looked at the source with his remaining eye and saw the werewolf slowly walking toward him with a snake slithering up his shoulder. That’s when he understood what happened.

“Energy venom… I thought I had stopped it with my mana,” he said with a helpless tone. “It appears that it was too close to my brain, to begin with.”

“Pretty much,” the were beast said with a smirk. “Not that you would have won if it hadn’t worked anyway.”

Aquila’s expression twitched and he squinted his eye to observe the being in front of him. He noted the mystical-like eyes, something he had never seen before, and then the two tails.

“A werewolf with more than one tail… I see you deserve the S+ designation. What is your name?”

The beast snorted and a silver case appeared in his hand. He silently took out a cigarette and looked at it with a scowl. “Can I even smoke this shit in this form?” He asked himself and not only Aquila but everyone else who had gotten closer sweatdropped.

The werewolf shrugged and put the cigarette between his fangs and lit it up. He closed his eyes and a minute later, when he opened them again, their color had changed from red to purple. His whole demeanor even went from an unstoppable force to something akin to a true predator.

“Rakna Xiorra,” he answered the Divine Eagle’s question with a much more tamed voice.

Aquila narrowed his eye. “Split personality?” He voiced the first thing that came to his mind.

“Not exactly,” Rakna said with a huff. He approached the downed eagle and picked up the scythes on the ground. He grabbed the bases of the handles and twisted them. The blades along with the chain glowed and the entire thing began to shrink. Aquila felt the pressure around his neck fading and before he knew it, Rakna was putting a blue scarf around his neck.

“You can’t really call it split personality since both sides are just me with different behavior. It’s different from having two distinct people in your head,” he then finished his explanation and his ears twitched when he heard someone approaching from behind.

He looked over just as Allan grabbed onto his left shoulder and looked at him with a grin. “Damn, Rak. You’re fucking huge now. So, you were a werewolf, after all.”

Rakna grunted to answer and Nyx spoke up in curiosity, “What happens when you’re exposed to the full moon?” He looked back at her and remembered seeing something related to the moon in her status. Maybe it would be a good idea to look into it and the effect it has on him.

“I still don’t know,” he ultimately replied.

“In any case,” Leis raised his voice. “I guess this means this tutorial is over, right?”

“Indeed,” Aquila said. “You can now go through the exit as you please.”

Rakna silently looked at the downed eagle and barely could contain himself from growling as veins appeared in his vision along with a beating heart. As he was wondering if he should go along with this primal huger, he heard footsteps in the distance. He sniffed the air and realized their smell didn’t belong to anyone in his group. However, he recognized one of them…

He looked over to the source and everyone imitated him, wondering what he was looking at. Then, Flavia’s eyes widened a bit as she spotted a few people coming out from a part of the forest that was undamaged by the fight.

It was a group constituted of both the school’s students and teachers and amongst the latter, one of them was a very recognizable and unlikeable individual.

“Herts…” Leia grimaced. “I hate that guy.”

As she spoke those words, the teacher in question noticed them and froze on the spot when his eyes fell on Rakna. The people behind him had similar reactions. But then, Herts smiled knowingly as if he had figured out something and talked to his group.

Normally, it would have been impossible to hear him from that distance, but Rakna’s hearing had already broken common sense. By just perking up one of his ears, he could perfectly discern the man’s words. Though they came to him as a whisper.

“That monster must be a part of this tutorial. Or else, how could it have been possible for us simple humans to beat that large eagle? We are saved, friends.”

Rakna scoffed internally. That man’s words were laced with honey. Every sound coming out of his mouth was meant to make others trust him. After that little speech, he along with his group came over.

“Pronos, hide,” Rakna whispered and the little snake tilted his head in confusion before slipping under Sonata. A minute later, Herts had arrived.

“So, you’re still safe and sound, Mister Herts,” Flavia said with fake politeness and he smiled back as if he hadn’t noticed.

“I’m glad to see you alive, Miss Jeina. And, yes, I had the chance to be saved by my fellow teachers before the goblins could invade the school,” he said and turned toward Rakna. “May I ask who this is? You must have had a hand in the defeat of this eagle, correct?”

Rakna squinted his eyes. ‘Let’s play the game,’ he said internally. “That is none of your business, human,” he uttered and his allies’ expressions turned bemused for a brief moment before a look of understanding replaced it. “Why don’t you answer my question instead. Where were you when your fellow humans were fighting for their life?”

Herts’ face stifled for a second before regaining its usual pose. “I apologize for that. But I’m afraid that precisely one of my… fellow humans, as you say, caused me to be unable to move for a long period of time before the venom withdrew from my and my student’s bodies,” he explained with a glint in his eyes.

He looked around and grinned before raising a question, “Now that I think about it, is that young man not here? Did something happen to him perhaps?” He asked without concealing how pleased he was of the prospect. “I also see that you have that young man’s scarf with you, sir.”

“Rakna is still alive,” Flavia replied coldly. “He was just unable to participate in the battle. He lent us his scarf since it is an item that we needed to defeat the guardian,” she effortlessly went along with her former student’s intention to hide his identity.

“I see,” Herts sneered and turned around. “Let’s go. It’s time to leave this forsaken place, everyone,” he said and headed toward the opened gate under the Eagle God’s Statue.

“Wait a minute,” Rakna said and that made them stop. “You will only leave once three people from this group go through. You do not deserve the titles. Try to go through anyway and I’ll be sure to end you myself,” he uttered with a growl and a slight activation of his Intimidation skill.

Herts paled and decided to bring his group to the opposite side of theirs.

“Why are you willing to let him live?” Leis asked Rakna almost immediately after they had gone out of range. “I’m not one to say that killing people left and right is a good thing, but that man certainly didn’t deserve to live. Even back on Earth, his reputation was unsavory at best.”

“Not worth it,” Rakna replied indifferently. “Not only is his blood worthless but his group might have gotten away and told other people out there, whoever they may be, that we are treacherous murderers. I wouldn’t know the consequences of that, but I wouldn’t want to bet.”

Aquila snickered and they looked at him. “You humans and your hate of each other… It’s hilarious, as always. By the way, as a service, I can tell you that half of that man’s group hasn’t reached the quota of souls.”

“Yeah, I was wondering,” Allan uttered. “There’s no way that all of them had fifty souls. They didn’t seem to even know how to throw a punch. What will happen to them if they try to exit?”

“Simple. They’ll never reach the other side,” Aquila said matter-of-factly. “They will die without even realizing it.”

“…” Allan fell silent.

“And does that man over there have fifty souls?” Flavia inquired while pointing at Herts.

“He does. He must have convinced others to hunt for him,” the Divine Eagle and closed his eye. “Now leave. You have collected the necessary souls and you have defeated me. You won.”

Leis and Rakna looked at each other and nodded. “Let’s leave,” the former said and his gang started preparing and making sure they didn’t forget anything behind before leaving.

“You three,” Rakna spoke to Allan, Flavia, and Nyx. “Go with them. I don’t care about the titles. Decide who will go first on your own. I’ll join you later.”

Flavia scowled. “What will you do?”

“I’m going to have a chat with this big guy… in private,” he replied and Aquila glowered full of suspicions.

“All right,” Flavia sighed. “If that’s what you want; I know there’s no way for you to go back on it.”

“And I don’t think you’ll be in any danger after we just saw you spin around a ten-meter-tall eagle while laughing your ass off,” Allan added and the two women chuckled.

“We’re leaving,” Leis shouted from the gate and Rakna gave him a casual salute. Then, the latter’s three companions joined up with the Wing Walkers and they decided that the first three would be Leis, Allan, and Leia. Nyx said that she had no need for a beginner title and Flavia was almost sure to have the Soul Hunter title after all the eagles she had killed.

“Have fun with… well, whatever you’re going to talk about,” Allan added before leaving with the other two. Then, the rest of the gang followed along with Nyx and Flavia, and finally, Herts left with his group after giving one last glance at Rakna.

Now, the only persons left on this damaged terrain littered with uprooted trees and small linear craters were Aquila, Rakna, and Pronos still snuggled under Sonata.

“…do you require something from me, young wolf?” Aquila broke the silence.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Rakna responded and walked to the eagle. He lifted one of his wings and put it on his shoulder. He then grabbed Aquila’s side and with a grunt, made the large bird flip so that he would be lying down on his back.

Aquila groaned because of the pain. “I assume… you didn’t do this because you wanted me to be more comfortable now, did you?”

“You’re not wrong. Before I continue, I have a question. You’re a clone, right?”

“I see… so it was you who I sensed earlier. You analyzed me,” he remarked. “It must be nothing short of Appraisal for you to have gotten that information. Impressive. And, yes, you’re correct. I’m just a clone. A very weak clone.”

“If I kill you here, will the original know about it?”

Aquila hesitated for a second. “What is your aim? The experience?”

“That would be a bonus but it’s not exactly killing you that makes me cautious,” Rakna replied and extended his claws. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“And from the looks of things, you’re going to kill me either way, huh?” Aquila snorted. “And yes, my original will know. The second I die; he will absorb my memories.”

“Well then,” Rakna’s eyes flashed for a second as he jumped and landed around the chest area of the eagle’s body. “I hope you will be able to forgive me for this. I don’t really wish for the Avatar of a God to chase me down. But I’m afraid I can’t help myself,” he said emotionlessly and spear-handed Aquila right where his heart was.