Chapter 19 (XIX) Offense

The four remaining wolves rushed toward the lone man on the beach, kicking sand behind them, each fanning out to target a different attack angle. Jackson spun both swords around his body, holding them outward as he recalled the movements of the 'Inferno of the Twin Storms.'

A tingling sensation rushed through his body as he took a deep breath. It felt like time had stopped as he closed his eyes, reaching within himself and searching for that fleeting feeling once again.

His arms and legs were covered in goosebumps, and his hair stood on end as he located the viscous liquid-like energy floating inside him. He reached out for it, but it slipped through his fingers each time he attempted to grasp it.

Jackson faced down the charging wolves as he anticipated their actions. A tiny purple flame sparked from his emerald green iris, trailing behind him as he twisted his body, starting the first movement.

He spun his arms horizontally, the momentum of the blades increasing as the tips of the simple iron swords began to heat up, burning in the same color as the flames in his eyes.

The wolves easily avoided the blades, evading to the left and right as they bounded off the landscape, launching toward Jackson as he immediately flowed into the second movement, chaining flawlessly into the third and fourth movements.

Lightning began arcing from beneath his feet as he utilized the superior movement abilities from the 'Twenty Moons Under the One Sun Path' to avoid attacks and string the movements from the 'Inferno of the Twin Storms' together.

The Hollows began to receive searing scratches across their bodies as they narrowingly avoided the rapid movements of the human. His swords danced around him, keeping the wolves from launching a clean strike.

The tempo of Jackson's attacks increased as he gained more ground with each slash from his blade, striking deeper into the tough hide of the Hollows.

Despite the accumulated damage dealt to them, The Hollow Wolves' movements were not slowing down, and their attacks remained as ferocious; Jackson's blades flashed through the air, echoing as the edge of his sword struck true, cleaving its head cleanly from its body.

The remaining three Hollows cared little for the loss of one of their own as they continued the assault against the young man. The scalding tips of his blade burned brighter as another Hollow met its end when Jackson avoided its attack and brought his sword down, severing the wolf's spine.

Jackson quickly kicked the body away, crashing into one of the remaining two Hollows, rushing over, unleashing two crossed slashes; as the last attempted to pounce him from behind, he turned, holding his blade out, as the wolf impaled itself on his sword.

He stood there panting heavily as the additional weight on his sword caused him to drop it toward the ground, using his boot to kick the body off his blade. He knelt next to the two bodies, inspecting the Hollows beside him.

He dropped one sword next to his leg before reaching out and grabbing the skull of the Hollow, looking at it extensively, "I wish he would have given more of a warning about these guys..." He muttered, sighing heavily.

Another snarl sounded behind him as another Hollow appeared from the shrubbery, leaping toward Jackson. He rolled to the side, grabbed his sword, spun through the dirt on his knee, and thrust both swords between the Hollow's ribs.

Jackson stood up and looked around, "One more..." He muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the tall ferns around him. He saw a rustle and quickly changed his stance as a motionless Hollow corpse was flung through the air, thudding next to the rest of the carnage.

"Huh..?" He said, looking at the body as the next moment, Elissa appeared with the final Hollow on a muzzle and leash, ferociously jerking and snarling in erratic directions.

"What are you doing here!?!" Jackson shouted in disbelief at the scene of this frail-looking woman smiling as she restrained a feral wolf larger than her with no effort.

"Finally!!!" Elissa exclaimed in exasperation, "I've been looking for you forever!!" She smirked, bending over and flicking her finger against the skull of the Hollow as it sat down obediently, wagging its tail.

"You were having such an easy time; The Tower chose to upgrade your challenge on the first floor." She said casually as she removed the muzzle from the Hollow and walked around it.

"Did you know... That if enough dead Hollows are gathered around one that is alive, the souls of the dead will converge?" She asked, tilting her head with a smile.

"Hollows do not have souls; their objective is to consume a living soul to obtain their own." Jackson calmly replied. Elissa began clicking her tongue and wagging her finger as she patted the head of the Hollow.

"Close, but not quite correct!" She cockily proclaimed, green flames floating out of the skulls of the dead Hollows as the wolf stood, and its tail began wagging excitedly as she continued her explanation, "You see, just because God's Tower creates Hollows doesn't mean that a soul is not included within the creation process."

More than a dozen green flames had appeared, floating in the air before shooting, piercing the Hollow Wolf. The bones protruding from the fur began to grow and contort as it stood on its hind legs.

The muscles beneath the pitch-black hair began convulsing as it unleashed a loud wail. Its skull began growing and elongating, visceral fangs growing and curving beyond its mouth.

Its front paws jerked as its bones burst forth, growing longer as the fingers tapered to create grotesque claws. Growing twice in size, the Hollow threw its head back and unleashed another wail.

Jackson took a step back, his eyes wide as he turned toward Elissa, who smiled at him and waved her fingers goodbye as she vanished, a notification appearing before the young man:

[Challenge Modified!]

[Your swift actions have caused one of the Hollows to mutate into a more powerful version of itself! Mutated Hollows are not the mindless beasts of their lesser forms. Defeat the Mutated Hollow!]