Chapter 201: A Reluctant Victory

While Benjamin, Aron, and the others took action, Irving and the werewolf leader were locked in a fierce confrontation with the two Night Blades elders. Even by the time Benjamin and the others reached an agreement with Elder Lawrence, the battle between Irving and the two Night Blades elders had yet to yield a clear victor.As the fight dragged on, both sides realized that their strengths were fairly evenly matched.

"I really didn't expect these two Night Blades elders to cooperate so perfectly. We simply can't break them one by one," the werewolf leader gasped, speaking to Irving.

Irving remained silent, merely nodding in resignation. He had also recognized the remarkable synergy between the two elders during the battle. However, he did not believe he had to abandon this fight.

Irving was convinced that as long as he and the werewolf leader continued to press on, they would eventually wear down the strength of the two Night Blades elders.

"No matter what, we can't give up! And even if we choose to run now, they will definitely chase us down. So we have no choice but to secure a victory in this battle," Irving declared, raising the Staff of Calamity once more and launching another attack at the two Night Blades elders.

Despite being close to exhaustion, the werewolf leader felt it was essential to coordinate with Irving's movements.

The werewolf leader let out another howl, a fierce cry that echoed through the air. With the power of his howl invigorating him, the werewolf leader entered a state of berserk fury once again. He charged toward the two Night Blades elders, filled with a tremendous killing intent.

The situation for the two Night Blades elders was similar to that of Irving. After a prolonged battle, their conditions had also deteriorated to a certain extent. They had not anticipated how difficult it would be to deal with Irving.

"If I had known Irving was this powerful, I would have brought more subordinates with me," Elder Howard remarked with a hint of regret.

"What good does saying that do now? Those two lunatics are attacking us again; we must defend ourselves with perfect coordination," Elder Kent replied, feeling that this was not the time for regrets. If they wanted to reflect on where their previous actions had gone wrong, it would have to wait until after the battle was over.

Elder Kent transformed his hands into blades made entirely of dark energy, while Elder Howard conjured a barrier formed from thick fog.

As Irving's staff collided with the barrier created by Howard's fog, Howard suddenly felt his dark power rapidly diminishing. In that moment, Howard realized that Irving had changed his strategy. This time, Irving chose not to launch a direct attack with overwhelming force.

The reason Irving summoned the Staff of Calamity was merely to trap his opponents in a mental snare. As soon as the staff made contact with the fog barrier, Irving tapped into the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl that resided within him.

The Taikoo Flame Pearl, an artifact once possessed by the Taikoo Divine Clan, not only granted Irving various attribute enhancements but also enabled him to absorb external powers for his own use. Under normal circumstances, Irving would never consider absorbing dark energy, as it would corrode his own emotions. Accumulating too much dark power could very well lead to his complete downfall.

However, when facing the threat posed by the two Night Blades elders, Irving had no choice but to set aside his concerns. In a crucial moment when Elder Howard was caught off guard and unable to respond immediately, the werewolf leader broke through the fog barrier and lunged directly at Elder Kent.

At that moment, Elder Kent was not prepared for battle. The blades formed from his hands had only just begun to take shape. The werewolf leader would not afford Kent any additional time to prepare.

With sharp claws, the werewolf leader slashed toward Kent's neck. The plan was simple: he hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to severely injure Elder Kent. If Kent were incapacitated, he and Irving could easily overcome Elder Howard.

Although Elder Kent was not fully prepared for battle, he was nonetheless one of the most skilled fighters among the Night Blades. He chose to adapt swiftly to the situation.

When faced with the werewolf leader's attack, Kent instinctively fell backward. This maneuver successfully allowed him to evade the werewolf leader's strike, but he failed to notice that Irving was ready to exploit this opening. Utilizing the chaotic power hidden within the Taikoo Flame Pearl, Irving bound Elder Kent to the ground.

Seizing the moment, the werewolf leader launched an attack on Kent with his claws. Kent was taken aback by such a severe oversight during the battle. By the time he realized the gravity of his mistake, his left hand had already been severed by the werewolf leader's claws.

Kent let out a cry of agony. However, his painful outcry was not without purpose. It at least helped to restore Elder Howard's composure. Once Howard regained his senses, he immediately realized that his companion had sustained a grave injury. In this dire situation, it was clear that they could no longer continue fighting.

Elder Howard quickly harnessed his formidable dark power to transform the surrounding fog into an impenetrable barrier. He then rushed toward Elder Kent as swiftly as possible.

"We can't continue fighting them; we have no chance of winning," he whispered. After uttering these words, Howard led Elder Kent into the depths of the fog, seeking refuge from the battle.

With the departure of the two Night Blades elders, Irving and the werewolf leader could reluctantly consider themselves the victors of the battle. However, the expressions on their faces bore no resemblance to joy.

Irving wore a look of concern as he gazed toward the direction of Shadow City. The werewolf leader, on the other hand, was panting heavily; it had nearly exhausted all its stamina during the recent fight.

"We can't stay here. We must return to Shadow City as quickly as possible. I can sense that Elder Lawrence has already made his way back," Irving said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the werewolf leader's face displayed disbelief. "That is absolutely impossible. We both saw that Elder Lawrence was severely injured. How could he possibly have the chance to return to Shadow City? I believe he has been taken away by other members of the Night Blades. He may have already left this world and returned to the realm you live in."

The werewolf leader had a deep understanding of the players from the shelter game. It knew that these players did not belong to the world it inhabited. Therefore, it would only engage in a temporary alliance with Irving and would not fully trust his judgment.

"He hasn't returned to the real world; he's definitely still in the shelter game!" Irving insisted, pulling out a map.

The map in Irving's hands was the one Aron had brought in. However, it had been lost during the earlier battle when it slipped from Aron's grasp. Without this map, they would have no way of retrieving it.

On the map, Irving had deliberately marked Elder Lawrence's location with a drop of his blood. The werewolf leader followed the direction Irving pointed to and indeed spotted the mark indicating Elder Lawrence's presence above Shadow City.

After seeing this mark, the werewolf leader sighed in resignation. "You're right; it seems we really do need to return to Shadow City. But can we rest for a moment before we continue? I'm just too exhausted."

Irving glanced at the werewolf leader and confirmed that it had completely run out of stamina. "You're correct; you are indeed spent. However, we can't afford to waste even a moment. I need you to summon all your wolf subordinates. They can easily construct a simple wooden cart to pull you along.

It should take us about twenty minutes to return to Shadow City, and resting for that time in the cart should help you recover most of your strength, right?"

Initially, the werewolf leader wanted to oppose Irving's suggestion. But after a moment of thought, it realized that Irving's proposal was indeed the most reasonable course of action they could take at that moment.

"Let's do it then. I will call my subordinates right away," the werewolf leader said before letting out a howl that echoed into the sky.

Soon, several werewolves appeared around Irving and the werewolf leader.

"Quickly, gather wood from the surroundings to build a cart, and then follow this human!"

Under the werewolf leader's command, the werewolves quickly constructed a wooden cart. Following Irving's lead, the werewolves dragged the werewolf leader toward the direction of Shadow City.

Irving and the werewolves did not move very quickly, as ordinary werewolves could not maintain a sprint for long.

Moreover, Irving hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to rest. He had also expended a significant amount of stamina during the recent battle.

The only reason Irving hadn't completely exhausted himself like the werewolf leader was that he had prepared some supplies in advance.

Throughout the fight, Irving had been using those supplies to sustain himself.

While Irving and the werewolf leader were making their way to Shadow City, Elder Howard and Elder Kent had already arrived there first. Howard immediately ordered the Night Blades members stationed in Shadow City to tend to Kent's injuries. seaʀᴄh thё nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Quickly, attend to Elder Kent's wounds, and summon Elder Lawrence to me at once. I need to know the details of what has been happening in Shadow City recently."

Elder Howard's mood was extremely poor, and his tone was equally harsh. The Night Blades members swiftly began to carry out his orders.

Before long, a member of the Night Blades approached him with some very troubling news.

"Elder Lawrence is missing! We've searched the area where he was resting but couldn't find him. He didn't inform us of where he went either."

Upon hearing this news, Elder Howard stood up in shock, taken aback by the revelation.