CH 132

Basically, it’s learning. That’s the impression I get from the way the shadow wolf is moving.

As time passes, it’s polishing its movements and moving in the best way it can to kill us.

First, how it receives attacks. It’s been taking evasive action towards every attack by Sera, evading or deflecting the attacks of Fred and three other adventurers with its claws, and countering the other four without trying to block.

This new combat style has rendered one person incapable of fight.

It has been moving like it understands what enemies will or won’t deal damage.

Fred tells the three whose attacks don’t connect to pull back. Otherwise, they’ll just needlessly take damage.

“We have a message from Fred. We’ll take over guarding them, so focus on guarding the girl. He says to split into three groups and attack.”

Is he trying to have multiple trump cards? If the shadow wolf learns to perceive Mia’s attacks as a threat, it will draw its attention and limit its movements, helping Sera and the others attack.

Is that what he’s after?

“Master, it’s no good.”

I move, and Hikari joins me.

She hurt the shadow wolf with that first attack, but once it put its guard up, she couldn’t damage it even when her attacks connected.

The problem is in Hikari’s raw power. When her opponent moves around furiously like that, she can’t control her magic energy very well and maintain it as she kneeds magic energy and attacks at the same time. Because of that, her magic energy disperses while she attacks, and she can’t deal damage.

“Then protect Mia too. Its shadow abilities might return, and one person might not be enough to guard Mia against that.”

By activating Magic Energy Detection, I can see a small fluctuation of magic energy deep inside the shadow wolf.

It wasn’t moving at all before, but now it’s moving almost like a heartbeat, and releasing suspicious waves. It’s also slowly expanding, so it might be a matter of time until its shadows return.

We need another Holy Arrow to stop it, but will it let us do it?

We spread out in three directions, and fire magic when we get into position. The shadow wolf focuses completely on evading. It’s focusing more on defense, meaning we also have more time to attack.

But it quickly starts dealing with these attacks. It scrapes the ground with one of its front paws, sending dirt and pebbles into the air as a makeshift smokescreen. It takes a lot of distance, and moves to attack each magic user individually.

This turns it around and makes it so we don’t have enough people. The adventurers in charge of defense are clearly outclassed, and while the magic seemed effective at first, they’re taken down without much resistance once the monster gets close.

First it goes after a magic user and an adventurer guarding him. It gets close, dodges magic fired at it, downs the guard by swiping him away, and kills the magic user by biting him. He didn’t even have time to scream.

Even if it’s an enemy, I can’t help but think those movements are crisp and skillful.

It comes for us next, because we’re relatively close. Mia fires Holy Arrow repeatedly, but it dodges widely as it comes closer. It’s clearly after Mia, and probably doesn’t even see me as a threat. Not that that’s a big problem now.

I hold up my sword in front of Mia and silently make magic energy flow. It slows down because I’m an enemy it hasn’t seen yet, but it presses forward after dodging another Holy Arrow.

It swings its arm to kill us both before Mia can fire again, and I swing my sword in response.

The velocity of that swing almost blows me back, but I lower my center of gravity and hold.

Sparks fly as the claw and sword collide, and I push as hard as I can to not get pushed back.

That exchange lasts for only a second, before the shadow wolf jumps back. I see Sera coming to help from what is a blind spot for it. That’s why.

“Are you all right master?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

The shadow wolf is glaring this way with a hateful look on its face. Is it because Sera is here? Is it because it couldn’t take us out in one fell swoop? In any case, it’s not attacking again.

I look at the sword in my hand, and see it’s not at all chipped because of the magic energy coating. But my hand is numb, and it’s a little hard to put strength into it. I might be in trouble if I have to block another attack like that.

Then I hear the shadow wolf raising its voice loudly. Of course, I don’t understand what it means, but I get the feeling that it sounds like a shout of joy.

Looking at its expression too, I see it looks amused, and I feel sadism coming from it. I see a smile of sorts on it that sends a chill down my spine.

It’s full of magic energy.

“Sera, it’s going to use shadows to attack.”

Just as I say that, a shadow attack flies this way from a distance.

It seems somewhat random, without a clear target. Like it’s firing multiple attacks at random.

They’re not just coming towards us, they spread everywhere from the monster.

I swing my sword at them while covering Mia behind me. They’re not as strong as the claws from before, but each attack feels heavy. Still, I can repel them with my strikes aided by flowing magic energy.

Sera goes further and uses her power to smash those attacks.

I look towards Fred and the others, and it looks like they just barely guarded against them. A magic user had his arm pierced, and he’s writhing in pain, but it’s not fatal.

Only one adventurer is downed by that attack. He tried to repel it with his sword, but it was flung away and his body was pierced as he lost his footing.

That leaves nine. Five lives have been lost since the start of this battle.