Head Captain Zero and the main assault force were deep in the thick of battle. Fighting alongside him were Captain Ethan Dickson and Captain Scarlet Johnson. All three wore the school's hunter uniform, standard equipment provided to every hunter employed by the academy. It was considered some of the finest gear a hunter could possess.
The material was thick and durable, yet lightweight and flexible enough to avoid restricting movement while still protecting against most attacks.
Zero wielded twin daggers, while Ethan and Scarlet carried staffs. Their weapons radiated a deep crimson glow that released an eerie aura capable of making anyone's skin crawl.
Beside them fought three members of the Argent family, each dressed in dark red armor. Two wielded swords while another carried a massive sledgehammer across his back. The last fighter swung a heavy ball and chain through the battlefield with terrifying force.
Other squads battled nearby, spread throughout the forest.
"They just keep coming!" Captain Ethan shouted as he slammed his staff downward, crushing a wolf's skull instantly.
"Perfect. I needed more practice anyway," Scarlet laughed, spinning her staff violently as she cracked every wolf that crossed her path. "I never use a staff, and this is actually fun."
"Don't let your guard down," Zero warned calmly.
He moved through the battlefield with almost unnatural precision, weaving between wolves while striking vital points with deadly efficiency. Every movement was smooth and controlled, never giving the beasts a chance to retaliate.
Everyone in the squad was fast.
But Zero was in a class of his own.
The wolves' numbers quickly began to thin until suddenly a powerful aura swept across the battlefield, causing nearly everyone present to freeze in fear.
Scarlet grinned excitedly. "Now that feels like someone worth my time."
Her staff transformed into a long sword with a glowing crimson edge.
Before she could sprint toward the immense pressure, a powerful force pulled her backward.
"Don't be hasty," Zero said calmly as he released her wrist. "I'll take the lead here."
The wolves suddenly stopped attacking.
One by one, they moved aside, creating a path through the battlefield.
Then the giant wolf appeared.
It was easily three times larger than the others.
A hunter leapt from the trees, attempting to strike the beast from above, but the giant wolf snatched him out of the air and bit him clean in half. Bones crunched loudly between its jaws before it swallowed.
"You attack my home," the giant black wolf growled, its voice deep and menacing.
The beast lunged again, tearing another hunter apart before charging through the battlefield, slaughtering hunters one after another with horrifying ease.
The other wolves immediately became more vicious, their morale seemingly boosted by the Alpha's presence.
"This is what I'm talking about!"
A wild-looking man carved through the frenzied wolves effortlessly.
The terrifying part was that he was smiling.
"You wolves hungry? Got fresh meat right here for you!"
The man placed the giant sword on his back into its sheath before diving toward a wolf with blinding speed. His fist slammed into the beast's stomach.
"Let's go!"
The wolf was launched backward, spraying blood through the air.
The man vanished and instantly reappeared beside another wolf, grabbing its head and smashing it violently into the ground before crushing its skull beneath his boot.
Another wolf appeared behind him, claws aimed for his neck.
At the last second, a woman wielding a massive scythe sliced the wolf's arm clean off.
The beast stared at its missing limb in shock.
"You bitc—"
Its head rolled from its shoulders before it could finish speaking.
"You're becoming reckless, Cam," the woman said coldly.
"Well, I assumed I'd have backup that wasn't useless," Cam replied with a grin. "I see you're still terrifying with that thing in your hand, Sherry."
"What did you expect?" Sherry scowled. "I'm a harbinger of death."
She plunged into the incoming wolves, severing limbs and carving through flesh effortlessly. She moved like a dancer across the battlefield, graceful and elegant despite the carnage surrounding her.
Beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
Together, Cam and Sherry rapidly cut down the wolves while boosting the morale of the hunters around them. For the first time since the giant wolf's arrival, the battle no longer felt completely one-sided.
Suddenly, three wolves were sent flying toward them, crashing violently into the beasts they had been about to fight.
"What the hell?" Cam looked toward the source and spotted a familiar face approaching. "Zero? What are you doing here?"
"Sorry, old friend," Zero said with a sincere smile. "Didn't mean to steal your kills."
The other captains stood beside him, back-to-back as they faced the overwhelming horde.
"Whatever," Cam scoffed. "Looks like there's more than enough to go around."
"Cam!" Sherry shouted as she charged toward the giant wolf without hesitation.
The wolf effortlessly avoided the slashes of her scythe before retaliating with its claws. One of the Argent warriors intercepted the strike just in time, his sword colliding against the beast's claws.
The man strained under the monster's overwhelming strength.
"Malik!" another warrior shouted.
A hunter rushed toward the wolf but was instantly snatched out of the air and slammed into the ground with devastating force, leaving behind a massive crater.
The body lying within it was lifeless.
The distraction gave Malik and Sherry enough time to retreat.
"That's the Alpha," Zero informed everyone.
Immediately, every hunter focused their attacks on the Alpha.
It was pointless.
The Alpha released an aura that blocked every attack without even moving.
"You hunters are becoming bolder," the Alpha snarled through its fangs. "To invade my home and slaughter my people… For hundreds of years, no one has dared invade my territory. I hope you're all prepared to die."
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
The air grew unbearably hot as the Alpha's body began to grow even larger. Its fangs extended farther while its claws elongated into razor-sharp weapons nearly the length of a human arm.
He was already a beast.
Now he was a monster.
Then he vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared beside a hunter who never saw him coming and split the man in half with a single slash.
"Dynamic Slash!"
A yell came from above.
A blinding light crashed onto the Alpha, forcing everyone nearby to shield their eyes.
(Is that Apollo?) Zero thought.
When the light faded, a young boy could be seen battling the Alpha head-on.
Slash for slash, the boy kept up with the monster.
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.
The first to move was Zero, unwilling to let a child face such danger alone.
The boy moved with incredible agility, slipping through the Alpha's attacks with perfect timing. He was tiny compared to the massive wolf, leaping onto its shoulders before disappearing again moments later and attacking from another angle.
The speed and power coming from a child were unbelievable.
The Alpha barely managed to block a slash aimed directly at its neck.
"Boy, I like you! I'm Lyric!" the Alpha laughed.
Without warning, Lyric lunged forward and clamped his jaws around the boy. He violently shook him side to side before tossing him away like a rag doll.
Before the child could crash into a tree, Zero appeared and caught him.
"Ahhhh!" the boy screamed in agony, his body twisting violently.
Zero quickly pulled a vial from his belt.
"This should stop the transformation. It's not fully effective, but it should help ease the pain. Rest now. I'll handle this."
He gently placed the boy down before turning back toward Lyric, rage pouring from him in waves.
The atmosphere shifted once more.
The air became thinner, and the gravity itself seemed heavier beneath Zero's glare.
Not far away, Cam watched everything unfold in amazement.
That kid is incredible.
He'll become worthy of being my rival someday.
Cam stepped forward and raised his sword.
"Awaken, my love… Serabi!"
A brilliant white glow erupted from the blade.
Instantly, the world grew heavier.
The wolves closest to Cam collapsed to their knees, struggling beneath the crushing pressure.
One wolf looked up and saw Cam approaching, but the closer he came, the heavier the weight became.
"As you should," Cam said coldly, "offer your necks to my blade."
His sword flashed.
The wolf's head hit the ground.
In an instant, every wolf standing between Cam and Lyric was reduced to corpses.
When Cam's blade collided with Lyric's claws, the impact blasted away everything around them. Dirt, trees, and nearby fighters were violently thrown backward.
Before the shockwave could reach him, Zero stabbed both daggers into the ground and slammed his hand between them, creating a glowing red barrier around himself and Ethan.
When the debris finally cleared, a massive crater remained.
At its center, Cam and Lyric struggled against one another.
Zero wasted no time.
He vanished and appeared beside Lyric in an instant, slashing at the Alpha's Achilles tendon while it was distracted.
"Argh!" Lyric roared as he lost his balance beneath Cam's overwhelming strength.
"This isn't ove—"
The sentence never finished.
Zero's twin blades sliced through Lyric's neck like scissors, severing the Alpha's head clean off.
"You really had to jump in and steal my kill," Cam complained.
"Just like old times," Zero replied with a smirk, relieved that the greatest threat was finally gone.