Chương 70: No, We Don't
"Camelia, take the rear. Aldrich, you take the centre. I'll go in first!" Ian barked, his voice steady as he immediately charged at the alpha wolf.
The creature had grown even larger, now towering over them like a massive two-ton truck, almost matching the size of the Kraken.
But Ian showed no fear, no hesitation.
As he closed the distance, he began his attack sequence, conjuring wind razors in rapid succession.
The gusts of razor-sharp wind sliced through the air, aimed straight at the alpha wolf.
But the wind razors merely bounced off its fur without leaving a mark.
The wind razor simply did not have enough slashing force to go through the skin of the alpha.
Cursing under his breath, Ian slid his feet to a stop, shifting his stance as he drew on a more powerful wind technique, the Wind Torrent.
A forceful spin of air swirled into being, resembling a fan on full blast.
The wind spun with enough power to slice through bone, capable of crushing anything in its path.
But before the torrent could make contact, the alpha wolf raised one enormous paw and slashed through the air, effortlessly tearing apart the Wind Torrent like it was nothing.
"A peak beta? No... It's at least an almost predator rank!" Ian muttered, sizing up the beast as he kept his distance.
His mind raced as he searched for a more effective approach.
"Don't try to do this alone, Ian. There are four of us," Aldrich shouted as he jumped into action, his clover eyes glowing with purpose.
This was Aldrich's first battle using his Art, and he wasn't about to hesitate.
His right index finger traced a symbol in the air as he ran, conjuring a lightning-type Art.
A crackling sphere of lightning formed at the tip of his finger and shot straight at the alpha wolf.
"Ian, I need wind support!" Aldrich called out, his voice sharp with urgency.
Without hesitation, Ian responded, summoning a gust of wind to swirl around Aldrich, pushing dust and debris into the alpha's face to obscure its vision.
The alpha wolf was powerful, and Aldrich knew it would tear through his lightning ball as easily as it had the Wind Torrent from Ian.
For that alone, Aldrich didn't bother checking on the results of his attack.
Instead, he focused on his next move.
"I need something to step on! Now!" Aldrich shouted as he sped toward the wolf.
Camelia was quick to respond, conjuring footholds from the earth beneath his feet.
One by one, they rose in front of Aldrich, the first higher than the next, creating a staircase of earth.
Aldrich climbed the footholds swiftly, gaining height with each step.
By the time he reached the sixth, he was high enough to leap over the alpha, his body twisting mid-air as he sailed across the wolf's massive form.
'Crap!' Aldrich thought as he reached out with his hand, ready to strike.
But then he remembered? he didn't have an arrow and a bow with him to make the intended strike.
And even if he had, he couldn't just strike with his bare hand or an ordinary arrow.
If Ian's suspicion was true and the alpha wolf was predator-ranked, its skin would be too tough for a regular blow to penetrate.
Aa a predator ranked, its skin has developed a high resistance to even a punch from a mystic with enhanced mana.
And the wolf's hide certainly wouldn't budge under the strength of claws either.
Aldrich needed an artefact weapon, any weapon, to stand a chance.
As he hovered above the wolf, the creature's eyes locked onto him.
The alpha tilted its head back, its mouth opening wide.
Aldrich was within its range.
"Get him out of there! Now!" Camelia shouted, her voice full of warning.
Ian, already prepared to act, was a step behind.
The alpha, sensing an opening, unleashed a breath attack, a technique common to wolf-type creatures, especially the alphas.
It seemed intent on using a wind Art-based breath weapon to blast Aldrich from the air.
A this very moment, however, Aldrich couldn't think of a better opening to deliver a fatal blow to the wolf.
Pressure built up within the wolf's mouth, ready to be unleashed on Aldrich.
He on the other hand exercised speed and accuracy by drawing up an inscription right above the wolf's mouth and when he was done, a ball of lightning flashed out and struck the inside of the alpha's mouth.
"Your six!".
Trevor was already on his way to help while shouting.
The only issue was, he was too slow.
Same time as when he released the ball of lightning, the alpha swung its massive paw, aiming to strike him out of the air.
Aldrich raised his guard just in time, but the force of the strike sent him flying, scratching his arms as the claws scraped across his skin.
He crashed into a nearby tree, his spine cracking upon impact.
His body slumped as he fell to the ground, rolling abrasively with every spin aiming to tear through the thin layer of the mana skin protecting his body.
He would have kept at the pace if Trevor hadn't appeared behind to steady his fall with his body.
Aldrich rolled toward him and was thankfully caught by Trevor.
Then, Trevor quickly pulled Aldrich away, distancing him from the alpha as the beast suffered from the lightning ball's aftereffects.
The four regrouped, eyes on the alpha as it staggered, still dazed but far from defeated.
"Aldrich, your arms! You're bleeding!" Trevor exclaimed, his voice laced with concern as he examined the deep scratches on Aldrich's arms.
Aldrich glanced at the blood trickling from his arms.
His mana skin had failed to protect him fully from the alpha's claws.
No, failure was too big of a word. If he didn't have the mana skin to protect him, his body would have been far more damaged than this.
"It's too fragile," Aldrich muttered under his breath. "I should have known."
It didn't shield him completely, but it did enough to keep him up on his feet and in the game still.
That was plenty enough.
Camelia, seizing the moment while the alpha was stunned, summoned an earth spike from the ground beneath the wolf.
The sharp, jagged rock shot upward, aiming to pierce the wolf's hide.
But the wolf's skin was too tough, and the spike shattered upon contact, rendering the attack useless.
"That won't work! We need an artefact to penetrate its skin!" Aldrich warned, his voice sharp with frustration.
"No, we don't need an artefact!" Ian replied, his eyes burning with determination. "Aldrich, create a cover. Camelia, find a way to immobilize the alpha. We only need a second."
Aldrich nodded, his mind already formulating the plan. "I won't be able to hold it down for long, Ian!"
Ian looked like he had a plan, and Aldrich was in. The questions are saved for later.
"I don't need long," Ian shot back. "Even a second will be enough!"
Without another word, Ian charged once more, his speed unmatched.
"What about me? What do I do?!" Trevor asked, still unsure of his role in the plan.
"Stay clear!" Aldrich snapped as he followed behind Ian, his focus razor-sharp.
Running just behind him, Aldrich's mind raced with thoughts of what Ian had in store.
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