Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 23: Rank Three, Gale Fiend Wolf!

Joren’s face turned graver than it had ever been.

That aura was too fast.

Absurdly fast.

It had still been several kilometers away moments ago, yet in the span of a few words, it had already closed half the distance.

Rank Three.

Definitely a Rank Three Voidbeast.

A monster of that level was not something he could fight right now, even injured.

"Drop the materials and move, unless you want to die."

Joren gave no explanation. He turned and ran back the way they had come.

Tavian and Arlen exchanged a look.

Their hearts bled at the thought of the materials they had not finished stripping, but seeing Joren’s reaction, neither of them dared to hesitate.

Clatter.

Arlen threw away the heavy beast bones in his hands with visible pain.

...

Ten kilometers away.

At a high point among the ruins, several black figures were moving at high speed through the remains of a building.

Their movements were unbelievably light. Each landing touched down precisely on steel bars or broken stones, as if the jagged ruin were flat ground.

"Captain, that beast runs pretty fast."

The adjutant’s voice rang out.

"It is a Rank Three Gale Fiend Wolf. If it could not even run for its life, it would have gone extinct in the wilderness long ago," another team member replied, tossing a high explosive grenade in one hand as casually as an apple.

At the very front, Kaia moved like a black swift.

The wild wind scattered her short hair, revealing a pale, slender neck.

Her expression stayed cold.

"I severed the tendon in its right hind leg. It will not get far."

Her gaze locked onto the green blur weaving wildly through the ruins ahead.

It was a huge wolf shaped Voidbeast, covered in green scales. Visible wind blades coiled around its body, slicing through concrete walls like paper wherever it passed.

Right now, however, this once arrogant ruler looked battered.

Its hind leg dragged a long trail of blood. Every burst of speed sent more blood spraying behind it.

"Big things at this level have been showing up more and more often lately."

The adjutant followed behind Kaia, his tone turning a little heavier. Not fear. More like a professional read of the situation.

"Yesterday, the north district also found a Rank Three Ironback Bear. It nearly broke through the second defense line."

"So the rumors are true."

Kaia did not look back. Her toes tapped a horizontal steel beam, and her body rose higher again.

"The magnetic field deep in the wilderness is in disorder. The old monsters that had been sleeping are waking up."

Her voice was light, yet every team member heard it clearly.

"This is not only a sign of a Beast Tide. If it goes badly, it will be a full war."

At the words full war, the others went quiet for a moment.

The team member playing with the grenade chuckled.

"That works for me. Military merit has been too hard to earn these past few years. I was just worrying about not having enough points for a new weapon."

"Cut the nonsense."

The adjutant laughed and cursed at him.

"Handle this one first. If we let an injured Rank Three Voidbeast get away, where do we put our squad’s face?"

Kaia did not join their banter.

Her eyes shifted slightly.

At the end of her sight, the Gale Fiend Wolf seemed to sense the killing intent behind it and suddenly changed direction.

It did not flee deeper into the wilderness.

Instead, it turned toward the southeast.

There lay a wide ruin plaza.

The same place they had passed earlier.

"Is it looking for cover?" the adjutant asked.

"No."

Kaia narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold gleam passing through them.

"It smelled blood."

"There are people over there."

"It wants to feed and recover strength."

...

The three of them had already pushed their speed to the limit.

Joren’s physique had been strengthened by maxed Basic Body Tempering, but it only barely reached the standard of an Awakened Warrior. Before long, his breathing began to turn rough.

And the suffocating pressure behind them had not faded.

It was getting closer.

Like a sword hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment.

"What the hell is it?" Tavian’s voice shook.

Joren gripped the handle of the boning knife with both hands.

His Mental Force perception was already stretched to its limit.

That thing was closing in at a terrifying speed.

"Stop."

Joren spoke suddenly.

"What?!"

Tavian thought he had misheard.

"I said stop!"

Joren’s shout cut through the air.

"Keep running and we are live targets. It is coming for us!"

Almost at the same time, a rotten gust of wind struck them head on.

Boom!

A green shadow smashed down like a meteor, landing directly on the path ahead.

A giant wolf the size of a truck appeared before them.

Its body was covered in blood. Green scales curled back from its flesh, exposing bright red muscle underneath. The wound on its right hind leg was especially deep, cut all the way to the bone, and blood continued to pour from it.

Even so, its vertical pupils glowed a ghostly green, filled with violence and greed enough to chill the blood.

Rank Three Voidbeast.

Gale Fiend Wolf.

Arlen swallowed hard.

He could not even move a finger.

That pressure from a higher life form filled an ordinary person like him with instinctive despair.

This time, they were truly finished.

The Gale Fiend Wolf did not attack right away.

It lowered its head slightly, nostrils twitching as it greedily sniffed the Ironclad Lizard’s blood lingering in the air.

And also...

The scent of three living humans.

To its heavily injured body, this was energy delivered to its mouth.

Roar!

The Gale Fiend Wolf let out a low growl.

Its body crouched, ready to pounce.

Joren tightened his grip around the knife handle and stood in front of the others with a solemn face.

His thin figure looked painfully small before that giant beast.

Like a mantis trying to stop a war chariot.

There was no running now.

Showing his back would be suicide.

Then fight.

Even if he could not win, he would break a mouthful of its teeth.

Joren drew a deep breath.

The bones in his body began releasing fine crackling sounds.

Mental Force surged wildly.

The boning knife trembled again.

A trace of almost human mockery flashed through the Gale Fiend Wolf’s eyes.

A little insect.

And it dared to bare its claws at me?