Master Of Astral Summoner

Chapter 225: Fenrir’s Hunt

Shaan struggled to catch his breath. His heart pounded harder with every step as he sprinted toward the massive doorway. They had almost reached it. Just a little farther, and they could finally catch the Resistance leader.

"Come on, Shaan!" Chelsie called over her shoulder when she glanced back at him. "We’re almost th—"

"Elsie, look out!"

A giant black wolf suddenly lunged from the side, charging straight at Chelsie. The monstrous beast threw its jaws wide open, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs. Without thinking, Shaan grabbed Chelsie’s hand and yanked her toward him. The wolf’s jaws snapped shut where she had stood only a heartbeat earlier.

"Chelsie, are you—"

Shaan froze the moment their faces ended up inches apart. Their eyes met, and neither of them spoke for several seconds.

"Oh... uh..." He immediately let go of her hand and took a hurried step back. "S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to make things awkward."

"Uhm... It’s okay." Chelsie quickly turned her face away, trying to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. "Thank you again, Shaan. Without you, I..."

’Grooowl!’

The black wolf’s savage roar shattered the awkward silence between them. Shaan and Chelsie instantly regained their focus. They stepped into fighting stances, tightened their grips on their weapons, and fixed their eyes on the giant wolf, ready for its next attack.

"[Shaan...]" Robin Hood tightened his grip on his bow and fixed the beast with a sharp stare. "[That’s the same savage wolf. The one that belongs to the crazy red-haired woman we fought before, isn’t it?"

"You’re right." Shaan’s expression darkened. "If that beast is here, then..."

He quickly turned to the side. The same red-haired woman stepped out into the open, calmly walking toward them with a long sword in each hand. A white mask without a mouth concealed her face, marking her as one of the Resistance.

"Impressive." She clapped slowly as she approached. "I honestly didn’t expect the two of you to dodge Fenrir’s attack." A cruel laugh crept into her voice. "But I won’t let either of you escape." She raised a finger and pointed at them. "Fenrir... attack."

The giant black wolf lunged forward the instant it heard her command.

"Shoot, Robin Hood!" Shaan shouted.

Robin Hood reacted without hesitation. He drew his bow and unleashed a rapid volley of arrows, trying to stop Fenrir before the beast could close the distance.

’SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!’

Several arrows shot toward Fenrir at incredible speed. The giant wolf bared its fangs and tore through every arrow with ease, snapping them apart as if they were nothing more than dry twigs.

’BOOM!’

The impact hurled Robin Hood across the courtyard. He crashed through a nearby stone statue, shattering it into countless fragments.

"[Argh... damn beast.]" Robin Hood slowly climbed to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "[Tch... I never expected that wolf to fight like this.]

"Robin Hood, are you—"

Before Shaan could finish, the masked woman suddenly appeared right in front of Chelsie. Chelsie’s face went pale instantly. Her gaze went blank the moment she saw the woman begin to swing her sword, ready to finish her off.

"Damn it, I won’t let you hurt Chelsie!"

’CLANG!’

Shaan dashed forward and crossed his twin short swords just in time, stopping the blades inches from Chelsie. Without giving the woman a chance to recover, he launched a flurry of counterattacks. The masked woman effortlessly dodged every strike.

"Interesting." A faint laugh escaped her lips. "I never expected you to block my attack."

"Argh... damn it." Shaan clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Chelsie, get out of here!" He tightened his grip on his swords without taking his eyes off the woman. "I’ll handle her."

"Uhm... no." Chelsie shook her head, her brows knitting together. "I can’t leave you here alone."She tightened her grip on her staff. "I’ll fight too."

"Chelsie, stop!" Shaan shouted, and Chelsie froze.

"...I’m sorry, but we don’t have much time." His voice softened, but urgency still filled every word. "We have to stop the Resistance leader before it’s too late." He tightened his grip on his twin short swords.

"Go now. Robin Hood and I will handle this."

Chelsie fell silent for a moment. "...I understand." She gave him a worried look. "Please... be careful, Shaan."

The moment Chelsie sprinted toward the building’s entrance, Shaan activated Dash. He burst forward in a blur and unleashed a relentless attack, trying to keep her distracted as long as possible so Chelsie could slip inside unnoticed.

"Robin Hood, use Swift Quiver and keep her distracted!"

[Understood]

Robin Hood fired several arrows at once, trying to strike the woman. However, the masked woman effortlessly dodged every single shot. Without slowing down, she dashed straight at Shaan. She spun gracefully and slashed at him with both swords.

’CLANG!’

"S-Sh*t!" Shaan blocked the attack, but the overwhelming force sent violent tremors through his arms. His feet slid backward across the stone floor as his stance began to collapse. ’She’s incredibly strong...’

"Impressive." The masked woman stared into Shaan’s strained expression. "You actually blocked my attack."

She raised both swords once more. "But I still won’t let you leave this place alive."

The masked woman smirked and glanced at Fenrir. "Fenrir."

The giant wolf immediately understood her command. Without hesitation, it sank its fangs into a massive chunk of a shattered stone statue and hurled it straight at Shaan.

"D-Damn it!" Shaan’s eyes widened as the enormous slab hurtled toward him. ’What do I do? I can’t dodge something that big!’

[Shaan!]

Robin Hood instantly shot an arrow, successfully hitting the stone chunk just before it struck Shaan. In the blink of an eye, the large chunk of the statue shattered right in front of Shaan.

’Th-Thank goodness...’ Shaan let out a shaky breath. His face had already turned pale. ’That thing almost crushed me. At least now I can—’

His thoughts stopped. The distraction had cost him. The red-haired woman had already closed the distance. She swept her leg beneath his stance with a powerful kick.

’BAM!’

"Damn it, at this rate I’ll have to—"

Shaan’s heart was pounding; his face went pale as he realized the tip of the woman’s sword was dangerously close to his neck. This was bad—he was in a completely disadvantageous position, and the slightest movement would result in his neck being pierced.

"A rather entertaining fight." The woman stepped closer until the cold steel rested lightly against Shaan’s throat. "But this time..." She tightened her grip on the sword. "...your story ends-."

"Ugh... ahh... ngh..."

A pained groan escaped Chelsie’s lips with every step.

’Che-Chelsie.’

Chelsie pulled a sharp piece of debris from her leg and struggled to stand. Fresh blood continued to stream down her calf, but she ignored the pain. With trembling hands, she reached for the nearby door and gripped its handle, using it to keep herself upright. Every movement drained the little strength she had left.

"Oh..." The red-haired woman narrowed her eyes as she turned toward Chelsie.

"So that’s your plan. You distracted me so she could slip past." Her voice turned cold. "I won’t let that woman interfere with the Commander." She pointed at Chelsie.

"Fenrir... kill her!"

The giant black wolf exploded into motion and charged straight toward Chelsie. Chelsie turned around. The moment she saw Fenrir’s enormous jaws and rows of razor-sharp fangs rushing toward her, her entire body froze. The beast lunged forward, ready to tear her apart.