Master Of Astral Summoner

Chapter 226: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

’I... I don’t want to die here.’

Chelsie’s heart nearly stopped. Her legs turned weak as the monstrous wolf closed the final distance between them. She squeezed her eyes shut. She knew she couldn’t escape. The only thing left... was to accept her fate.

[Romani girl!]

Just as the savage wolf leaped forward to tear Chelsie apart, Carmen burst into view and slammed into the beast with all her strength. The impact threw the giant wolf off course.

’’BOOM!’’

"What was that?" The red-haired woman quickly looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw Fenrir struggling to recover. "Damn it... what the—"

’Now! This is my chance!’

The instant the woman’s attention shifted away, Shaan seized the opportunity. He swept his leg beneath hers, knocking her off balance. Before she could recover, he drove a powerful kick into her stomach.

"Ugh, damn it." The force sent her crashing onto the stone floor.

"Robin Hood!" Shaan shouted. "Use Explosive Quiver on Fenrir!"

[Understood.]

Robin Hood immediately fired his arrow and successfully hit Fenrir. A massive explosion erupted the moment the arrow hit. Fenrir let out a howl of agony as the blast engulfed him.

"Chelsie, hurry up and get inside!" Shaan shouted.

Without a second’s hesitation, Chelsie sprinted into the building with Carmen at her side. Within moments, both of them disappeared beyond the doorway. Good—at least Chelsie is safe now, and hopefully she can stop the resistance leader’s plan as soon as possible.

"You little brat." The red-haired woman slowly rose to her feet and tightened her grip on both swords. "You’ve really started to annoy me." A dark, sinister aura instantly spread across the blades in her hands. "This time... I won’t let you escape."

’That aura...’ Shaan narrowed his eyes. ’It’s the same dark aura I saw before.’ He tightened his grip on his twin short swords. ’I need to stay careful. Her strength is about to—’

[Shaan, watch out!]

Robin Hood’s shout instantly snapped Shaan back to his senses. The woman had already closed the distance. She swung both swords at him without hesitation. Shaan crossed his twin short swords and tried to block the woman’s attack. However, his decision turned out to be a mistake. The woman’s strength had skyrocketed.

One strike shattered his guard.

"N-No, this can’t be..." Shaan’s eyes widened in disbelief. His face drained of color. "B-but how is this possible..."

"Suffer, you little brat!"

The woman landed a punch squarely on Shaan’s face, and the impact sent him flying across the courtyard. He crashed into a massive stone column, and the force left him struggling to stay on his feet.

"Ugh... D-Damn it..." Shaan slowly pushed himself upright. Fresh blood trickled down his arm. ’H-Her strength... It’s far greater than before.’

[Shaan!] Robin Hood shouted as he rushed toward him.

[Hang on! I’ll—]

Before he could finish, Fenrir burst out from behind him and pounced. Robin Hood barely reacted in time. He raised his bow and caught the wolf’s jaws just before they clamped around his neck.

[Argh... This damn beast is really getting on my nerves!]

’T-This is bad.’ Shaan bit his lower lip as his expression grew tense. ’Even Robin Hood is struggling against that wolf. If I don’t defeat that woman soon...’

Shaan’s eyes briefly darted toward a cluster of dense trees not far from her. She realized that place might just be a safe enough spot for her. Her movements would certainly be hard for this woman to read because the dense trees would block her view, and that would give Shaan a chance to launch a counterattack.

"Yes, I’m sure that’ll work."

"Now..." The woman slowly walked toward him, dragging the tip of one sword across the stone floor. The blade scraped against the ground, sending sparks dancing into the air. "There won’t be anyone left to save you."

Just as the masked woman prepared to strike again, Shaan activated Dash. In the blink of an eye, he shot forward at incredible speed, leaving her behind as he raced toward the dense grove of trees he had spotted earlier.

"Coward!" the woman snarled. Dark energy surged around her body. "I won’t let you run!"

She exploded forward and chased after Shaan without hesitation. Shaan glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

Good—it appeared that everything was going according to plan. He just needed to maintain his speed until he made it into the dense grove of trees.

"I’ll make sure this woman plays into my plan."

Shaan kept sprinting. Only a few more meters separated him from the dense trees. With confidence, he glanced back, knowing the woman was surely still chasing him.

’I’m sure she’s still right beh—’ His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. His face turned deathly pale. ’W-Wait... how is that possible?’ ’She should be—’

’BAM!’

Before Shaan could turn his head, something slammed into him from the side with tremendous force. The impact sent him spinning through the air. He lost all balance and crashed deep into the dense cluster of trees surrounding him.

"Ugh, d-damn it." Shaan mustered all his strength to stand up quickly, hiding behind one of the nearby trees. "I have to hurry. That crazy woman is definitely going to—"

"Hahaha... Did you really think I’d let you escape?" The woman’s voice echoed through the grove. "I know you’re still somewhere around here."

Shaan slowly peeked out from behind the tree. The masked woman stood with her back to him, gripping both swords tightly as she circled the grove. She scanned every corner with sharp, careful eyes, searching for even the slightest sign of movement.

"Come out, you coward!"

"I’ll finish you myself!"

’This is my chance.’ Shaan clenched his fists tightly, his jaw tightening. ’She hasn’t noticed me at all, and I can attack her right now. I’m sure this approach will definitely work.’ Shaan took a deep breath. "Now. Activate the Aspira Ignis skill.

[Ding!]

[Aspira Ignis Activated]

[Remaining Aspira Ignis Capacity: 69%]

’Hmm... I still have sixty-nine percent left.’ Shaan paused for a brief moment and tightened his grip on his twin short swords. ’I still have enough mana and this time... I’ll make sure she doesn’t get back up.’

Mana surged through Shaan’s body, and a powerful burst of energy coursed through his veins. Golden light flared across the blades of his twin short swords. Without a moment’s hesitation, Shaan burst forward. He weaved through the dense grove with incredible speed, using the trees to conceal his movements as he closed the distance. The masked woman still hadn’t noticed him.

"Take this, you damn woman!"

’CLANG!’