350 The Setup
A haunting howl echoed in the distance, sending chills down the spines of the team as they witnessed massive, one-ton wolves darting between the pines and birch trees, snapping logs in their wake. Their gray fur was drenched in blood yet immaculate, their canines gleaming white, and their amber eyes burned with a hunger to feast.
Caleb and Luis stared in terror as the wolves charged, while Madeline, petrified, faced the opposite direction, struggling to overcome the sight of blood that coated their bodies. The scene was a living nightmare.
"Really?" Chen gibed, eyeing the group. "You're all confidence when someone tells you to win, but you're useless without a leader?"
The two men turned to him, trying to process his words.
"Just protect your friend!" Moe snapped, brandishing her sword as the wolves closed in. "Denzel, how easy is it to cut them?"
"It's like slicing through cheese!" Denzel declared.
"And it felt like a fourth-grader trying to push me out of a ring," Chen added. "But stay on your toes; those jaws hurt like a mother.
Taking on multiple wolves is a bad idea."
"Then split up," Denzel ordered. '"Caleb, protect Madeline."
"Oh!" Caleb stammered, drawing his sword with trembling hands and rushing to Madeline's side. He didn't even realize he was following Denzel's command, acting on instinct.
"Here they come!" Chen shouted.
Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat! GrrRRrrRrrr GHAT!
A dozen wolves stormed into the clearing at breakneck speed, the crackling of broken branches filling the air.
Denzel closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and assumed a theatrical sword stance before lunging forward and adopting a practical grip.
As adrenaline surged through him, time seemed to slow, and he locked eyes with a snarling wolf that declared itself the alpha. Its amber gaze was glassy, devoid of mercy or resolve, purely predatory, driven by instinct.
Channeling battle aura into his blade, Denzel wrapped it in a sharp film and swung horizontally, simultaneously cutting and blocking the beast's open jaws. Blocking, however, was unnecessary. The blade sliced through the wolf's teeth, its jaw and finally severed its head, releasing a torrent of blood.
Blocking proved unnecessary. When the blade cut straight through the beast's teeth, sliced through its jaw skin, and cleaved its head off, sending a torrent of blood gushing over him.
Chen's experience was similar, slashing downwards and cleaving a wolf's skull in half, but getting stuck in it's back. "Damn it!" he yelled, trying to yank it out.
A wolf lunged at Moe, who responded by holding her sword like a spear. The wolf failed to react in time and impaled itself on the blade, going limp.
Denzel continued his assault, severing a wolf's legs mid-leap and dodging another. Chen, however, struggled to free his blade from a wolf's skull, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Surrounded by wolves, he abandoned his sword to escape.
"Denzel, I'm stuck!" Chen called out, trying to retrieve his weapon.
"Me too!" Moe yelled.
"I'm coming!" Denzel yelled, parrying a wolf and leaping backward.
His pulse raced, but his mind was clear and focused. He was in the zone, no longer needing to make sound effects or posture to get into battle mode.
The black soldiers charged at the wolf, leaping toward Chen, cross-checking the beast with his shoulder.
CRaaaCK! CReeeaaackkk!
The wolf collided with a tree, exerting a brutal force that snapped the trunk in half and sent it tumbling toward the Immortals.
"Watch out!" Moe shouted as the Immortals huddled together, facing the wolves. Fear gripped them, but their survival instincts and training pushed them to their feet, though they were clearly struggling and disoriented.
Caught up in their confrontations, they didn't notice the falling tree until it was too late.
CRrraaaaCK! BOOM!
Horrified, everyone watched as the Immortals failed to dodge and were struck on their heads. Gasping for breath, they tried to maintain focus amidst the chaos of battling the frenzied wolves.
"GuuuHHHhhH!" Caleb yelled, rubbing his head and standing up.
"That fucking hurt!"
Luis shared a similar experience, rising with a peculiar expression on his face. Bizarrely, the impact from half of the broken tree had snapped Madeline out of her stupor, jolting her awake with a rush of adrenaline.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
"See? You're Immortal! Now help, God damn it!" Chen barked, gripping a wolf's fur below its jaw to keep it at bay.
Caleb's eyes darted from the tree to Chen, who was holding a wolf with his bare hands, then to Denzel, who was punching a wolf's skull, and finally to Moe, who was helping Madeline up. In a flash, he glanced at his sword and the beasts surrounding them.
In less than a second, Caleb instinctively utilized the spirit Qi focus technique that Kaze had taught them all. He sensed a wolf on his flank, circling the group to enclose them. The attack came swiftly but seemed to move at a snail's pace.
Caleb created an invisible wall of Qi at his feet and pushed off it, propelling himself backward before stopping with another wall. As the wolf lunged past him, unable to evade, Caleb raised his sword in a daze and slashed down with extraordinary force.
BOOOOM!
The explosion sent the team and the wolves flying, crashing into trees as they were caught off guard by the sudden impact. Caleb also fell, feeling the ground collapse beneath him.
"What the fuck was that!?" Chen growled, struggling to stand on the unstable ground.
Everyone turned to Caleb, who was having difficulty standing in the crater with a shocked expression.
"I think that's why Emperor Lexicon had no qualms about sending us into the forest," Moe mused, her eyes swirling with madness.
"Caleb, we got this," Luis said, dashing to his sword.
"Y-Yeah," Caleb stammered, watching the wolves close in.
*****
When the group arrived at the picnic area, they were met by fifty other groups of Immortals and soldiers, all of whom stared at them.
Denzel, Chen, Moe, Caleb, Madeline, and Luis were soaked in blood, their bodies coated in dark red gore. They were grateful that soul-beast blood didn't transmit diseases and that no small insects were around, sparing them any unpleasant odors. Still, they were a horrifying sight to behold and clearly uncomfortable.
But it wasn't their appearance that drew the most attention. Instead THUD! Thud. THUD! Thud, thud, thud!
Six massive, one-ton dire wolves fell to the ground in unison, shaking the earth as they landed.
"Y-You got that many?" an Immortal inquired in shock, eyeing the six wolves.
"No," Denzel panted, sweat shimmering on his worn-out skin. "We got a dozen and two mountain lions, but Lady Snow transferred those with a spatial ring. She just made us bring these six to the campground."
"Why?" another asked.
"For 'the lulz,'" Chen mumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'm not even joking," he clarified after a brief uneasy silence. "That's what she told us."
A brief pause followed, and then a group erupted in laughter, much to the chagrin of the exhausted soldier and Immortals who had carried the colossal creatures 20 miles back to the campground for the lulz.
esksk A resounding clap seized everyone's attention, causing them to look skyward. '"You've all done an excellent job today," Kaze beamed, surveying the groups. "Although I know you may be feeling somewhat resentful, aren't you all more confident in your abilities now?"
The Immortals and soldiers shot Emperor Lexicon wry smiles after glancing at the massive pile of beast corpses, which included wolves, bears, mountain lions, foxes, wild cats, and wild boars, most of which had escaped from nearby zoos.
"I'll take that as a yes," he smirked. "You are the kings and queens of this world — all shall bow before your strength. Let this day be a reminder of that."
Enthusiasm spread through the crowd, building up motivation and excitement.
Fey Roybock observed with a puzzled expression. Earlier that day, she had experienced deep unease in her heart while hunting with Kaze, who hadn't even watched from above. She felt torn. Yet, now as she looked around, she noticed that no one had a single scratch on them, and those who appeared slightly battle-worn had healed from minor injuries without any damage to their clothes.
It had been a setup. Kaze had made everyone believe they were in grave danger, and when they confronted the enormous animals, they certainly felt it. However, they had never truly been in danger in the first place.
Emperor Lexicon hadn't simply told his troops they were the strongest that day — he proved it. Now, they were far better prepared for battle.
Fey cast a discreet glance at the two dozen apocalypse survivors, primarily women and young men, whom Kiera had handpicked that day, leaving the "despicable wastelanders and probs pedos' to perish in the forest when the second wave hit. They stared in disbelief, awestruck by the sight of the soldiers and the airborne emperor.
Her gaze returned to the enigmatic man who had united them all and transformed their collective strength into a thriving civilization.
She had countless questions for him and yearned to know the answers.
The real question was: did Kaze Lexicon genuinely desire her — a mature teacher without a flashy persona — to be part of his harem?
It was difficult for her to accept as truth. Nevertheless, Fey tracked every move the emperor made with her eyes, captivated by his presence, knowing her self-control wouldn't allow her to turn down another advance. If Kaze wanted her — she'd let him have her.