Chapter Thirty-Four: Peril at Every Turn

Veil had not expected that the Storm Howling Wolf before him was actually a mid-level magical beast. The strength of such a creature was two or three times, perhaps even more, than that of a low-level beast. With his current abilities, facing a mid-level beast was clearly impossible.

"Awroo!"

The Storm Howling Wolf suddenly raised its head to the sky and howled. From its mouth, it spat a deep blue orb of light, which exploded in midair, transforming into countless razor-sharp wind blades that howled toward Veil.

"Earth Barrier!"

Veil hurriedly cast an earth-based defensive spell, quickly forming a thick wall of earth before him for protection.

"Zing! Zing! Zing!"

Countless tiny wind blades embedded themselves into the earth wall, unable to go further. The Storm Howling Wolf clearly hadn’t anticipated its wind blades being so easily blocked. It growled in fury, its body suddenly coiling tightly like a drawn bow, and with a swift "whoosh," it shot forward. Veil’s eyes blurred for a moment—the Storm Howling Wolf vanished right before him!

"Not good!"

Veil cursed inwardly. He knew that, at the wolf’s speed, he could not accurately track its movements. He swung his staff forcefully, rapidly deploying two wind-based defensive barriers around himself, then conjured a row of earth spikes outside the barrier—each over half a meter long and densely arrayed like spears, blocking the Storm Howling Wolf from charging directly in.

Veil thought this would be enough to halt the wolf’s advance. Yet, from the very start, he had made a crucial mistake—he was only a third-rank mage. No matter how many powerful spells he had mastered, the magic he could cast was still that of a third-rank mage, and such magic could never truly threaten a mid-level beast.

At first, the Storm Howling Wolf was startled by the sudden appearance of the earth spikes, but soon realized they posed little threat. It pounced forward, swiping its claws to shatter several spikes, then opened its jaws and crushed the spikes before it into dust with its sharp teeth.

"Awroo!"

With a triumphant howl, the cunning Storm Howling Wolf seemed to be showing off to Veil, snapping the earth spikes one by one in front of him, and gradually advancing toward his wind barrier. Once the last spike was broken, the wolf stood before the barrier, growling lowly at Veil, rapidly gathering wind magic elements around itself. A deep blue orb of light appeared again, poised to be unleashed. Just then, inside the barrier, Veil waved his staff several times and shouted, "Earth Spike!"

"Zing!"

A spike over half a meter long burst from the ground beneath the Storm Howling Wolf’s feet. Its sharp tip nearly pierced the wolf’s forepaw. Perhaps it was the wolf’s innate alertness that allowed it to dodge the sudden attack. Yet Veil’s face showed no disappointment—he waved his staff again, commanding, "Earth Spike!"

"Zing! Zing! Zing!"

Dozens of dark earth spikes erupted as if from nowhere, startling the Storm Howling Wolf into a hasty retreat. One had to admit, the wolf’s reactions and intelligence were remarkable—even under these circumstances, it managed to use its forelimbs to block two spikes that could have been fatal, saving itself.

Crimson blood splattered everywhere; the Storm Howling Wolf’s right forelimb was pierced completely through by a spike, while its left suffered a minor graze. Enduring the intense pain, the wolf bit through the spike, supporting most of its weight on its left forelimb. Its eyes flashed with ferocious intent, and it growled in a low, menacing tone.

Despite such grievous wounds, this Storm Howling Wolf did not, like others of its kind, howl pitifully and flee in panic. Instead, it stood firm before Veil, its eerie eyes locked unwaveringly onto him.

"Urr!—Urr!—Urr!—"

The Storm Howling Wolf continued to growl, its deep blue fur standing on end, eyes bloodshot, baring its sharp teeth. If Veil were to lower the barrier now, he had no doubt the wolf would immediately leap upon him, biting relentlessly.

Veil drew another fire element staff from within his cloak, intending to finish the wolf with fire magic. Unexpectedly, the Storm Howling Wolf, heedless of its wounded forelimb, transformed into a blur of wind and lunged at him, howling as it unleashed several enormous wind blades from midair.

This time, the wind blades were nearly three times larger than before, streaking toward him like streams of light. With a thunderous crash, several wind blades struck Veil’s wind barrier, shattering its first layer completely.

"Awroo!"

The Storm Howling Wolf leapt five meters into the air, roaring in fury. It raised its left limb, manifesting an impossibly sharp wind blade in midair, and, fueled by the force of its descent, brought it crashing down upon Veil’s barrier.

"Crack!"

Before the wolf’s razor claws, the barrier was as fragile as an eggshell—its talons shattered the defense, slicing the air with a piercing howl as it hurtled toward Veil.

"Sparks!"

Thanks to a spell of lightness cast upon himself, Veil’s speed was markedly improved, yet still not enough to evade the wolf’s attack. He could only scatter flames like petals, hoping to disrupt the wolf’s vision, and quickly widen the distance between them. But to his astonishment, the Storm Howling Wolf, as if mad, charged straight through the searing flames, unafraid of blindness or burns, determined to close with him.

"Damn it!"

Veil cursed aloud, realizing escape was impossible. He braced himself and met the wolf head-on, swinging his staff and conjuring dozens of icy spikes that stabbed mercilessly into the wolf’s body.

"Awroo!"

The sharp ice spikes pierced the Storm Howling Wolf, blood scattering like snowflakes. At the same moment, the wolf’s claws descended—an ear-splitting rip, its talons tore through Veil’s flesh, leaving three glaring wounds, and crimson blood instantly drenched his clothes.

"Awroo!"

The Storm Howling Wolf, now blinded by fire and impaled by ice spikes, still would not relent. Its massive form toppled Veil to the ground, roaring with rage as if determined to vent all its hatred. It opened its jaws wide, preparing to bite down on Veil’s neck.

At that moment, under the threat of death, a surge of strength rose within Veil from some unknown source. He roared, gripping the wolf’s throat with one hand, and with the other, seized his staff and stabbed fiercely at the wolf’s eyes!

The slender staff should have pierced the wolf’s skull, but despite using every ounce of his strength, it only sank halfway. The wolf, wounded again at the last moment, howled in agony, blood splattering onto Veil’s face. Its claws pressed hard against Veil’s chest, jaws descending toward his throat. But just then, Veil’s hand found one of his conjured ice spikes. He snatched it up and, disregarding all else, drove it straight into the wolf’s open mouth—piercing through its throat.