The northern district had become a battlefield of broken stone and churning mud. Rain hammered the rooftops and streets relentlessly, turning the entire city edge into a drowning wasteland. Every corner crackled with magic release—spells detonating, elemental light reflecting off wet surfaces, beasts roaring in a frenzy.
The wolf pack poured through the breach like a dark tidal wave. Their fur clung wet to their bodies, making their muscles look even more defined beneath the sheen of rain. Their eyes glowed with unnatural brightness, icy-blue and blood-red mixed together like corrupted jewels. Warrior-level wolves led the charge, their claws carving grooves into stone as they sprinted with terrifying force.
Hunters on the wall fired spells without hesitation.
"Wind Disc!"
Sharp crescents sliced through the air, cutting into the pack. Blood sprayed, steaming on contact with magic.
"Earth Wave!"
Brown energy surged from the ground, rising into a shockwave that toppled several wolves, sending them tumbling back into the swarm.
A cluster of novice mages cast simultaneously.
"Ice Spread!"
"Fire Burst!"
"Water Shield!"
Ice crackled across the ground, forming slick traps beneath the beasts' paws. Fire burst upward, washing over the front ranks. Water shields expanded, absorbing lunging claws and teeth before shattering from the impact.
A Warrior-level wolf leaped clean over the traps. Its claws extended, tearing through the rain. A fire mage screamed as it descended.
Before the wolf reached him, a lance of violet light tore through the night.
"Lightning Strike!"
The bolt hit the wolf square in the ribs, blasting it sideways into a collapsed watchtower. Stone rained down, burying the beast.
But the pack didn't stop.
Warrior-level wolves began howling in unison, their voices creating a chilling resonance across the rooftops. The frequency vibrated through the air, shaking windows and loosening tiles.
A massive wolf lunged upward, landing on a nearby building. Its claws dug into the roof tiles, tearing them apart as it sprinted across the upper edge. The beast's movements were too fast for most mages to follow; it zigzagged between incoming spells, closing distance to the battlements.
"Metal Slash!"
A gleaming arc swept across the rooftop. The metallic crescent cut into the wolf's flank, ripping through muscle and bone. The creature staggered, slipped, and tumbled off the roof, snapping its neck on the stone below.
But for every wolf that fell, five more surged forward.
A hunter captain shouted toward the wall. "Don't let the Warrior-levels reach the center! FALL BACK positions—center formation!"
They formed ranks by the academy's defense line, spells primed.
A wind mage stepped forward, drawing the green star diagram with practiced precision. Wind spiraled around him, forming a barrier.
"Wind Trail!"
He sprinted along the battlements, trailing a streak of emerald light as he redirected the wolves' approach paths. But a Warrior-level wolf countered with sheer force, slamming its body into the wall so hard the stones cracked. The mage stumbled, losing his footing.
Another wolf leaped up, jaws opening—
"Ice Lock!"
Thick cyan chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the wolf's limbs and dragging it down. The ice mage who cast it collapsed from exhaustion—too much energy spent—but the wolf was immobilized long enough for a second barrage.
"Fire Burst!"
Three fire orbs slammed into the wolf's head and chest, detonating in fiery bursts that consumed it.
The rain intensified, almost suffocating.
Thunder boomed overhead.
The wolf pack howled together, and then—
A massive Warrior-level beast emerged.
Its fur was a deep slate color, water dripping from wiry muscles beneath. Scars crisscrossed its body, each glowing faintly blue, pulsing with demonic energy. The beast's claws were as long as daggers, and each step left deep gouges in the stone.
It stood above the others—
Towering.
Glaring.
Breathing like a furnace.
A hunter whispered, "Warrior-level demon wolf…"
The beast blurred.
It sprinted so fast that water sprayed behind it in a long arc. It crashed into the defensive line, knocking three mages into the air. One spun uncontrollably and smashed into the side of a building, collapsing without moving.
Spells surged in response.
"Fiery Fist!"
"Ice Lock!"
"Metal Slash!"
"Violent Waves!"
They hit the wolf from all sides.
Fire wrapped its body.
Ice attempted to bind its legs.
Metal arcs sliced at its hide.
Water slammed into its flank.
The beast roared, muscles bulging.
It shattered the ice.
It endured the water.
It twisted away from the metal blades.
And the fire only seemed to enrage it further.
The massive wolf lunged toward a hunted mage, jaws wide enough to bite through a torso.
A streak of fire cut across the rain.
A punch detonated like an explosive.
"Fiery Fist!"
The wolf was blasted backward, rolling across the wet stone before regaining its footing. Steam rose from its singed fur.
Rain hissed from the heat.
Hunters took their opening.
"Earth Wave!"
Orange-brown energy surged beneath the wolf, knocking it off balance. The ground cracked open, throwing the creature off its feet again.
"Wind Disc!"
A razor-thin crescent carved into its shoulder, splattering blood in a wide arc.
"Lightning Strike!"
Violet lightning drilled into its skull, causing its limbs to seize violently.
But the wolf refused to die.
Shaking, snarling, it forced itself upright. Its eyes glowed brighter, demonic energy flooding its wounded body. The beast howled with such force that the battlements shook, the sound resonating deep into the city.
Rain washed blood across the stones.
The wolf charged again, lowering its head, muscles coiling like springs.
Hunters braced.
Spells ignited.
The storm screamed overhead.
The wolf leaped—
And a metal arc flashed like a guillotine.
Followed by a burst of flame.
Followed by fire and lightning slamming into its ribs.
The beast's skull hit the stone walkway with a loud crack. Its body twitched once, then fell still—rainwater flowing around it like a river.
The hunters didn't cheer.
There was no time.
Because in the east, and the west, and the north—
More howls rose.
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
Thousands.
The city trembled.
The wolves were only the beginning.