Chapter 73: Fangs and Fangs! Wolf Fangs!
Chapter 73: Fangs and Fangs! Wolf Fangs!
After a series of "Continuous Fire Dragon Punches," Natsu had finally knocked the grizzly bear out cold. Feeling much better, he sat back down and quietly listened to Rod's live commentary.
"Found it." After seeing one battlefield after another, Rod finally spotted a monster.
It bore some resemblance to what Claudy had described, but it wasn’t as exaggerated.
Indeed, it was a "Leopard Man," somewhat similar to Lucci from the neighboring One Piece world.
However, this Beast King had more muscular limbs and a more menacing face.
The Leopard Man was currently choking a wild wolf with one hand, then flung it to the ground with a violent swing. With the other hand, he delivered a powerful punch.
The ground seemed to tremble, and the wolf's spine snapped with a sickening crack, its howl cutting off as it died.
This fighting style clearly explained the previous "tragedies."
The Leopard Man roared to the sky, his blood-red eyes glaring at the surrounding wolf pack.
The wolves, which had initially surrounded him, began to retreat, then turned and fled in a panic.
And the direction they were running in was straight toward the Shi Hulan Village.
Happi, listening to Rod’s description, asked, "Why is the Beast King killing those wild animals?"
"Establishing dominance? The one it just killed might have been the alpha wolf, and now the entire pack is afraid of it," Rod pondered, adding, "Is the Beast King using this method to drive the wild animals down the mountain? I thought a roar would be enough."
Natsu punched his fist into his palm. "Whatever the reason, we just need to take it down, right?"
Rod held him back. "Wait, the Shadow Wolves have been spotted."
With the entire wolf pack retreating, the three stationary Shadow Wolves stood out like sore thumbs.
But this was part of Rod's plan. Sending the Shadow Wolves not only helped with reconnaissance but also tested the enemy's capabilities.
The Leopard Man roared and charged at the Shadow Wolves.
The Shadow Wolves moved in unison, with the two-headed wolf facing the enemy head-on, while the regular wolves positioned themselves on either side.
The two crabs scurried away to different angles, acting as high-definition cameras.
Rod watched the Leopard Man's movements through the dual-camera setup, calmly assessing his charging speed.
It didn’t seem particularly fast.
The Leopard Man charged forward, using his height advantage to deliver a powerful punch aimed at the two-headed wolf's spine, seemingly trying to end the fight in one move.
But the two-headed wolf was quick, leaping to the side to avoid the punch, then pouncing back to bite the Leopard Man's wrist.
The two regular wolves saw their opportunity and pounced, each latching onto one of the Leopard Man’s arms.
Rod wondered if adding a couple of Stone Beetles to hold the Leopard Man’s legs would make a difference.
But things weren’t that simple.
The Shadow Wolves were about the size of tigers, and the Leopard Man, despite dragging a large Shadow Wolf and two smaller ones, was still able to run.
Moreover, he could swing his arms, smashing the Shadow Wolves into trees.
Bang! Bang!
Two trees, each about thirty centimeters in diameter, were snapped in half, forcing the Shadow Wolves to release their grip.
The two-headed wolf quickly rolled away to gain distance, crouching low and growling.
The two regular wolves, after a few struggles, managed to stand, but they looked like they wouldn’t last much longer.
The Leopard Man, his eyes locked on the two-headed wolf, raised his arm to lick it.
His arms now bore several rows of bloody gashes, and the areas where the two-headed wolf had bitten him were torn and bleeding.
Despite his injuries, the Leopard Man’s brute strength was evident from his earlier attacks.
After licking his wounds, the Leopard Man seemed even more ferocious, re-entering his attack stance.
The dual-headed wolf leaped from side to side, zigzagging toward the leopard man. Suddenly, it pounced, aiming straight for the leopard man's neck.
The leopard man raised his right arm and swung it down with force, striking the space between the dual-headed wolf's two heads, sending it crashing to the ground.
Before it could recover, two ordinary wolves fearlessly charged in, but the leopard man dispatched them with a single punch each, sending them back to the Summoner's Rift to rest.
Seizing the opportunity, the dual-headed wolf retreated, its paws lightly digging into the ground.
Once it had dug a small pit, it darted forward, taking a few running steps before its body began to spin like a tornado, hurtling toward its opponent.
Fang Wolf Fang!
Rod had immediately named this skill when he realized the dual-headed wolf possessed it.
The move was incredibly powerful, and he hadn't even dared to test it in the guild.
Unfortunately, the leopard man was even stronger. He extended his hands and grabbed the wolf's two open maws.
The wolf's fangs bit into the leopard man's forearms, but couldn't penetrate further.
The leopard man was pushed back a few steps by the impact, but he didn't suffer any serious injuries.
The scene that followed was brutal, as the dual-headed wolf was also sent back to the Rift to rest.
The leopard man seemed puzzled by why these wolves disappeared after the fight. He roared in frustration and continued searching for new targets.
Despite the Shadow Wolves' defeat, Rod wasn't discouraged. From his observations, this leopard man's strength was far from S-rank.
Even without Natsu, he might be able to take him down with a burst of power... but that was wishful thinking.
He couldn't rule out the possibility that the leopard man might transform into a second stage if pushed too far.
But at least now he could try, as long as he had a solid retreat plan in place.
Rod shared his analysis with Natsu and Happy. "That's the situation, so let's head out now. Do you need to make any preparations?"
"Already ready!" Natsu jumped up and started climbing the mountain, leading the way.
He didn't need Rod to guide him; Natsu remembered the scent of the river crabs.
On the way up, Rod continued to discuss his ambush and retreat plans. He explained the ambush to Natsu and the retreat to Happy, tailoring his instructions to their strengths.
...
As expected, they encountered a pack of wolves that had been driven up the mountain by the leopard man.
Natsu and the monsters quickly dispatched them, while Rod and Happy cheered them on and reminded Natsu not to go all out.
"You guys are so annoying." Natsu complained after the fight. "If you have time to nag, you could help in the battle!"
Happy raised a hand. "Nah! We have more important tasks."
Rod also raised a hand, mimicking Happy's tone. "Nah! We just defeated more wild wolves than you did."
"You two!" Natsu had nowhere to vent his frustration, so he just focused on the journey, hoping to find the Beast King's location as soon as possible.
The three of them bickered as they crossed a hill, with more scattered beasts attacking them along the way, all of which were taken down by Natsu and Rod.
After more than an hour, they finally reached the spot where the three wolves had fought the leopard man.
The leopard man wasn't there anymore, but a roar came from the nearby pine forest.
Natsu looked at Rod, who nodded, confirming the leopard man was there.
Two river crabs, with their excellent camouflage, blended into the forest like large green stones, providing Rod with a clear view.
Rod summoned two groups of stone beetles and a group of sharpbeak birds to assist Natsu in battle.
Meanwhile, Happy carried Rod up to the highest tree in the forest.
Honestly, being carried by Happy made him feel quite insecure.
(End of Chapter)
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