Kai didn't answer.
His mind was in shambles, racing to find a way to flip the situation in their favor.
But he found nothing.
Even before attacking, he and the others already anticipated clashing with multiple students and some of the High Angels. This was their only chance to sweep the favor from under Team Coeus and rise back up to the game.
Catching those who hide in the shadows is preferable.
That would at least have given them the element of surprise, but they couldn't find anyone.
Couldn't find Wolf. He hid really well.
Frankly, with his growth, Kai was expecting to be able to defend himself properly against the High Angels. He had fought against Matilda and felt her power, and unlike him, they were not growing as fast.
Most are focusing on opening their second Divine Lock, not growing their strength.
And it shows.
A second pulse exists in Wolf's body near his heart, and it was almost full.
Give him a few more days, and his second Divine Lock would be complete.
But as Kai stood before Wolf's presence, he realized the gap between them wasn't that easy to bridge. His legs were trembling slightly, like standing before a predator that could kill him in an instant.
Kai could only use Dark Discharge imprint four times maximum.
He needed to somehow take Wolf down in those four chances, and he's not confident.
Behind, Dorian and Rakha were fighting against a black hound and a student.
Mathias had it easier, only needing to fight one black hound, but he was having difficulty.
Each black hound is as strong as an above-average Angel.
Swoosh—!
Kai blinked. His pupils dilated at the sight of a descending great sword.
He raised his scimitar to block it out of instinct, and the force behind it put him on one knee.
Strong! His strength is insane!
It was well-known among everybody that Supernals with the bloodline of Divine Beasts are generally stronger in terms of raw strength. Even those with lower ratings are strong, and those who are above average are freakishly strong.
But this was the first time Kai really felt how strong they were.
"Focus on me," Wolf's feral voice seeped through his mask. "Do you think you have the liberty to be distracted in front of me?!"
Bam—!
Kai grunted as a front kick hammered against his ribs, forcing the air out of his lungs.
He staggered backward, managing to recover after the fifth step. Blood was already leaking from the corner of his lips. Wolf kept the pressure, drowning Kai in a flurry of slashes as he chuckled at the thrill of the battle.
As the barrage continued, Kai was surprised that he could last this long.
I'm not adept at using a blade, but so is he… He's only strong. I think I'm better than him.
Most of them are normal people before becoming an Angel, so it's natural for them to be bad at using traditional weapons like this. Some probably knew how to use a gun and be accurate with it, but traditional weapons? Probably not many could use them properly.
And more importantly, he's underestimating me.
"Since you're not going to answer, then for you... I declare death!"
Wolf leaped and raised his great sword overhead, and brought it down with strength.
At the same time, Kai's eyes flashed.
Instead of leaping away to dodge as a normal instinct would react, he charged inside the arc of Wolf's swing, avoiding the attack altogether and side-stepped to his exposed side. Kai's Primordial Lock pulsed with mana as he charged his scimitar with Dark Discharge.
His slashing intuition pinpoints the weakest spot, and the Perfect Slash guides his swing.
Slash—!
Kai's eyes widened.
Everything was perfect as if the stars were in line to help him land this vital strike.
One that'd turn the tables entirely.
But other than being able to summon hunting hounds, Wolf is also an animal himself.
His instincts for danger are immaculate.
"Ooh…" Wolf stared at Kai from behind the mask, and there was amusement in his eyes.
In the nick of time, before the scimitar could slit his jugular and leave him bloodied or carve a bloody line across his chest, Wolf reacted. He curled his shoulder, folded his right arm, flexed, and charged into the blade instead of away.
Kai's edge sliced through the dark-colored enchanted vambrace and armguard, carving deep into flesh, stopping a shudder away from the bone. Then, the mana blast erupted from the blade, a forceful discharge that rattled Wolf's organs.
That also made blood trickle down Wolf's lips.
"Now you've done it, Lesser Angel…" He whispered.
Ignoring the threat of violence in his words, Kai tore the scimitar back—and rolled forward before Wolf's hand could catch him.
He sprinted at the carriage and freed the prisoners.
"We're retreating!" Kai roared to the others. He grabbed a leather pouch from the carriage's side, smashed the crate's lock with the back of his scimitar, and swept mana ores into the bag in one continuous motion. "Save yourself first, we'll meet up later!"
Defeating Wolf is quite impossible.
He's a one-man army.
Best for them to get what they can and leave before they are slaughtered.
Some of the prisoners took the weapons of the students Kai and Dorian killed, and protected Kai's back, putting themselves in the way of Wolf's furious gallop. All of them are brave. But they stood no chance against the High Angel.
Splash—!
Like a killing machine, Wolf's great sword slashed through their weapons and bodies.
He mangled the prisoners and dyed the ground crimson.
Kai was able to fill the bag right on time to lean his head back, narrowly avoiding an ice arrow.
Mathias fell by this student's hands and is now bloodied under his foot.
"He's mine!" Wolf roared, telling the student off to chase the other students from Team Crius who heeded Kai's shout and fled the scene. "Don't let the others escape! I want to have their heads staked by the end of this day!"
Nodding his head, the student turned and chased after Dorian along with another and a black hound.
On the other hand, Kai wasted no time and ran.
He sprinted towards the bushes, but Wolf managed to catch his hand.
"Where the fuck are you go—?!"
Bam—!
Kai immediately threw his head back hard without turning, slamming the back of his head against Wolf's nose. That loosened the grip on his hand, and he used it to free himself and ran as fast as possible.
He heard a roar from behind.
Wolf must've been boiling by now.
Slash—!
A spinning knife flew across the air and managed to cut Kai's shoulder.
"Arghh!" He grunted in pain, but didn't stop.
And once he'd put enough distance between them, Kai activated the Nigh-phantom imprint and vanished, leaving the berserk Wolf behind. He needed to flee before the sharp noses of those black hounds returned.
The raid hadn't gone as planned, but at least they'd come away with something.
Not a total failure.
A mile away, where the animals crowded, Kai leaned against a tree—and took the folded leaf from his pocket. He opened it and smeared the herbs inside onto the wound on his shoulder, grunting from the stabbing pain.
He needed to stop the bleeding, or Wolf and the hounds would be able to track him down.
Kai then checked the bag and counted the mana ores.
Sixty-one mana ores.
That's at least a quarter of the entire crate, which was more than he was expecting.
"Arghh…" Kai leaned his head against the tree trunk and caught his breath. "How are we going to defeat Team Coeus when I can't even kill Wolf?" He looked up to the sky. "Sister... I really don't know if I can do this."
Based on what he heard, Lion became the leader after he beat the others to a pulp.
And that meant he also beat Wolf and Snake easily.
Not to mention, Lion is also in possession of a grade-one enchanted gear.
Defeating him seemed impossible with those things in mind.
Kai watched the clouds drift against the darkening sky and forced calm into his veins. He decided to focus on the positive, that he had wounded Wolf. A High Angel. Not long ago, Matilda made quick work of him.
Right now, he had stood his ground against someone equal to her.
It's a good thing.
Once he advanced in rank, he should be able to defeat Wolf with ease.
As long as Wolf hadn't unlocked his second Divine Lock, that is.
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
It wasn't long ago that he lived an ordinary life. Going to school. Working. Watching a movie on the weekend with his sister. Back then, he thought all the Supernals were living in fantasy. Possessing God-like powers and fighting monsters, that's fantasy.
Now, everything is inverted.
Those ordinary lives are now the fantasy, and right here, fighting to the death is reality.
Kai opened his eyes and shook those mellow thoughts away.
His eyes naturally fell to the folded leaf in his hand, remembering the woman who made this.
"Abigail betrayed us. She made contact with Team Coeus out of fear, but Wolf didn't seem like he knew that I was coming," Kai recalled what happened earlier, and was convinced that this was the case. "Had he known we were coming, he wouldn't have arrived late."
Kai had known she was up to something ever since he rescued her from Rakha.
She was supposed to be looking while he and Dorian rested.
But somehow, she'd slipped out to fetch water. Dorian had warned her sternly—never leave the hideout, never burden them with the need to rescue her. For the most part, she listened. Not once did she leave without permission after that.
And then suddenly, when they were near Team Coeus' main camp, she left in secret.
It was obvious what she was doing.
Last night, Abigail wanted to change shifts with Kai.
She must have made a promise to meet with someone from Team Coeus to get them.
But Kai couldn't find anyone.
Either way, he thought that if Abigail betrayed them, Wolf would know they were coming.
He didn't.
Now, Kai was confused as to whether Abigail really betrayed them or not.
Kai put those thoughts at the back of his mind—and made his way to the crocodile-infested water. If things go wrong, the others will meet up there. It was nighttime when he arrived, as he took the long route.
He couldn't find anyone there.
No sign of Dorian and Rakha, which was a bad sign.
I need Ox Leaves.
Kai realized that he had dropped his pouch of back-up Ox Leaves. He could feel the oxygen was thinning inside his mask, and he didn't have long. Not having any other choice, he returned to the hideout.
No sign of Abigail, too, when he arrived.
She had left.
Abigail had also cleaned out the hideout, so there are no Ox Leaves.
Kai was about to quickly make his way back to the pond, but stopped mid-track.
"You've gotten stronger since the last time we met…" A voice from behind startled him.
He recognized that voice.
I should've known it was going to be her.